Apr 29, 2009

Zhi Wei's Cooking Tips - Hard Boiled Eggs

Haha.. Hard Boiled Eggs.. How hard can making them be..? Not very hard actually.. Now the thing here is making them effectively..

Its often heart-wrenching to see how people make their hard boiled eggs.. Have you ever cracked open an egg thinking that it was done but it ends up under-cooked? Have you ever drop an egg into the water before it was boiling?

Now.. I can't keep quiet anymore.. Let me share my experiences with hard-boiling eggs..

First of all, let me talk about the pots we use to cook the eggs.. The ideal pot to use is actually a pot that can fit the amount of eggs you're cooking just nicely.. Never! I mean never, put a single egg into a pot that can fit 3 or 4 eggs.. The idea situation for me I think is to find a pot that can fit 3 and a half eggs and then put 3 eggs in it.. This allows the eggs some space to breath and yet does not waste the available space and water in the pot..

The next golden rule to observe is that we should make sure that we completely submerge the eggs we are cooking in the water.. Being completely submerged, it cooks way faster, thus saving some gas money and time.. Another thing to take note is that I personally prefer to only put the eggs in the water only after the water has started boiling.. This to me means that the eggs are being expose to a constant temperature after hitting the water.. Boil for around 5-8 minutes depending on the size and amount of the eggs and the size of the pot.. The bigger the scale of the set-up, the more likely it will take longer.. The type of pot used also affects the timing too..

Lastly, how do we know that the egg has completely being hard-boiled? I find that the safest sign to show that an egg has being hard-boiled is when the egg shell has started to have these huge cracks and you know that the crack is not caused by you stirring too hard or what so ever..

Disclaimers: These are my personal opinions, and you can choose not to follow it.. Though it is my belief that despite being some very basic tips, some people out there still overlook some of the steps and cause unnecessary trouble for themselves.. I love eggs, and cook them on a scale ranging from home-usage, 1-2 eggs, to catering scale, 50-80 eggs at one go, for my work's purposes.. Of course when cooking at a larger scale, some factors might change, and I certainly get better equipment at work.. But it is my believe that if the above rules are followed, the eggs should be nicely cooked for home-usage..

Apr 17, 2009

Ubin Outing!!!

Yay!!!

Went to Pulau Ubin today with Benjamin, Claudia and Hui Xian.. My class mates for year 2.2 for those who don't know who they are..

Wah.. Today was a super super fun day.. Saw a lot of animals too.. Wild boar (both tamed and wild de), dogs, cats, birds, monkey, crabs, rooster, rabbits and of course, not forgetting our favourite, bugs and reptiles..

The highlight of the day has got to be the group of wild wild boars for me.. We're really lucky to see a group of them I think, they are very rare nowadays even on Ubin.. The baby boar is very cute, then the adult boar was super BIG..

The let down was that we weren't able to find the 2 swans that I saw the last time I went to Ubin..

Then we also went to Chek Jawa there to see sea.. Haha!!! We manage to see these small little crabs.. Very cute one.. The claws one big one small de..

Though I had a little bit of flu going on, I really enjoyed the trip.. It was a breathe of fresh air from the hassle and bussle of the city life..

I seriously won't mind going there again soon.. Haha.. I will show you people some photos we took now.. Enjoy..

Before setting off for Ubin.. I know.. Not all were well equipped to go there.. Haha!!!


Heading for our boat..


I think this picture looks cool.. Don't why lehzz..


The Chek Jawa Viewing Tower!!!


The Sea View from the Viewing Tower at high tide..


Claudia and I on the Jawa Board-Walk.. Very nicely taken.. Well-done Hui Xian!!! The backdrop is very nice..


This is Claudia playing with the camera.. Wind very big lahzz.. That is why I'm holding onto my hat..


I wonder who took this one.. Anyways, Yup!!! I'm holding onto my hat for dear life again..


This is Claudia trying to play with the camera again.. She wanted to take a photo of us leaving the board-walk..


Woot!!! Lunch.. The food wasn't awesome, but the fellowship sure was.. Haha!!!

Overall, the sights and sounds and smells of Ubin was really refreshing.. Anyone read le this post feel like going Ubin for a hike please call me along.. I want to go again.. Haha!!! I still think hiking is the best way to experience Ubin after so many years of hiking..