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How to make the perfect soft boiled eggs.

How to Soft Boil an Egg

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  • Author: Erin Jensen
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 6 minutes
  • Total Time: 11 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings 1x
  • Category: How-To
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: American

Description

How to Soft-Boil and Egg – get all the tips and tricks for a perfect soft-boiled egg EVERY TIME! Perfect for toast or in a bowl of ramen!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 large eggs
  • water

Instructions

  1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a rolling boil.
  2. Add the eggs with a slotted spoon and gently set them in the boiling water.
  3. Reduce to a simmer and set a timer for the time that corresponds with your desired “doneness” (see Notes for timing) – I would recommend 6 minutes for a cooked white and runny yolk.  
  4. While the eggs are boiling, prepare an ice bath. Once the eggs are done remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the ice bath. Let cool for 5-8 minutes (this will stop the eggs from continuing to cook). 
  5. Carefully crack and peel the eggs and enjoy. 

Notes

  • Timing:
    • 4 Minutes: You will be swearing at yourself as you try to peel this and will possibly end up with yolk on your hands – just saying.  If you can get it peeled, you will see that the whites are barely cooked (if that) and the yolk is raw and may not even be warm at this point.
    • 5 Minutes: Peeling may still be an issue, but hopefully you can at least get the shell all the way off.  Outer part of the white should be fully cooked and firm, but the inner layers of the whites will still be runny. Yolk is still completely runny and barely warm.
    • 6 Minutes: This is cook time used for the egg in the picture. The perfect egg, in our opinion! Whites should be fully cooked and yolk should be completely runny and warm. You are going to need a little bit of patience when peeling.
    • 7 Minutes: Whites fully cooked. Outer part of yolk will start to firm up. Very center of yolk may be a bit runny. Easy to peel.
    • 8 Minutes: Whites fully cooked. Yolk is essentially fully cooked – the very center may be a little mushy, but it most likely won’t be runny at all at this point.