Cooking For Engineers SM

Search

Have an analytical mind? Like to cook? This is the site to read! half cup in milliliters Convert

Book Books Cooking Tests Dining Out Equipment & Gear Kitchen Notes Off Topic Recipe File Test Recipes

Table of Contents Community Forums Ingredients Dictionary Recommended Reading Marketplace Giftshop Michael's Blog

Latest Post on Michael's Blog: What I Ate: May 26, 2009

Recipe File
Soft Boiled Eggs by Michael Chu
Normal view Printer-friendly Recipe Card

« Prev Next »
My favorite way of preparing
Discount Pressure Cookers
eggs is to fry them over
Pressure Cooker Specialists. Huge choice at rock bottom Related Articles
prices. medium. But sometimes,
www.pressurecooker.com.au Cooking Tests: Soft Boiled Eggs
I like to switch it up a
Recipe Everybody Eats Lunch by Cricket Azima
bit and boiling them in
See Cookbooks and More for Sale at AyosDito: Phils.' Creme Brulee (Crème Brûlée)
Marketplace! their shell until soft is
Marshmallows
AyosDito.ph my favorite way to do
Cheesecake, Plain New York Style
Schwan's® Official Site that. It's faster than
Delicious Time Saving Meals Healthy Options with Great
boiling them hard, and (since I don't much like solid yolks) it's
Taste
Schwans.com tastier. Here's how I do it.

Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

Every Time! It's easy when you know how This recipe assumes the eggs have been refrigerated and have just
www.SuzanneCorcoran.com been removed from the refrigerator before beginning.

Boiling eggs in the shell pretty much starts the same way - by
bringing water to a boil. The amount of water is variable depending on the size of pot and the number of eggs being
boiled. An easy way to determine how much water is needed is by placing the eggs into the pot selected and pouring
water in until there is at least 1 inch (more than 2 cm) of water covering the eggs.

You really need only about 1/2-in. (more than a cm) of water above the eggs for this to work well, but I find that some
amount of water will escape as vapor while it is boiling and waiting for eggs to be deposited. Depending on how often
you check on the pot, water loss can be substantial, so try to make sure you have at least an inch of water over the
eggs before you start.

Remove the eggs from the water and place the pot (with its lid
on) onto the burner on medium-high to bring to a boil. The
water is ready once it reaches a rolling boil (large bubbles
rising cause the surface of the water to tumble and roll).

In the original article I wrote, the eggs were placed into the water and boiled for 5 minutes before being shocked in ice
Cooking for Engineers
water. After more testing with another couple dozen eggs, I'm now advocating the following method: Recommends
The Paddy Cookie Gift
Box (28 oz.)
Once the water is boiling, place refrigerated large eggs into the boiling water, cover, and remove the pot from the ISABELLA'S COOKIE COMPANY
heat. Allow the eggs to steep in the nearly boiling water for seven minutes.

As soon as seven minutes are up, remove the eggs and place into an ice water bath. This will chill the exterior of the
egg serving two purposes. When rapidly cooked, eggs, like most dense foods, do not heat evenly. The outside portions
of the egg (the egg whites) are much hotter than the interior (the egg yolk). By shocking the shell with ice water, we
lower the temperature of the egg whites to a temperature below that of the egg yolk and this causes the egg yolk to
"Tina and I love the perfect
stop cooking. Otherwise, the yolk would continue to draw heat from the whites and raise its temperature while the egg blend of doughiness,
white temperature lowered resulting in overcooked egg yolks. chocolate, and mint!"

Smokra: Pickled Okra

The other reason for shocking the eggs is that it causes a little with Smoked Paprika
bit of shrinkage in the egg, hopefully making it easier to peel. RICK'S PICKS

"Spicy and smoky but still

preserving the wonderful
taste and texture of okra!"

Vegetarian Tamale
Sampler
DONNA'S TAMALES

After about 1 minute, peel the eggs. I find it easiest to do this by

tapping the egg lightly (just enough to crack the shell) all over
starting with the fat end (I start here because there's an air pocket "Always a treat to eat, even
though I'm not a vegetarian."
and I feel more comfortable using a little more force to break the
shell without damaging the egg). I then run a thin stream of cold
water to help pull away the shell and membrane as I carefully peel
the egg. Be careful, it's not as hardy as a hard boiled egg due to the liquid core.

If the soft boiled eggs are too cold after you're done peeling them, you can submerge then into
the cooking liquid (which should be just around simmering at this point in time) to reheat. About
two to three minutes will bring it back up to temperature.

Served with a light sprinkling of kosher salt, a soft boiled egg makes a great addition to
breakfast or a pleasant surprise accompanying your dinner entree.?}?>

If this is your first time using this recipe, I suggest cooking one or two eggs with this method first. Breaking into the egg, you should find the whites
almost fully cooked (solid) with the yellow yolk thickened and viscous.

Note: For individuals with a poor immune system, the young, or the elderly, it is not advisable to consume soft boiled eggs or undercooked yolks.

Soft Boiled Eggs

whole large eggs steep in covered pot of just boiled water for 7 minutes shock in ice water peel

Related Articles
Cooking Tests: Soft Boiled Eggs
Everybody Eats Lunch by Cricket Azima
Creme Brulee (Crème Brûlée)
Marshmallows
Cheesecake, Plain New York Style

« Prev Next »
Written by Michael Chu Published on August 20, 2008 at 06:38 PM

Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs Egg Cartons at low prices Egg Suppliers
Every Time! It's easy when you know Egg Cartons, Egg Boxes & Flats Call 1- Find & Contact Low-Cost Suppliers See
how 800-326-6667 to order! why so many businesses trust us
www.SuzanneCorcoran.com www.eggboxes.com Alibaba.com

32 comments on Soft Boiled Eggs: (Post a comment)

On August 21, 2008 at 04:21 AM, Marcin said...
That's interesting, my cooking method for soft boiled eggs is, after adding eggs to boiling water: boil for 1 minute, take off the heat and cover
pan for 4 minutes. The rest of the "recipe" is the same, except I usually serve them in the shell in an egg cup, not peeled.

I would have thought that 5 minutes at a boil would mean they were overcooked.

Might have to try it some time for comparison!

On August 21, 2008 at 07:25 AM, an anonymous reader said...

Quote:
An easy way to determine how much water is needed is by placing the eggs into the pot selected and pouring water in until there is at
least 1 inch (more than 2 cm) of water covering the eggs. . . Remove the eggs from the water and place the pot (with its lid on) onto
the burner on medium-high to bring to a boil.

Are you kidding me? Such a waste of effort, just guess about the water height, but most importantly you DO NOT need at least an inch of water
above the eggs. I just made some perfect hard boiled eggs tonight with water that didn't even quite cover the eggs. I make soft-boiled eggs all
the time the same way.

The only reason I can think of for putting a lot of water, is the same reason you want a lot of water when boiling pasta: so that the water doesn't
cool down a lot when you add the room temperature/fridge temperature eggs/pasta to the water. But if you're doing one egg, having extra water
in the pot won't make a huge difference. Secondly, if you have less water, even though the water may cool down a bit, it will heat up fast
anyways when you are doing the keep-the-pot-on-the-element method.

On August 21, 2008 at 07:26 AM, an anonymous reader said...

I am also a bit surprised that they the yolks are not solid after 5 minutes. I usually go for 4 and any longer makes the yolks solid. Probably
depends on the size of the eggs. Are you using small eggs?

On August 21, 2008 at 07:58 AM, Kitt (guest) said...

Subject: Handy instructions!
I love a nice soft-boiled egg, but usually end up scrambling instead because I can never seem to get the boiling right. I guess the ice bath is the
key! Thanks much. I'll try this tomorrow.

Kitt
http://www.kittalog.com

On August 21, 2008 at 11:07 PM, Lintballoon said...

Subject: Tea Eggs
First of all, nice to have you back, Michael, it's been awhile since I've seen a post from you and I've missed it!
This is kind of straying from topic, but I tried making tea eggs recently and I really like them.
These eggs are hard boiled all the way, then the shell is cracked but not peeled. Then you steep the eggs in tea in the fridge for a day or too. If
you do it right, the egg gets a pretty cracked shell pattern, and the tea gives the egg a nice complimentary flavor.
Most of the ones I have made I cracked the shell too finely, and the tea seeped in and just colored the entire egg. Still tasted good, but not
something I would serve at a party.
I think the secret it to tap the egg with a butter knife instead of rolling it, and using really strong tea to steep in.
Next, deviled tea eggs...I'm sure I will come up with some really horrendous combinations in the beginning...scallions, ginger, something that
colors the egg yolk to compliment the marblized white...add texture...truffles...ham...beans...hash...hmmmm, not all together though

On August 21, 2008 at 11:07 PM, Greg (guest) said...

Subject: Cracked eggs
Four eggs into the pot, three cracked within 10 seconds. Anyone have an alternative method?

On August 22, 2008 at 05:18 AM, Michael Chu said...

Subject: Re: Cracked eggs
Greg wrote:
Four eggs into the pot, three cracked within 10 seconds. Anyone have an alternative method?

I'm retesting the cooking method with a couple different pots as we speak. I'll probably update the recipe with a non-boiling recipe once I'm done
with my tests. Stay tuned.

On August 22, 2008 at 07:41 AM, Michael Chu said...

I finished running another set of soft boiled egg tests and updated the article to use the boil water and remove from heat method which should
result in fewer cracked egg shells. The recipe produces a soft boiled egg that is peelable and has solid whites with a viscous and flowing yolk. I'll
be posting an article soon with the various stages of soft boiled eggs for those who want looser whites or a more solid yolk.

On August 22, 2008 at 12:23 PM, Dilbert said...

a very old trick to minimize cracking is to pierce the big end of the egg. that lets the air sack expand and minimizes internal pressure.

there are purpose made "egg piercers" - I have used an ice pick in a pinch.

On August 22, 2008 at 02:16 PM, jmcharry said...

Subject: Another Method
I use a hot pot for this. I put the egg in with the water tepid, and usually let it sit for a while to warm up a bit. Then I plug in the pot and let it
come up to just starting to boil, unplug and cover it, and let it sit for four minutes. I quench the egg under cold tap water and shell
immediately. Since I generally scoop out the egg into a bowl, continued cooking of the yolk is not an issue.

On August 22, 2008 at 03:59 PM, chrr (guest) said...

Subject: Eggs cracking in boiling water
I use a needle and make a small hole in the big end. The eggs never ctack.

On August 23, 2008 at 01:20 AM, nzpierre (guest) said...

Subject: Boiled Eggs
Gday from a fellow Engineer in NZ. Just made the boiled eggs and my wife declared them the best she had ever had. The idea of peeling them is
amazing - great stuff!

Regards,

Pierre

On August 23, 2008 at 11:41 AM, an anonymous reader said...

My own technique is rather different. Instead of throwing the eggs in boiling water, with the risk of cracking them due to the temperature shock,
I put them in cold tap water which I then bring to the boil. It takes some experimentation to figure out how long you then need to put them on
the fire, but it works and it works quite reliably. For soft yolks, in my case (at sea level, ymmv) 8 minutes does it. For semi-soft yolks, 10
minutes is what you want.c

On August 23, 2008 at 05:14 PM, kayenne (guest) said...

i agree with an above comment. if cooking just 2-3 eggs, i don't really bother covering the eggs completely with water. Mine usually goes up to
only half or a little over half the eggs. bring water to a boil, turn off heat, put in eggs and cover. i usually take out mine after 6 minutes, if the
eggs came from the fridge. i love them a little runnier. 10 minutes to hard-cook it.

Greg,
if your concern about cracked eggs are on the whites running out, i would suggest adding a tablespoon of white vinegar in the boiling water. that
should keep the whites in.

or if it's the cracks that bother you, i usually wait about 30 seconds to 1 minute before i put in cold eggs. that had so far kept mine from
cracking, and still cooks the eggs to my satisfaction. by the way, i take the eggs out of the fridge before i even start filling the pot with water to
boil.

On August 24, 2008 at 01:00 AM, NotRelevant (guest) said...

Subject: Problems?
I tried this Technique twice and failed both times.

In the end the last bit of peel sticks still to the Egg and hinders complete peeling without breaking the Egg.

At which point could I have messed up.

On August 24, 2008 at 12:43 PM, Dilbert said...

....At which point could I have messed up.

perhaps at no point <g>

it is rumored that really fresh eggs can be more difficult to "peel" -

another theory says start with the eggs at room temp

for the cold water "quench" I like to use actual ice water - a bowl of cold water with a bunch of ice cubes....

and then there are some eggs that simply will _not_ cooperate even when asked nicely.....

On August 24, 2008 at 06:21 PM, Michael Chu said...

Another tip is to use a slotted spoon to deposit each egg into the just boiled water - that prevents them from possibly cracking as you "drop"
them in.

On August 26, 2008 at 04:56 PM, an anonymous reader said...

I agree, you HAVE to use a spoon to lower them into the water. Otherwise you will definitely get cracked eggs, especially if the water height is 1
inch above the eggs!

On August 26, 2008 at 05:12 PM, Michael Chu said...

Anonymous wrote:
Otherwise you will definitely get cracked eggs, especially if the water height is 1 inch above the eggs!

Ah, here freshness of the eggs makes a difference. Older eggs are less likely to crack when you have ample water because they float (due to the
air pocket in the big end) and won't smack into the bottom of the pan.

On August 26, 2008 at 08:50 PM, an anonymous reader said...

The recipe as tested didn't work for me, but a slight adaptation worked best.

Follow all instructions up to removing the pan from the heat. Turn off the burner, but leave the pan on the heat for 5 minutes. Remove eggs,
shock in cold water, enjoy .

Maybe the make of my pan lets the water cool more quickly or some other reason. Whatever the reason, this slight modification worked
perfectly for me. I've never managed to make soft boiled eggs that perfectly.

Also, for peeling, I gently tap with the dull side of a table knife to crack all over, then gently peel.

On August 27, 2008 at 01:56 PM, an anonymous reader said...

If the shell is a problem, there is an easy solution, get rid of it before cooking.

This is how I do it:

1. Cut a square of plastic film about 25x25 cm
2. Cover the inside of a cup with the plastic film, spray the film with olive oil
3. Crack an egg in the cup, add salt and pepper to taste
4. Carefully make a small package and tie the edges with some thread (I have used dental floss)
5. Boil the egg 5 to 7 min.
6. Without pinching the egg, cut the thread and remove the egg from the plastic, sometimes it sticks, so be careful.

Ps: I learnt this technique from Jose Mari Arzak @ Restaurante Arzak in San Sebastian, Spain,

On August 27, 2008 at 08:16 PM, foxteck said...

Subject: What's that!
Just out of curiosity what's under the egg in this picture:

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/pics3/640/ND2_6234_LR.jpg

Looks yummy :-)

On August 27, 2008 at 09:58 PM, Michael Chu said...

Subject: Re: What's that!
foxteck wrote:
Just out of curiosity what's under the egg in this picture:

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/pics3/640/ND2_6234_LR.jpg

Looks yummy :-)

It's a hash brown patty (from Trade Joe's).

On August 28, 2008 at 02:56 PM, jimbo (guest) said...

Subject: soft boiled eggs
Wouldn't you have to figure in the elevation at which the eggs are being cooked to determine the amount of time to cook them?

On August 30, 2008 at 04:02 AM, Isaac Lin (guest) said...

Subject: Cooling eggs after cooking
For hard-boiled eggs, quenching them immediately helps prevent the yolk from getting a greenish tinge on their surface (resulting from a
reaction between sulfur from the white and iron in the yolk).

On October 01, 2008 at 01:05 PM, gamer39 (guest) said...

Subject: Eggs hard to peel
You can add cream of tarter to the water before boiling and it will make the new (fresh) eggs easier to peel.

On November 06, 2008 at 07:08 PM, Abrandnewcook (guest) said...

Subject: Altitude? ..for cooking eggs?
A couple of viewers brought up 'altitude' ... which begs the question: "What altitude is recommended for best results?" (note: I live in a split-level
home ... the stove is on the upper level.)

On November 07, 2008 at 07:22 AM, Michael Chu said...

Subject: Re: Altitude? ..for cooking eggs?
Abrandnewcook wrote:
A couple of viewers brought up 'altitude' ... which begs the question: "What altitude is recommended for best results?" (note: I live in a
split-level home ... the stove is on the upper level.)

Altitude affects cooking because air pressure is reduced at high altitudes. With a reduction of air pressure comes a lowering of the boiling point
of water which will reduce the maximum temperature that water in an unsealed container can be brought to (and thus how much a food cooks in
a given amount of time). The difference between ten to twenty feet (an indeed a few hundred feet) will not make much of a difference.
However, being 5,000 ft above sea level will affect your ability to replicate a recipe that was developed for use at or near sea level.

On December 09, 2008 at 12:43 AM, gigelus2k3 (guest) said...

Subject: soft-boiled eggs
A couple of comments.

First, it's really a bad idea to put the eggs straight from the fridge in the boiling water. Most "commercial" eggs will crack. Drilling a small hole in
the shell may do the trick, though.

Second, the optimum time period to get a runny yolk (just a pinch thickened is best) and a solid while is very narrow. The most forgiving method
is the one in which one brings the eggs to a boil, then immediately turns off the heat and waits a certain time.

Third, whatever the method, the timing depends on so many factors (heat level and type, water quantity, egg count, egg size, atmospheric
pressure) that one must not trust someone else's time and instead experiment on his/her own setup.

Everytime I moved, I had to recalibrate the method. However, for me the struggle is over: about two years ago a stumbled upon an egg cooker, a
simple electric gadget that controls the timing by how long it takes a calibrated amount of water to evaporate completely. It's very easy and with
perfectly consistent results.

Alternately, I remember reading in a cookbook about the fact that temperature at which the yolk hardens is about 5-6*C higher than of the white
(which is 70*C?). Therefore, one can get perfect soft-boiled eggs by controlling the water temperature at a point between the two and keeping
the egg at that temperature long enough for the white to harden.

On December 18, 2008 at 09:48 PM, guest (guest) said...

Subject: the perfect egg
this site will show you a few good ways to boil (or in some cases like the perfect egg, not boil) them. I think this is the method the previous
poster was speaking of; cooking them for a long time between 65c-70c.

http://khymos.org/eggs.php

On January 06, 2009 at 05:05 AM, eggsareforthebirds (guest) said...

a sturdy safety pin will work as an egg pricker in a pinch

On January 14, 2009 at 08:47 PM, Majesty said...

Subject: San Sebasti�n & myths about shocking
Quote:
On August 27, 2008 at 01:56 PM, an anonymous reader said...
If the shell is a problem, there is an easy solution, get rid of it before cooking.

This is how I do it:

1. Cut a square of plastic film about 25x25 cm
2. Cover the inside of a cup with the plastic film, spray the film with olive oil
3. Crack an egg in the cup, add salt and pepper to taste
4. Carefully make a small package and tie the edges with some thread (I have used dental floss)
5. Boil the egg 5 to 7 min.
6. Without pinching the egg, cut the thread and remove the egg from the plastic, sometimes it sticks, so be careful.

Ps: I learnt this technique from Jose Mari Arzak @ Restaurante Arzak in San Sebastian, Spain

I love San Sebastian. It's a great great city, especially the fireworks in summer. I would love to go back and try all the famous restaurants there.
Now, maybe a stupid question: do you remove the plastic out of the cup or do you leave it in? I guess you take it out, but I'm not entirely sure
from your description.

Michael, I have always heard that shocking the eggs to make them peel easier is a complete myth, and that the only thing that matters here is
how young/old the eggs are. Any thoughts on this? Do you have scientific proof on the shocking-theory?

Post a comment on Soft Boiled Eggs

www.KhanaPakana.com Feedback - Ads by Google

About CfE Contact User Agreement FAQ's In the Press Write for CfE

All content published by CFE Enterprises, Inc. under license with copyright holders
Tabular Recipe Notation Patent Pending (Michael Chu)
Syndicate