[Sca-cooks] coddling an egg

[Gwynydd Of Culloden]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lady Marion MacGregor

> I have a mundane friend who had asked me what it means "to
> coddle an egg"  after a few side jokes (remember Iam
> married to Puck) I am stumped.  What does the term "to
> coddle an egg" truly mean and what is the importance of it
> in cooking?  BTW this is from a recipe to make a dressing
> for a salad

If I were to coddle an egg, I would be using an egg coddler.  These are
porcelain cups with lids into which, when buttered, one puts an egg and
various other ingredients like tomato, cheese, ham.  One then attaches the
lid and puts the coddler into boiling water for 3 - 5 minutes (depending on
how well done one wants one's egg).  The lid is then removed and the coddled
egg is eaten straight from the porcelain cup.

Unfortunately, the fact that I don't have an egg coddler means that I don't
actually coddle eggs any more.  I also can't quite imagine using this in a
salad.

The other thing I grew up calling coddled eggs is a very soft-boiled egg
mixed with a slice of bread, crumbled.  My father, would you believe, added
condensed milk, and promptly ruined the dish for me forever.  This makes a
little more sense in terms of a salad, but not much.

Gwynydd