centre, surrounded by a ring of white, perfectly round, rather more than an
inch in breadth.

Take an egg-slice in the left hand, slide it under each egg separately, so
that the yolk gets well into the middle of the slice. Now take a knife in
the right hand and trim off the superfluous white. By this means you will
be able to do it neatly. The part trimmed away is virtually refuse. Of
course, you do not throw away more than is necessary, but take care that
the white rim round the yolk is of uniform breadth. Most cooks take the
egg out with their right hand, and attempt to trim it with the left; the
result is about as neat as what would happen were you to attempt to write a
letter with your left hand in a hurry.

Very often the appearance of fried eggs is improved by sprinkling over them
a few specks of chopped parsley.

In placing fried eggs on toast, place the slice over the toast and draw the
slice away. Do not push the egg on; you may break it.

EGGS, POACHED.--The best kitchen implement to use for poaching eggs is a
good large frying-pan. The mistake is to let the water boil; it should
only just simmer. You should avoid having the white of the egg set too
hard. We should endeavour to have the eggs look as white as possible. In
order to insure this, put a few drops of vinegar or lemon-juice into the
water, break the eggs separately into a clip, and then turn them very
gently into the hot water. When they are set fairly firm take them out
with an egg-slice, using the left hand as before, and trim them with the
right. It is not necessary, in poached eggs, to have a clear yolk
surrounded with a white uniform ring. Poached eggs often look best when
the yolk reposes in a sort of pillow-case of white. Before putting them on