Perfect Soft-Boiled Eggs!

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maryd523
maryd523 Posts: 661 Member
in Recipes
My neighbor gave me this recipe, which he got from America's Test Kitchen. Wow! I've never had soft-boiled eggs and am totally in love. Maybe I am overreacting a little, but I eat a lot of eggs and this is exactly how I like them. Pefectly set whites and beautiful warm, liquid yolks. So if you like eggs, give this a try. It's supposed to work perfectly every time because the steam mainly cooks the eggs instead of boiling water.

Boil 1/2 inch of water in a medium saucepan. Add up to 6 eggs, cover and cook for 6 1/2 minutes. (The timing is very important.) Run under cold water for about 30 seconds.

Enjoy!!

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  • sherisse69
    sherisse69 Posts: 795 Member
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    I love soft boiled, but hate making them because it is so easy to screw up. Totally gonna try this method. Thanks :)
  • sofielein
    sofielein Posts: 539 Member
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    I need to give you one of my recipes then, it's called "singles' breakfast".

    Especially good for a hangover!

    Soft boil 2 eggs your usual soft boiling way, then mix them fully in a suitable large glass with a fork with a couple of slices/crumbles of very carefully and thinly shaved original parmesan cheese, and a quarter of grated small onion, which has to be really wet, almost pureed. top it with salt and minced chives and ground pepper. Serve with raw cherry tomatoes and hot thin toasts.

    Incredible and sunny :)
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
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    OP did you use eggs straight from the refigerator or were they room temperature?
  • maryd523
    maryd523 Posts: 661 Member
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    OP did you use eggs straight from the refigerator or were they room temperature?

    Straight from the fridge. I use fresh, local eggs and oh my god. I made two and they were so good I made two more and all four were perfect.
  • oldernotwiser
    oldernotwiser Posts: 175 Member
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    I have this same recipe and it makes wonderful soft boiled eggs. It is very important to make sure the water is boiling before adding the eggs. This ensures that the whites will be firm and cooked through leaving the yolks warm and runny.
  • Dianaka
    Dianaka Posts: 48 Member
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    Bump
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
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    Thanks maryd, I'll try this for sure. Love my eggs this way too.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,026 Member
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    Actually the perfect soft boiled eggs are achieved by placing the eggs in simmering (not boiling, this prevents the sulphur smell and gray ring around the yolk) for 8 minutes, then immediately taking them out and placing into an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,026 Member
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    Repeat the process for 10 minutes and 13 minutes for medium and soft boiled eggs respectively.
  • maryd523
    maryd523 Posts: 661 Member
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    Actually the perfect soft boiled eggs are achieved by placing the eggs in simmering (not boiling, this prevents the sulphur smell and gray ring around the yolk) for 8 minutes, then immediately taking them out and placing into an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

    The America's Test Kitchen magazine had a long write-up by a test chef who experimented with thousands of eggs and all kinds of different cooking methods over a period of weeks to come up with the recipe I posted above. It's actually very interesting. She found that while immersing in boiling water can certainly result in perfectly soft-boiled eggs, the variables involved made that method prone to frequent failures. For example, when you add eggs to boiling water, it immediately drops the temperature of the water, so unless you are using the exact same number of eggs every single time, you will end up with varied results. Cooking the eggs in a half-inch of water doesn't submerge them, so you can cook up to six with identical results. The position of the yolk also plays a role in how a soft-boiled egg turns out.

    I'm glad you have your perfect way, though, that's great! Hurray for eggs.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
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    My husband is going to love you maryd :) He's so fussy about his eggs.
  • chubbygirl253
    chubbygirl253 Posts: 1,309 Member
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    Bump
  • go3gurl2go1
    go3gurl2go1 Posts: 61
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    Bump! Thanks for sharing :)
  • bovvaboy63
    bovvaboy63 Posts: 13 Member
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    Will try this recipe tomorrow morning and report back!

    . I am currently using Neil Perrys recipe. Place eggs in pan and just cover with tap water. Bring to boil as quickly as possible then turn off heat and place lid on pan for 4 mins.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    After you've added the eggs, do you keep the water on the boil?
  • maryd523
    maryd523 Posts: 661 Member
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    After you've added the eggs, do you keep the water on the boil?

    Yes! Medium high heat. You know, just that perfect boil, not too crazy.

    I just ate two more! That's six for today, I should probably stop.
  • maryd523
    maryd523 Posts: 661 Member
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    My husband is going to love you maryd :) He's so fussy about his eggs.

    I hope he loves them!
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
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    Made these this morning and they were as you said perfect! I'll be doing them this way from now on. It did feel odd using so little water though!
  • SteveJWatson
    SteveJWatson Posts: 1,225 Member
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    I've always done them for 7 minutes.

    It is amazing though, the ammount of people who don't put them into cold water after, so you end up with powdery yolks with grey around the edge...

    bleh.

    Edited to add - for some reason I'm talking about hard-boiled eggs and not soft boiled ones. I rally ought to read the thread title properly.
  • awisegirl84
    awisegirl84 Posts: 82 Member
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    I LOVE soft-boiled eggs! I'm going to have to try this method for sure since mine are usually *slightly* underdone.

    Also, I cut toast into "fingers" just like my grandma and dad used to do for me and dunk them in the soft, warm yolk...and lots of salt on my eggs. Pretty much the only thing I actually add salt to.

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