This is a request from a young woman to a Wise Old Woman, specifically in this case, Aunt Jeanne.
Aunt Jeanne, am I right in thinking that you love soft-boiled eggs? I think I remember this about you. Well, I love them too but don't have any clue how to make them right. I guess at it every time and they always turn out underdone or overdone.
What is the secret to the perfect soft-boiled egg??
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Where I live (and Seattle might be different) I can get perfect results by boiling an egg for 6.5 minutes.
Mom-mom taught me to bring them to a boil then turn off the burner and let them sit for 6 min. We have to add some minutes at high altitude and you may have to cut down on this time. But hopefully they will be perfect for scooping out with a spoon.
Oops, Mom-mom says 4 min. and use cold water and take off burner.
I made soft-boiled eggs quite often when I was in Scotland, though I used a different method than those described above. Since I have been taught that eggs are never actually to be boiled (see Joy of Cooking), I bring the water to a boil, reduce it to a rolling simmer and then add the eggs with a tablespoon. Cooking time will vary greatly depending on the size and initial temperature of the egg. I find that large and jumbo eggs generally take about 6 minutes using this method given that their initial temperature is lower if they were just taken out of the refrigerator.
Medium eggs seem to take about 5 to 5 1/2 minutes. Also, if you don't have access to an egg cup, and are in a state of dismay, what I did in Scotland was fashion my own cup by cutting out one of the egg holders from the carton. Finally, when cracking your egg to eat it, I recommend using a sharp knife to tap the top side of the egg, so that you remove a small cap of egg white which you can then remove with your spoon. Yes, there are few things better than a good soft-boiled egg.
The reason for the cold water is so the shell won't crack and water get inside. Robyn, did the shell crack when you plop it into the boiling water? Esp. with hard boiled eggs you are not supposed to let them boil because the jostling around will crack the shells.
Wow, apparently there is more than one way to make soft-boiled eggs. Mom made them when we were little (I guess in the way she described) but the key part was that she scooped the egg out into a little dish and then added a little butter and salt. That's the way I remember eating them as a kid--SO YUMMY! I tried to make them a few months ago for Erik, telling him it was the best thing ever and his turned out perfect (I think I used Joy of Cooking recipe) but my egg's white was still a little runny. I stuck mine in the microwave to finish it off and thats not a good idea. It turned all rubbery in about a second and I was really disappointed. At least Erik enjoyed his!
There is no dispute that you need cold water when cooking eggs the other way because eggs are mostly water and water expands or contracts with heat or cold. Thus, if you put a refrigerated egg in warm water, it will expand and crack the egg before you get to a boiling point, or shortly thereafter. When you put the egg in cold water, which is closer to the eggs ambient temperature, the contents will reach equilibrium with the water and maintain that throughout the cooking process. However, when you put an egg in water that is at a medium simmer, it is likely that the egg begins to cook immediately due to the high heat, which protects the shell from cracking. The reason I employ this method is quite simply because I am impatient. A.) You can use hot water to fill the pan and the water will boil more quickly than cold water with cold eggs and B.) This way I don't have to stand at the stove to see when the eggs begin to boil. I can just check the pan and if it is boiling, I turn it down, add the eggs, and start my timer. I am sure both methods work equally well, but one gets the eggs in your stomach more quickly.
My mom used to make them for us in a little dish with salt too and they were SO good!
The nice thing about this blog is that everyone can express their opinions without interrupting each other. Blogs are great!
Ah, shush you!! That's no fun!
Here's how I make soft boiled eggs. I put the eggs into cold water in a small saucepan, just covered with water. I bring to a boil, then turn the water down to a simmer and cook 3 minutes, or a bit longer for very large. When I was little (or when I'm not avoiding bread) we put them on buttered toast. Yummm. Now just why are we asking Aunt Jeanne for her method, dear daughter?
Sorry this took so long to answer MA's question. I'll try to do better.
My method is the simplest yet and works great.
Put egg in small saucepan and almost cover with cold water. Don't cover.
Set your timer for 11 minutes. Done.
At lower altitudes, you will need to lower the time to 9 or 10.
I forgot to add that the only thing you need to do during cooking is to lower the temp of the burner.
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