Practical household cookery

The freshness of eggs can easily be ascertained by immersing them gently one after the other in a basinful of cold water; those lying flat at the bottom are quite fresh, those remaining perpendicular are not, and the eggs that float or swim are bad. Thus any one can tell the different ages of, say, a dozen eggs without fear of a mistake, and I strongly advise every one to always try them in this way before breaking them. 240. BOILED EGGS. Place the number of eggs required to be cooked into a ladle in boiling water for three minutes in summer and half a minute longer in winter, and serve in egg-cups. 241. EGGS WITH BROWN OR BLACK BUTTER. For each couple of eggs required put a piece of butter as big as a walnut into a frying-pan on the fire ; let the butter boil; then break the eggs in the middle, by a gentle knock on the border of the pan (after having tried their freshness as indicated), and drop them gently in, without breaking the yolks; sprinkle a little salt and pepper on I 1 ; > each, fry for about three minutes and remove them carel* '.; fully on a dish with a flat strainer, and keep hot; return I ' . the frying-pan to the fire with half an ounce of butter I \'"^U'- (^^^ ®^^ *^^ ^ggs), and fry this butter till it is nearly i . ' ;V black; then add a dessert- spoonful of French vinegar I !-:' 1 •;• for each half -ounce of butter, with a sprig of parsley \ vj.: . chopped fine ; pour it over the eggs, and serve. 242. EGGS FRIED. Melt half an ounce of butter in a frying pan, and when boiling break two eggs, drop them gently into the fryingpan; season with salt and pepper, and when the whites get firm and begin to brown, serve on a hot dish. * : V : ; 243. EGGS WITH CREAM AND BUTTER. .'^' V Put about a quarter of an ounce of butter in a small flat *'-."'''•• enamelled pan, on the fire, with a gill of cream, a little salt ^/ if.^ and pepper for every two eggs broken, as in the foregoing. Meantime have red hot a salamander or iron shovel, hold it over the pan on the fire for two minutes, so that the contents are being cooked on the top as well as at the bottom of the pan at the same time ; and then serve quickly. Note, — Eggs cooked in enamelled pans should always be CI ; sent to the table in them, on plates. 'c;' '-V:t: 244. EGGS AU PLAT. •' V / - •- * . .> :. Put a quarter of an ounce of butter into a small enamelled i; • pan as in No. 243 ; let the butter melt on a moderate fire, H then break two eggs and drop them into the pan without disturbing the jolks; let them simmer gently till the whites get firm, season with salt and pepper, put the pan in a hot oven for half a minute, and serve. 245. POACHED EGGS. Put a quart of boiling water into a saut^paa with a gill of vinegar and a good pinch of salt ; when the water boils, break the number of eggs required to be poached and drop gently one by one into the boiling water ; as soon as the whites get firm, take them out with a flat skimmer and place gently on a clean cloth, trim the whites with a knife, and serve either on plain toast, anchovy toast, with slices of bacon or purees, minced meat, &c., &c. 24a. EGGS AU PLAT WITH TOMATOES. Peel, slice, and squeeze the water out of a fresh tomato ; put half an ounce of butter into a small enamelled pan on the fire ; when the butter is melted, break and drop two eggs into it, with the slices of tomato; season well with salt and pepper, cook till the whites get firm, and then put the pan in the oven for one minute, and serva 247. EGGS A LA TRIPE.