How to Peel an Egg

Disclaimer: We’re supposing here that you DO understand that you can’t shell a regular egg!
Edit: How to Peel a Hard-Boiled Egg!
     Having followed along my last post of how to boil an egg (here's the link if you missed it), you must now be wondering (the ever-so-confused person that you are) how to shell it so you can eat it!
     There are many ways to shell (peel) an egg really, and most people actually have a high rate of success in doing so whichever way they do it, but our job here is to lay out a single method which you can follow along so you don’t end up with a mashed hard-boiled egg (never thought that was possible did you), or one that looks like it’s just been through egg-war 3 with all the shelling going on.
     A point to note here is that fresh eggs are often harder to peel than ones that have been lying in the fridge for a couple of days. After having hard-boiled the egg, if it doesn’t peel easily, put it in the freezer to cool down for about 5 minutes, and then peel it.
Supplies:

• Hard-Boiled Egg
• Metal Spoon – a table spoon will do fine
• Hand

Ready, set, how-to:
1. Cup your hand ever so slightly and place the egg in your palm. It should fit snugly in there.
2. Take a spoon and gently tap the side of the egg with the edge of the spoon, not with the bowl of the spoon.
3. Rotate the egg a little and repeat step 2 until you have gone all the way around the egg.
4. Now use the bowl of the spoon and tap the egg above the crack you just made.
5. Squeeze the shell gently around the crack in the middle. Don’t squeeze too tightly or you’ll end up with the mashed-egg syndrome again!
6. Now, hold the egg upright and twist off the top half of the shell gently (the one you tapped above the crack in step 4).
7. Do the same for the bottom half. Tap the egg with the bowl of the spoon below the crack and twist off the bottom half gently.
8. Bon eggitite!
*sigh* With all the damage and destruction to the eggy-kind in this world, I think we’re going to have to tell everyone how to crack a regular egg open now.

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How to Boil an Egg

The eternal mystery solved!
     Boiling an egg has been one of the most complex topics of debate in modern society after the debate of the chicken and the egg. Whether the chicken came first or the egg, no one will ever know, but here’s how to get the egg boiled without you losing it…the egg that is.. *cough*
     The key to getting an egg boiled right is the temperature at which the egg is BEFORE boiling! If you’ve taken the egg straight from the fridge, then you will have to leave it out for a couple of minutes before you begin boiling it.
Supplies:

• A pan to boil the egg in (the pan must be deep enough so that the egg is completely immersed in water.
• The egg(s) to boil
• Salt (optional)

Ready, set, how-to:
1. Fill the pan with water and put it on the stove to heat up to a simmer.
2. (optional) Put half a teaspoon of salt in the water.
3. Gently lower the egg(s) into the water (you can use a spoon to do that).
4. Turn down the heat of the stove a little, but let the water heat up to a full boil.
5. When the water starts boiling, turn down the stove to an even lower heat setting, but let the water simmer according to the times given.
6. Timing:

a. Soft-boiled egg: ~5-7 minutes

b. Hard-boiled egg: ~12-15 minutes

7. Turn of the stove and take out the egg(s). You can either drain the water or use a spoon again.
8. The egg(s) will be quite hot when you take it out so you can either let it sit for a while to cool down or use cold water from the tap to cool it faster.
9. Your eggs are now boiled! (That somehow doesn’t sound right; unintentional)

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How to Fix a Leaking Tap

So how DO you fix a leaky tap?

    Before we begin we have to understand how a tap works. Most types of taps employ a similar mechanism of a valve that opens and shuts a pipe through which the water (or fluid flows). They often have a rubber washer against which the tap handle presses and a cartridge that holds the innards of the tap mechanism together. Most of the time, leaks and drips can be stopped just by replacing the cartridge and/or washer, whichever the case may be.

Supplies:

• A pair of leather gloves
• Screwdriver
• Pliers
• Replacement parts (rubber washer and/or tap valve cartridge)
• Strip of leather or some good old ducting tape – wrap this around the parts of the tap you won’t be disassembling to keep the shiny surface of the tap free from scratches when you’re taking it apart.
• A shoebox for holding all the things you take apart so you don’t lose them!
• Time - depending on how long you take to go to the hardware store to get a replacement part, or how long the person in the shower can keep singing to themselves without realizing the water’s off. If you’re a real speedy champ, you can omit this item altogether!

Ready, set, how-to:

1. Put on your gloves.

2. Turn off the water! (It’s surprising how most people often forget to do that). You must turn off the water from the main supply. There is usually a valve at the mains. If you don’t know where it is, trace the tap’s supply pipe back down below the sink or if it goes through a wall, it’s usually in a panel in the wall. In the case that there isn’t any main supply for the tap, you’ll have to excuse the person in the shower and ask them to be patient and believe in what you’ve learned from this how-to guide!

3. Don’t take off the tap straight away, first drain any water in the pipes leading to the tap itself by turning it on. It often drains most of the water, but often there is still a bit of water which stays in the pipes, so don’t be afraid to get a bit wet.

4. Take off the handle of the tap. This can be done by removing any decorative caps on the tap handle (they often have a screw holding them onto the handle or are pressed on to it. Use the screwdriver to unscrew or lift it off. Put the handle in the shoebox.

5. Next take out the cartridge with the help of the pliers. Be careful, don’t start pulling and prising it out as it often has a nut or ring to hold it in place. You can remove that with the screwdriver or pliers.

6. Go to your nearest hardware store with the cartridge and buy an exact replacement. If you can’t tell the difference between types of replacement cartridges, ask the storekeeper to direct you or give you the same type.

7. Go back to your tap and retrace the same steps in order to put the tap back together. Cartridge>nut/ring>handle>decoration.

8. Finally, turn on the water from the supply and turn your tap back on!

9. Check for leaks and drips. A good way to check for leaks is to turn the tap off, put you hand over the mouth of the tap and turn on the tap slowly. If you still have a leak, you’ll see it immediately. You’ll just need to recheck and tighten any screws or fittings that weren’t fully affixed back in place.

10. Take off your gloves, and tell the person in the shower to stop that awful singing and get out of there for Pete’s sake!

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