Perfect pie tops - tips for covering a pie dish

I will keep this post short and sweet, because in checking my facts online I have found that someone else has already written a very helpful post on covering a pie dish.

These are the 4 key points I was going to make before having read the above post:

1. Roll the pastry out so that you have a top that is slightly larger than your pie dish (approx 5cm overhang on each side); this is to help the pastry stay in place, but also because the pastry will shrink when cooking. If the pie dish is light, you can turn it upside down on top of the pastry and cut around it. Otherwise, just go with a generous estimate.
2. Use some of the trimmings to cut one long or several shorter 2cm wide strips of pastry so that you have enough to press around the rim of the pie dish. Before doing so, moisten the dish with a little water. 
3. Having lined the rim of the dish, brush the pastry rim with a little more water or egg wash and put the filling in the pie. Then carefully put the pastry cover over the top, pressing down round the edges to seal the it (you can do this with your fingers or a fork). Then trim any excess pastry.
4. Cut a little slit, make a small hole or prick several times with a fork so that the steam can get out when the pie is cooking. This is so that the pastry doesn't get soggy.

The post that I mentioned above has some other useful tips; particularly helpful is the suggestion that one should pile the filling around the middle of the pie dish, so that when the pastry cover goes on, it will sit slightly on top of the filling. I would recommend looking at this post for a more comprehensive instructions. It also covers other pastry techniques, such as lining a flan tin and baking blind.

Boiling eggs

This may seem like a simple task, but there are a number of variables to consider. Clearly, the most important thing is the timing, but this is impacted on by several other factors. 

In order for the timing to have any meaning, the eggs should always be boiled from room temperature. In addition, this means they are less likely to crack on entering the water.

Putting a pin prick through the egg shell at one end also helps to stop it from cracking by releasing pressure build up. I also find that doing this, or rather not doing it has implications on the timing. When I was a kid I was taught to do this, but in recent years I got lazy about it. I found that soft boiling an egg could take anywhere between 4 and 7 minutes. About a year ago I decided to try the technique out again for boiled eggs and soldiers, left the egg in for 6 minutes and it came out almost hard-boiled. It was then I realised that the pin prick must also have an effect on the rate at which the egg cooks. Now that I have started pricking them again, the timing process has become much more reliable.

Assuming the above rules have been followed, I recommend 4 minutes for a runny egg with soft (but not raw) whites, 5 mins for firm whites and a reasonably soft yolk, 6 mins for almost hard-boiled, i.e. with a yolk that is almost cooked through but slightly soft in the centre (this is ideal for salads), and 7 mins for hard-boiled.

Delia Smith also has a couple of helpful tips:

• The water should be a gentle simmer rather than boiling
• The pan should not be too big, otherwise the eggs are more likely to bob around and bump into each other or the sides
• If the eggs are fresh they need an extra 30 seconds on the preferred timing

She also suggests 2 alternative ways of soft boiling eggs, one that involves taking them off after a minute and leaving them in the hot water and the other starting them in cold water. I prefer to just boil them as above - less messing about - but if you're keen to try her methods, have a look at the tips on her site; like all her suggestions, I am sure they work very well.

Toasting or dry-roasting spices

Toasting or dry-roasting is a way of heightening the aroma and flavour of spices. As explained on cuisinecuisine.com,

Spices are comprised of two main oils. The first is a variety of volatile, or essential, oils, which give the spice its aroma. The other is a series of oleoresins, or non-volatile oils, which are responsible for the flavor. By dry roasting spices, both oils are released, thus enhancing the flavor and aroma of food.

For this reason, I prefer to use whole spices and dry roast them just before making a dish. The method is really very easy, so worth the extra effort.

 

Heat a heavy-based pan over a medium heat. When it is hot, throw the spices into the empty or "dry" pan and stir or toss them for a minute or two. It is important to keep them moving as they burn easily. The spices are done when the aroma becomes quite pungent and they start to change colour slightly. Remove immediately from the pan to keep them from burning.

 

If the recipe calls for ground spices, you then put the whole spices in a mortar and pestle (a granite one is most suited to this job) and pound them into a powder; mine are never as powdery as pre-ground spices, but I think this adds character. 

 

Another reason for using whole spices is that they keep longer. Even so, I will admit to having both ground and whole spices in my cupboard; we all get lazy sometimes!

Boiling potatoes

This is a simple task and you would be forgiven for wondering whether it really warrants an entry in the tips and techniques section. Indeed, it is simple, but there are a few basic rules that I prefer not to repeat in every recipe involving potatoes. And I think it important to ensure that I have all the basics covered so that the recipes on my blog to be as easy to use and widely accessible as possible.

The most crucial thing is that the potatoes should be covered with cold water, rather than put into boiling water. This helps them to cook more evenly. The only exception is when you are parboiling for roasting, because in this instance it is desirable for the outsides to cook more quickly than the centre.

Cover the potatoes so that the water level is at least 3cm above them. Add a pinch of salt or two, put on a high heat and cover. When the water starts to boil, take the lid off and turn down to a medium heat to simmer.

To test whether the potatoes are done, insert a skewer through the thickest part of one of the larger potatoes. It should be easy to push through and, if the potato slides off the skewer easily when lifted out of the water, then they are done.

In my opinion, these are the main things to bear in mind. Other posts on the topic go into more detail, a few launching into a debate about whether or not potatoes should be peeled before boiling. I want to keep this short and sweet, but in case it is keeping you awake at night, here are some of the posts on the topic:

• Delia online: How to steam potatoes
• Iqio: How to boil potatoes
• Mighty guide: How to boil potatoes
• Ihowd: How to boil potatoes