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Eggs tend not to cross my mind when I'm devising a menu for a specialÌýoccasion. I generally start with a piece of meat or fish as the "hero piece"Ìýaround which a dish will be conceived. Eggs tend to be used moreÌýincidentally - as a functional ingredient rather than an inspiration.ÌýRecently, however, I was made to think about them in a completely different way.

20,000 amateur cooks applied for the latest series of MasterChef. TheÌýnumbers were gradually whittled down through a long and rigorous process of application forms, interviews and auditions. 20 of us finally donned theÌýcoveted white aprons and filed into the studio kitchen. At the front stoodÌýthe familiar figures of John Torode and who, after what feltÌýlike an eternity, told us that for our first challenge we would have oneÌýhour to cook a single plate of food from the selection of ingredientsÌýprovided. So far, so expected, but then John and Gregg delivered the killerÌýblow.

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Having been an avid fan of the programme for years, I was all ready for anÌý. I had rehearsed as much as possible by imagining whatÌýingredients might be provided at that time of year (Gregg, as we all know,Ìýis a big fan of seasonality), and what dishes I could create with them.ÌýWhat I hadn't prepared myself for was the compulsory inclusion of an egg.ÌýThe only advice we were given was that if we were even thinking of cooking an omelette, we should find the door and take ourselves home.

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The other shocking realisation was that we had no oven. All thoughts ofÌý²õ´Ç³Ü´Ú´Ú±ôé²õ and sponges were quashed as we took stock of the single gas ring,Ìýbarbecue-style grill and hot plate.ÌýWe were given 10 minutes to select our ingredients; 10 panic stricken minutes during which ideas flew in and out of my head, the terror of being the only person in the room not to come up with a dish at all numbed my mind and finally, blissfully, a hint of an idea took hold, grew and provided my solution.

In hindsight, it's easy to think of countless dishes we could have chosen toÌýcook. Eggs provide the answer to so many problems in the kitchen. TheyÌýthicken, glaze and rise; they emulsify, enrich and bind; they areÌýself-contained, but can be separated to provide component parts - each ofÌýwhich can be used in a myriad of ways.

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After a frantic and unforgettable hour, 20 plates of food paid testimony toÌýthe versatility of the egg. They were incorporated within pasta,Ìýhollandaise, frittata, mayonnaise and meringue; they accompanied steak;Ìýtopped haddock and coated rice noodles. Eggs play such a fundamental role in so much of what we produce in the kitchen. It was utterly appropriate that our MasterChef lives should start with them, for once, taking centre stage.

How do you like to use egg in your cooking? And if you watched the show, what did you think of the results of the Invention Test?

Annie Assheton is a contestant on ´óÏó´«Ã½ One's MasterChef.