Original White House Cookbook

Eggs for boiling cannot be too fresh, or boiled too soon after they are laid ; but rather a longer time should be allowed for boiling a new-laid egg than for one that is three or four days old. Have ready a saucepan of boiling water ; put the eggs into it gently with a spoon, letting the spoon touch the bottom of the saucepan before it is withdrawn, that the egg may not fall and consequently crack. For those who like eggs lightly boiled, three minutes will be found sufficient ; three and three-quarters to four minutes will be ample time to set the white nicely ; and if liked hard, six or seven minutes will not be found too long. Should the eggs be unusually large, as those of black Spanish fowls sometimes are, allow an extra half minute for them. Eggs for salad should be boiled for ten or fifteen minutes, and should be placed in a basin of cold water for a few minutes to shrink the meat from the shell ; they should then be rolled on the table with the hand and the shell will peel off easily. SOFT BOILED EGGS. When properly cooked eggs are done evenly through, like any other food. This result may be obtained by putting the eggs into a dish with a cover, or a tin pail, and then pouring upon them boiling water — two quarts or more to a dozen of eggs — and cover and set them away where they will keep hot and not boil for ten to twelve minutes. The heat of the water cooks the eggs slowly, evenly and sufficiently, leaving the centre or yolk harder than the white, and the egg tastes as much richer and nicer as a fresh egg is nicer than a stale egg. SCALLOPED EGGS. Hard-boil twelve eggs ; slice them thin in rings ; in the bottom of a large well-buttered baking-dish place a layer of grated bread crumbs, then one of eggs ; cover with bits of butter and sprinkle with pepper and salt. Continue thus to blend these ingredients until the dish is full ; be sure, though, that the crumbs cover the eggs upon top. Over the whole pour a large teacupful of sweet cream or milk and brown nicely in a moderately heated oven. SHIRRED EGGS. Set into the oven until quite hot a common white dish large enough to hold the number of eggs to be cooked, allowing plenty of room for each. Melt in it a small piece of butter, and breaking the eggs carefully in a saucer, one at a time, slip them into the hot dish ; sprinkle over them a small quantity of pepper and salt and allow them to cook four or five minutes. Adding a tablespoonful of cream for every two eggs, when the eggs are first slipped in, is a great improvement. This is far more delicate than fried eggs. Or prepare the eggs the same and set them in a steamer over boiling water. They are usually served in hotels baked in individual dishes, about two in a dish, and in the same dish they were baked in. SCRAMBLED EGGS. Put a tablespoonful of butter into a hot frying pan ; tip around so that it will touch all sides of the pan. Having ready half a dozen eggs broken in a dish, salted and peppered, turn them (without beating) into the hot butter ; stir them one way briskly for five or six minutes or until they are mixed. Be careful that they do not get too hard. Turn over toast or dish up without. POACHED OR DROPPED EGGS.