Remember that post I did about making perfecly soft-boiled eggs?
Ignore it.
Something wonderful happened, you see, and now I have a new favorite, fool-proof way of making soft-boiled eggs.
One of you, kind readers, left me a comment, explaining your mother's way of making soft-boiled eggs. It is super simple and it works every time. And, best of all, it doesn't require much attention at all. Just plunk those eggs in a pot full of water, turn a timer and that's it. I just had to share.
So, thank you, Livy, for reading and for sharing this tip. And thanks to your mom, too!
Perfectly Soft-Boiled Eggs, Take 2
In Livy's comments, she notes that gas stoves seem to cook more quickly than electric and she removes the egg 30 seconds sooner when cooking with gas. I have gas and 10 minutes has worked on my stove. The edge of the yolk is firm but the center is still soft. Given the variety in stoves and personal preferences, though, it may take a bit of fiddling with the exact timing to get the perfect egg.
Fill a pot with cold water.
Add the egg(s)s and place the pot, uncovered, on a burner over high heat. Start a timer for 10 minutes.
When the timer goes off, remove the pot from the heat, drain the water, and fill the pot again with cold water. Let the eggs sit for 30 seconds or so until they are cool enough to handle. Put in the egg in an egg cup and serve.
To make them HARD boiled, turn the timer on for 10 minutes and the burner off right after the water comes to a boil. Then, same thing with the bowl of cold water.
Posted by: Carey | October 05, 2012 at 11:04 AM
Oh, forgot to add that this hard boiled method comes from Cook's Illustrated.
Posted by: Carey | October 05, 2012 at 11:05 AM
Hmmm...maybe we'll try it. I am not a fan of imperfectly cooked soft boiled (or any kind) eggs.
Have you used this method with 5 eggs at once?
Posted by: Andrea | October 05, 2012 at 03:41 PM
Andrea, I've used it for multiple eggs, but can't remember if it was exactly 5. I think it will work, though. Try it!
Carey, I have a different approach for hard boiled eggs, but I'll try your way next time.
Posted by: Margy | October 05, 2012 at 04:08 PM