Soft Boiled Eggs

That's interesting, my cooking method for soft boiled eggs is, after adding eggs to boiling water: boil for 1 minute, take off the heat and cover pan for 4 minutes. The rest of the "recipe" is the same, except I usually serve them in the shell in an egg cup, not peeled.

I would have thought that 5 minutes at a boil would mean they were overcooked.

Might have to try it some time for comparison!

Are you kidding me? Such a waste of effort, just guess about the water height, but most importantly you DO NOT need at least an inch of water above the eggs. I just made some perfect hard boiled eggs tonight with water that didn't even quite cover the eggs. I make soft-boiled eggs all the time the same way.

The only reason I can think of for putting a lot of water, is the same reason you want a lot of water when boiling pasta: so that the water doesn't cool down a lot when you add the room temperature/fridge temperature eggs/pasta to the water. But if you're doing one egg, having extra water in the pot won't make a huge difference. Secondly, if you have less water, even though the water may cool down a bit, it will heat up fast anyways when you are doing the keep-the-pot-on-the-element method.

I am also a bit surprised that they the yolks are not solid after 5 minutes. I usually go for 4 and any longer makes the yolks solid. Probably depends on the size of the eggs. Are you using small eggs?

I love a nice soft-boiled egg, but usually end up scrambling instead because I can never seem to get the boiling right. I guess the ice bath is the key! Thanks much. I'll try this tomorrow.

Kitt
http://www.kittalog.com

First of all, nice to have you back, Michael, it's been awhile since I've seen a post from you and I've missed it!
This is kind of straying from topic, but I tried making tea eggs recently and I really like them.
These eggs are hard boiled all the way, then the shell is cracked but not peeled. Then you steep the eggs in tea in the fridge for a day or too. If you do it right, the egg gets a pretty cracked shell pattern, and the tea gives the egg a nice complimentary flavor.
Most of the ones I have made I cracked the shell too finely, and the tea seeped in and just colored the entire egg. Still tasted good, but not something I would serve at a party.
I think the secret it to tap the egg with a butter knife instead of rolling it, and using really strong tea to steep in.
Next, deviled tea eggs...I'm sure I will come up with some really horrendous combinations in the beginning...scallions, ginger, something that colors the egg yolk to compliment the marblized white...add texture...truffles...ham...beans...hash...hmmmm, not all together though

Four eggs into the pot, three cracked within 10 seconds. Anyone have an alternative method?

I'm retesting the cooking method with a couple different pots as we speak. I'll probably update the recipe with a non-boiling recipe once I'm done with my tests. Stay tuned.

I finished running another set of soft boiled egg tests and updated the article to use the boil water and remove from heat method which should result in fewer cracked egg shells. The recipe produces a soft boiled egg that is peelable and has solid whites with a viscous and flowing yolk. I'll be posting an article soon with the various stages of soft boiled eggs for those who want looser whites or a more solid yolk.

a very old trick to minimize cracking is to pierce the big end of the egg. that lets the air sack expand and minimizes internal pressure.

there are purpose made "egg piercers" - I have used an ice pick in a pinch.

I use a hot pot for this. I put the egg in with the water tepid, and usually let it sit for a while to warm up a bit. Then I plug in the pot and let it come up to just starting to boil, unplug and cover it, and let it sit for four minutes. I quench the egg under cold tap water and shell immediately. Since I generally scoop out the egg into a bowl, continued cooking of the yolk is not an issue.

I use a needle and make a small hole in the big end. The eggs never ctack.

Gday from a fellow Engineer in NZ. Just made the boiled eggs and my wife declared them the best she had ever had. The idea of peeling them is amazing - great stuff!

Regards,

Pierre

My own technique is rather different. Instead of throwing the eggs in boiling water, with the risk of cracking them due to the temperature shock, I put them in cold tap water which I then bring to the boil. It takes some experimentation to figure out how long you then need to put them on the fire, but it works and it works quite reliably. For soft yolks, in my case (at sea level, ymmv) 8 minutes does it. For semi-soft yolks, 10 minutes is what you want.c

i agree with an above comment. if cooking just 2-3 eggs, i don't really bother covering the eggs completely with water. Mine usually goes up to only half or a little over half the eggs. bring water to a boil, turn off heat, put in eggs and cover. i usually take out mine after 6 minutes, if the eggs came from the fridge. i love them a little runnier. 10 minutes to hard-cook it.

Greg,
if your concern about cracked eggs are on the whites running out, i would suggest adding a tablespoon of white vinegar in the boiling water. that should keep the whites in.

or if it's the cracks that bother you, i usually wait about 30 seconds to 1 minute before i put in cold eggs. that had so far kept mine from cracking, and still cooks the eggs to my satisfaction. by the way, i take the eggs out of the fridge before i even start filling the pot with water to boil.

I tried this Technique twice and failed both times.

In the end the last bit of peel sticks still to the Egg and hinders complete peeling without breaking the Egg.

At which point could I have messed up.

....At which point could I have messed up.

perhaps at no point <g>

it is rumored that really fresh eggs can be more difficult to "peel" -
another theory says start with the eggs at room temp

for the cold water "quench" I like to use actual ice water - a bowl of cold water with a bunch of ice cubes....

and then there are some eggs that simply will _not_ cooperate even when asked nicely.....

Another tip is to use a slotted spoon to deposit each egg into the just boiled water - that prevents them from possibly cracking as you "drop" them in.

I agree, you HAVE to use a spoon to lower them into the water. Otherwise you will definitely get cracked eggs, especially if the water height is 1 inch above the eggs!

Ah, here freshness of the eggs makes a difference. Older eggs are less likely to crack when you have ample water because they float (due to the air pocket in the big end) and won't smack into the bottom of the pan.

The recipe as tested didn't work for me, but a slight adaptation worked best.

Follow all instructions up to removing the pan from the heat. Turn off the burner, but leave the pan on the heat for 5 minutes. Remove eggs, shock in cold water, enjoy .

Maybe the make of my pan lets the water cool more quickly or some other reason. Whatever the reason, this slight modification worked perfectly for me. I've never managed to make soft boiled eggs that perfectly.

Also, for peeling, I gently tap with the dull side of a table knife to crack all over, then gently peel.

If the shell is a problem, there is an easy solution, get rid of it before cooking.

This is how I do it:
1. Cut a square of plastic film about 25x25 cm
2. Cover the inside of a cup with the plastic film, spray the film with olive oil
3. Crack an egg in the cup, add salt and pepper to taste
4. Carefully make a small package and tie the edges with some thread (I have used dental floss)
5. Boil the egg 5 to 7 min.
6. Without pinching the egg, cut the thread and remove the egg from the plastic, sometimes it sticks, so be careful.

Ps: I learnt this technique from Jose Mari Arzak @ Restaurante Arzak in San Sebastian, Spain,

Just out of curiosity what's under the egg in this picture:

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/pics3/640/ND2_6234_LR.jpg

Looks yummy :-)

It's a hash brown patty (from Trade Joe's).

Wouldn't you have to figure in the elevation at which the eggs are being cooked to determine the amount of time to cook them?

For hard-boiled eggs, quenching them immediately helps prevent the yolk from getting a greenish tinge on their surface (resulting from a reaction between sulfur from the white and iron in the yolk).

You can add cream of tarter to the water before boiling and it will make the new (fresh) eggs easier to peel.

A couple of viewers brought up 'altitude' ... which begs the question: "What altitude is recommended for best results?" (note: I live in a split-level home ... the stove is on the upper level.)

Altitude affects cooking because air pressure is reduced at high altitudes. With a reduction of air pressure comes a lowering of the boiling point of water which will reduce the maximum temperature that water in an unsealed container can be brought to (and thus how much a food cooks in a given amount of time). The difference between ten to twenty feet (an indeed a few hundred feet) will not make much of a difference. However, being 5,000 ft above sea level will affect your ability to replicate a recipe that was developed for use at or near sea level.

A couple of comments.

First, it's really a bad idea to put the eggs straight from the fridge in the boiling water. Most "commercial" eggs will crack. Drilling a small hole in the shell may do the trick, though.

Second, the optimum time period to get a runny yolk (just a pinch thickened is best) and a solid while is very narrow. The most forgiving method is the one in which one brings the eggs to a boil, then immediately turns off the heat and waits a certain time.

Third, whatever the method, the timing depends on so many factors (heat level and type, water quantity, egg count, egg size, atmospheric pressure) that one must not trust someone else's time and instead experiment on his/her own setup.

Everytime I moved, I had to recalibrate the method. However, for me the struggle is over: about two years ago a stumbled upon an egg cooker, a simple electric gadget that controls the timing by how long it takes a calibrated amount of water to evaporate completely. It's very easy and with perfectly consistent results.

Alternately, I remember reading in a cookbook about the fact that temperature at which the yolk hardens is about 5-6*C higher than of the white (which is 70*C?). Therefore, one can get perfect soft-boiled eggs by controlling the water temperature at a point between the two and keeping the egg at that temperature long enough for the white to harden.

this site will show you a few good ways to boil (or in some cases like the perfect egg, not boil) them. I think this is the method the previous poster was speaking of; cooking them for a long time between 65c-70c.

http://khymos.org/eggs.php

a sturdy safety pin will work as an egg pricker in a pinch

I love San Sebastian. It's a great great city, especially the fireworks in summer. I would love to go back and try all the famous restaurants there. Now, maybe a stupid question: do you remove the plastic out of the cup or do you leave it in? I guess you take it out, but I'm not entirely sure from your description.

Michael, I have always heard that shocking the eggs to make them peel easier is a complete myth, and that the only thing that matters here is how young/old the eggs are. Any thoughts on this? Do you have scientific proof on the shocking-theory?

Michael, I tried this recipe (referring to immersing a pierced egg into boiling water. covereing & removing fm. heat, then allowing to simmer for 7 mins. f/b 1 min. ice water bath). The only thing I do different is eat from topped shell rather than peeling with - IMPORTANT - a horn egg spoon which doesn't interact with the egg. PERRRRRFECT! Thank you!

I think the altitude at which you are doing the cooking makes a big difference in how long you have to cook the egg. Now that we live at about 3800 feet above sea level, I have to cook soft-boiled eggs for 7 minutes.

I have eaten soft boiled eggs all my life but just recently discovered poached eggs! It is so much easier to poach the eggs, you can see them cooking and can therefore control the process, and it takes less than half the time and effort.
In a nutshell; crack your egg into a small dish and set aside while the water heats up. Boil about 1.5" water (or enough to cover the egg) and a tablespoon of white vinegar in a small fry pan, turn heat down to a simmer or very gentil boil and add one, two or three eggs. Watch the eggs simmer skimming the foam that may develop. When the white of the egg looks and acts cooked - about three or four minutes - remmove it with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain for about 10 seconds. The egg whites can be trimmed up at this point to get rid of unattractive edges. Then transfer your poached egg to your perferred dish and enjoy.

Hi -- having a bear of a time getting good results in Santa Fe NM at 7,000 feet... Time vs. altitude vs. doneness 3D chart anyone? :)

This worked great with two minor adjustments:
1) pinhole in one end of the egg (to keep them from cracking during cooking)
2) 45 seconds in the ice bath

Other than that, these were the first soft boiled eggs I've ever made and were they good!

I tried your recommended method (am at sea level, so no worries about high altitude adjustments) and found it to be perfect! Served the egg in a cute little cup and took off the top, then used a little spoon to scoop out the goodness bite by bite onto whole grain toast. :)

In my experience I have found that you all are taking the hard way to do something simple. I have been making these since I was 12 yrs old and I am now 49, Start with cold water in the pot and insert your eggs. Place on burner on high, when the eggs and water are at a full rolling boil time them at 3 and a 1/2 min then take the pot and run cold tap water over them for 1 min. Take an eggin the palm of your hand and a butter knife, with one sharp blow to the side of the egg crack it in half and use the knife to run around the edge of the shell to release the egg, very simple and no cracked shells :)

The last post "is the ticket". I'm 78, have been cooking since I could reach the top of the stove, and have won prizes for my "amateur" cooking. In cookiing eggs (any style), it's all in the timing. Eggs react very quickly to heat or cold.

For soft boiled, fill the bottom half of a glass double-boiler 3/4 with cold/cool tap water. If cooking with electric, place a metal wire grid over the coil with pot on top, bring to a rolling boil over a medium-high heat (high heat may crack the glass, and also is too hot for the actual cooking.) If cooking with gas, pot can be placed directly over flame, but also at a medium-high heat. When water is rolling, gently lower eggs, one at a time, with large spoon or ladle, into water. (We recommend cooking no more than four eggs at a time.) Set timer for 3 minutes and as soon as the bell sounds, place pot in sink and run cold water into hot water in pot at full force. As soon as pot is filled to brim, gently overturn into collender.

To open, I have a wonderful tool. This is a double circle of metal with a center hole and scissor-type handles attached to the outside. When you pinch the handles together, "teeth" come out of the sides of the center hole and, placed over the small end of a soft-boiled egg placed in an egg-cup, neatly removes enough of the shell to get a small teaspoon into the
large end of the egg. You can salt and pepper through this opening so that it's ready to eat.

If you can't find this inexpensive tool at a local kitchen supplier, try sterilizing small-bladed manicure scissors in boiling water, place egg in egg-cup or dessert saucer-type dish, gently puncture small end of egg about 1/2" below top with scissors and slowly cut the top 1/2" from the rest of the egg. A small spoon, such as a demi-tasse, can be used to empty the egg into the saucer and it then can be eaten "as is" or spooned over buttered toast for a delicious breakfast. I find it much easier to eat or serve directly from the reminant portion of the shell (which also keeps the egg warm), rather than try to remove the shell from the egg and keep the white intact enough not to loose the yellow. Also, complete peeling takes longer and the egg cools too rapidly for tasty eating.

My favourite way to prepare an egg takes only a minute. Lightly spray a small dessert bowl with your favourite non-stick spray. Break the egg into the bowl. Prick the yolk with a toothpick. Nuke in microwave oven at full power for 15 seconds. Wait 15 seconds. Nuke for another 15 seconds. If you like the yolk firm, wait another 15 seconds and nuke for 15 seconds more. Serve immediately on a slice of hot buttered toast. Sprinkle with salt and ground pepper to taste.

The cooking of an egg is not trivial, an austrian professor for cooking physics named Werner Gruber studied it in detail. A short version you can find (google translated) at http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=de&sl=de&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fkochen.exp.univie.ac.at%2FRezepte.html
Basically you need to know the temperature and diameter of your egg, then you can calculate the perfect cooking time in boiling water. He made a template which gives you the needed time for each diameter, but sadly its not available online.

Cook on

Chris

Hello,

This website suggests that you make a science out of cooking -

>so where are the formulae for amount of water required per egg.
>surface area of the part being heated - of the container.
>temperature needed to achieve and sustain for soft boiled eggs.
>wider versus narrower but taller containers - which is more efficient.
>different heating sources > wood fire > coal fire > gas hob > electric hob >amount of gas / electricity used - which is better or worse and why.
>how many times have you reproduced the results successfully ?

too many unanswered questions.

all i want is some soft boiled eggs - [/list]

It cracks me up how people post comments without reading anything. The poster at the top that said if she cooks for more than four minutes the yolk gets hard didn't read the recipe. He said take them of the heat immediately and let them sit in the water for 7 minutes. DUH!