Word of the Week: What is Coddling and How Do You Do It

Many of you have heard of a coddled egg. It’s delicious, with a silky and luscious yolk and tender white that you’ve probably enjoyed over brunch. But what is coddling? In the days of yore, coddling was something you did to fruit. Today, it’s eggs. Tomorrow who knows, that’s the excitement of cooking trends, no? Let’s see what it’s all about. 

Related: What is Deglazing and How Do You Do It 

The term simply means to cook over time in just below boiling water. To coddle you need a coddler which looks like a small dish with a lid. For the perfect coddled egg, first grease the inside of the dish. Then crack the egg into the dish, ensuring that the yolk is intact. Place the lid back on tight, then submerge coddler in water so it goes half way up the sides. Cooking time depends on how firm you want your egg. Lower heat to simmer and cook egg for 8 minutes for a runny yolk, and a bit longer for set yolks.

So that’s it! The water bath helps the egg cook slowly while the steam that rises from it cooks the outside of the egg. Just make sure that you serve those coddled eggs as soon as they are ready. To jazz up your coddled egg add a few extra ingredients – chorizo, green onion, salt and pepper – before placing coddler in the water.

Now it is time to go on Ebay, get a snazzy vintage coddler and get to cooking. All you do is pull the dish out of the water, take the top off and serve. Talk about presentation! Serve your eggs with toasted bread, cheese and a big cafecito!