Eggs and Omelettes.
Boiling Eggs.
Unless quite sure the eggs are fresh, never boil them, as the well known remark that even to suspect an egg cooked in this style is undoubtedly well-founded. Hard boiled eggs, to be eaten either hot or cold, must never be boiled more than eight minutes, when they will be found tender and of a fine flavor, whereas, if boiled for a longer time, they will invariably prove leathery, tough, and almost tasteless, and dark-colored where the whites and yolk are joined, giving them an unsightly and anything but attractive appearance.
For soft boiled, three, and for medium, four minutes only, are necessary.
Scrambled Eggs.
Beat well three eggs, with two tablespoonfuls of cream or milk; add salt and pepper; put in the pan a lump of fresh butter, and, as soon as melted, put in the eggs, stirring rapidly from the time they begin to set; as in order to be tender they must be cooked quickly.
To Fry Eggs.
Put butter or lard in a hot pan, and then as many small, deep muffin rings as eggs required. Drop the eggs in the rings. Cooked in this manner the eggs are less liable to burn, look far nicer, and preserve their fine flavor.
Oyster Omelette.
Stew a few oysters in a little butter, adding pepper for seasoning, and when the omelette is cooked on the under side, put on the oysters, roll over, and turn carefully. A good omelette may be made of canned oysters treated in this way.