CHAPTER XIV.
MISCELLANEOUS DISHES.
Boiled Eggs.
THE white and yolk should be equally well cooked in a boiled egg, the white being soft and creamy. Put the eggs in a deep saucepan, and pour over them a generous amount of boiling water,—one quart or more of water for four eggs. Cover the saucepan, and set on a part of the range where it is so cool that the hand can rest on it comfortably. At the end of ten minutes the eggs will be cooked to a soft creamy consistency. If the eggs be liked medium well done, cook for five minutes longer; if to be hard, they may remain in the water for twenty minutes.
Poached Eggs.
Put in a frying-pan boiling water to the depth of two or three inches. To each pint of water add a teaspoonful of salt and a teaspoonful of vinegar. Have the water just bubbling at one side of the pan. Break an egg close to the pan, and drop it gently into the water. Continue putting in eggs until you have the required number. When the white of the egg is set, slide a cake-turner under the egg, and lift it from the water. Slide it upon a slice of buttered toast.
In most parts of New England eggs cooked in this way are called dropped.
Muffin rings may be placed in the pan of water, and the eggs be dropped into them. This gives a better shape. There are several inventions in the market by the use of which eggs can be poached easily and successfully.
Fried Eggs.
These are usually served with ham, but they may be served separately. Put into a pan any kind of clean sweet fat; ham or bacon fat is generally considered as the best. Have the fat about a quarter of an inch deep in the pan. Break the eggs separately, and slide them gently, one at a time, into the hot fat. With a long spoon dip up the fat and pour over the eggs. As soon as the whites are set, slide a cake-turner under the eggs and place them on a warm dish. They may be arranged on slices of ham, or the ham may be put in the centre of the dish, and the eggs arranged around it.