Nearly half of young adults in Britain don't know how to boil an egg, according to a new survey.

Only 51% of 18 to 24-year-olds knew it took three minutes to soft-boil an egg, reveals the poll to mark Farmhouse Breakfast Week.

One in 20 thought it took 10 minutes while 15% had no idea. Overall, 65% of the 1,950 adults questioned got the cooking time right.

British chef Brian Turner said preparing a healthy cooked breakfast was a basic skill and the findings of the survey were a cause for concern.

He said: "This survey shows just how far people have lost touch with Britain's food heritage and that many aren't capable of boiling an egg or grilling bacon or cooking sausages correctly."

The British Egg Information Service says large eggs should be put in cold water which is brought to the boil and left for three minutes to get a really soft boiled yolk and set egg white.

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_26827...u=news.quirkies

I will say in their defense that in culinary school they tell you for a hard boiled egg you start it in cold water and let it boil, as soon as it boils you turn it off, cover it and let it sit for 13 mins and it's perfect

Ewww, soft-boiled eggs are gross!

Does that mean they don't know how to make soldiers either?

maybe they just need to get Delia's book


agree on soft boiled eggs being gross

I agree as well they're gross

as for toasty soldiers lol

Eggs are good anyway. Yummy!

well, I cook all the time and I don't know how to boil an egg. (well I do now )
I don't eat eggs. They are one of two (regular)foods that do not pass these lips.
However I cook with them and cook them for my husband often, still I've never boiled eggs before.

I know how to cook bacon and sausages properly though!

I LOVE soft boiled eggs and soldiers. Yummy yummy yummy in my belly.

*points up*

Thoroughly disgusting. Brits are weird. lol

I agree!

I've never had eggs for breakfast except on special occasion, but my mother would make us soft boiled eggs and soldiers for tea sometimes. I never used to be able to say 'soldiers', though - I used to ask for eggs and shoulders!

Agreed on the gross-ness of soft yolks - bleurgh!!

Haha - I think my brothers and I used to call them shoulders as well

At least young Brits know where their food comes from.

I was eating spaghetti at a friend's house only to have his friend be absolutely horrified when I grabbed some basil leaves off of a nearby plant and shredded them on top of my food.

Apparently, basil is grown in bottles in the US....

ommlette or scrambled eggs, fine. Anything with a runny middle...YURRRG!

Maybe he was horrified at your savaging the plant without asking...or he was horrified at the act of "grabbing" leaves off of a living entity itself....

This isn't a U.S. thing - we use fresh herbs all the time. I think the guy was just weird!

I know people here (in the US) who grow herbs - me included. However, if I was at a friend's house I would ask permission first and, if it was an outside plant, wash the leaves first too.

I grow herbs too and have a massive garden for the summer. I hope the farmers market come back here soon!

I love eggs. Soft, medium or hard- doesn't matter to me.

I couldn't eat eggs for years. In Grade 5 we incubated a bunch of them for science and every week we'd crack one open to see the insides and how they were developing. My Dad fixed eggs one night for dinner and wouldn't let me leave the table until I'd finished them, even though I cried and pleaded. (Me eating the eggs ---> Click to view attachment) It still niggles at the back of my mind, so I'm pretty squeamish about them.... even though I will eat them in some formats now, but only on my non-squeamish days.

Neil doesn't like eggs either i wonder if they did something like that in school

It was an indoor plant and I did ask permission. His comment to the room in general was "OMIGOD! She's eating LEAVES!" 'It's basil,' said I. "It's LEAVES!" 'BASIL!' "LEAVES!!!"

Like I said, apparently basil is grown in bottles in this country....

I'm sure I will cause a lot of controversy with my ways too, if you want to pick and eat leaves then go for it girl.