Soft-boiled-eggs
May 25, 2019
Though incredibly simple, soft-boiled egg recipes are incredibly difficult to write up and share on the internet because there are a number of factors that will change the results or timing dramatically that vary wildly from kitchen to kitchen: the altitude that you’re at; whether you’re using a gas, electric, or induction stove; the temperature of your refridgerator that you remove the eggs from.
I’ve found that using a steam method has the lowest chance of breaking an egg and is the fastest method as you only need to bring a small amount of water to a boil. As it is applying heat indirectly to the eggs directly through steam I find the results to be a lot less variable and work for large batches of eggs if needed. You can also use eggs directly from the fridge which controls for the temperature difference somewhat.
Soft-boiled eggs are great a number of ways, but my favorite way to eat them is in an egg cup with toast soldiers or served on top of congee.
Ingredients
- eggs
- water
- ice
Equipment
- Stock Pot
- Trivet
Instructions
- Bring a half-inch of water to boil in a large stockpot.
- Place the eggs straight from the fridge onto a steamer insert or trivet in the stockpot.
- Cover with a lid and lower the heat to medium-low.
- Remove the eggs at six minutes for soft boiled eggs, or eleven minutes for hard boiled eggs.
- Shock in an ice water bath. To serve the eggs hot, remove immediately and peel, or to serve the eggs cold, leave for 15 minutes before peeling.
This recipe was adapted from:
Written by Will Chiong who lives and works in New York building useful things.