Looking to Improve Your Cooking Skills this Year? Start Simple with 3 Different Ways to Cook Eggs
Learning to cook is a common New Year’s resolution, with many of us looking to improve our skills in the kitchen as the year begins. But, with so many areas to work on, it can be daunting to know where to start.
If learning to cook is one of your goals for 2026, the best place to start is by perfecting the everyday basics.
With this in mind, Marc Williams, Cookery School Director at The Grand, York, shares his top tips for cooking eggs three ways.
Scrambled eggs
To avoid a rubbery texture to your scrambled eggs, Marc explains that temperature is most important.
Marc says, “When making scrambled eggs, lower the heat! Gently heat the pan for at least 4 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk your eggs gently with a dash of salt and pepper, but don’t add anything else – milk will just make them soggy!
Next, add a good knob of butter to the pan, allow it to gently foam and then pour in your eggs, leave for 30 seconds and then mix with a spatula. Slow and gentle is the key to perfectly light scrambled eggs.
Always take them off the heat whilst they are still runny! They will continue to cook after you take them off.”
Boiled eggs
Many of us struggle with getting boiled eggs just right, but the key is perfecting the timings and quickly cooling the eggs after cooking. Marc explains, “For boiled eggs, start with cold water and bring it up to a boil to prevent the eggs from cracking. Once boiling, reduce to a steady simmer and then time 4 minutes for soft-boiled and 8 minutes for hard-boiled.
Once your timer goes off, remove the eggs straight into ice water to prevent the eggs from continuing to cook, add a good splash of vinegar to the water and leave for an hour – this softens the shell and allows for easy peeling.” Says Marc.
Poached eggs
Poached eggs can be tricky to perfect, as they often lose their shape. Marc’s top tip is to use a splash of white wine vinegar to keep them firm.
“For poached eggs, bring a large pan of water to a steady, gentle simmer, add a good splash of white wine vinegar – this helps the eggs stay firm and keep their shape,” says Marc.
“Then, create a little whirlpool in the water. Crack your eggs into a ramekin first, rather than straight into the water, and add to the pan. 3 minutes is all a poached egg needs. After this, remove it from the pan and rest on a paper towel to get rid of excess water before serving.”