Eggs are one of the kitchen's work horses. Useful for so many recipes and a great meal on their own. 

Top tips:
Store at room temperature if in a cool room (less than 20°c) or refrigerate. Do not keep them in the fridge door as constant temperature flucuations make them go off more quickly. (Who knew?!) They'll last longest when stored in the back of the fridge. Always try to bring back to room temp before cooking with them - except if poaching when cold helps them keep their shape better.

Getting fresh? If you're unsure if your eggs are fresh put them gently (one at a time) in a bowl of water.  If they sink and lay horizontal, they're fine. As they go age, they will start to tilt up or stand vertically. If your egg floats - bin it! (The older the egg the more porous the shell becomes and the more air it takes in.) 

Real fast food:

Most simple and easy - poach, scramble, fry or boil. You can poach eggs in advance and store them in water in the fridgem, but best for the busy are hard boiled eggs. Remove some at soft boiled stage to eat with toast 'soldiers' for an easy breakfast/lunch, then cook the rest through until hard boiled. Cool quickly under cold running water and store in the fridge for up to a week. 

Three ways with hard boiled eggs:  as an easy snack ; sliced into a salad or mashed with mayo and a generous helping of snipped chives or chopped spring onions. 

Omelettes are the work of minutes, especially if you have fillings ready to go. Our favourites are grated cheese - great for using up odds and ends; roughly chopped herbs; sauteed mushrooms; slivers of smoked salmon; tuna; sweetcorn; roasted vegetables; roasted peppers, sliced tomatoes or spinach. Or add a mixture of veggies with this lunch-ready, Indian-inspired Masala omelette by Annie Rigg.  

A little more effort:

Soak slices of slightly stale challah or any other sliced bread in beaten egg seasoned with a pinch of salt. Add a little milk if you like. Shallow fry in butter or oil for a fast lunch/brunch. 

And don't forget Israeli favourite, shakshuka. I make up a double or even triple batch of the tomato and pepper base sauce. You can store it in the fridge for another super fast meal - just heat the sauce and poach your eggs in there - or freeze it for another week. 

Prepare ahead: 

Hardly complicated, but it's worth preparing some tasty fillings and making a family-sized frittata. Make extra and your homeworking housemates will be able to help themselves to a slice when lunchtime rolls around. The filling are up to you, but my children will happily tuck into a simple sweetcorn, pea and cheddar version, while Mr P prefer feta, caramelised onions and roasted veggies. They're a great way of using up leftovers too. Think sliced cooked potatoes for a Spanish-style tortilla. You can also bake them in muffin tins - in paper cases, well-greased tins, or silicone muffin 'tins' for smaller sized, protein-filled snacks.  

Check out this spinach and mushroom frittata from Lisa Roukin. 

Or this gorgeously colourful butternut, leek and spinach kuku from Fabienne Viner-Luzzato.