Perfect Soft Boiled Egg (recipe)

On a weekday morning, I like to vary my egg eating routine between spinach omelets and two soft boiled eggs served with fancy French salt. I had sort of been stumbling through soft boiled egg making, occasionally coming up with a product I was happy with. Mostly, I overcooked the eggs and there was nothing soft about them. The yolks were dry, there was nothing flavorful or smooth about the experience, and often the dog was the recipient of these disasters.

With the help of Google and The Food Lab at Serious Eats, I was able to find a soft boiled egg technique that creates perfect soft boiled eggs every time!

Here are my directions for making perfect soft boiled eggs:

Start with room temperature eggs, preferably laid by your own chickens.

First: Bring a small pan of water to simmer on the stove.

Second: When the water is simmering (not boiling!), gently add the eggs. Set the timer for 6 minutes.

Third: Don’t allow the water to boil, keep it at a simmer. When the timer goes off, remove the eggs from the water, drain, and position in cute little egg cups.

Serve, with good salt. Use a regular table knife to tap a cut into the side of the shell towards the top, then cut through the shell top until you have an opening in the egg. Use a spoon to dig out the yummy goodness.

Variation: If you are after hard boiled eggs, add the eggs to the pot of water at the beginning, bring the water to a simmer, then turn off the heat completely and cover the pan with a lid for 10 minutes.