I'm tryin to follow the recipe from the book and i think I failed? The recipe say if u boiled for 5 minutes the white will still yet my egg is quivering too even during 6 and 7 minutes boiling point? Am i doin it wrong? This is my first time cooking
by rezyyagan
22 Comments
Are you putting them in to boiling water and leaving the lid on while they cook?
5 minutes doesn’t sound like enough time regardless. I make a couple soft boiled eggs every morning and 7 minutes is typically perfect
Use a steamer basket like you’re steaming broccoli, once it’s going strong put your eggs in there for 7 min. You can plop the whole basket into ice water to shock.
Not sure what recipe you’re following but IIRC in The Food Lab, Kenji drops them into vigorously boiling water for 90 seconds, drops the heat using ice, then boils them at about 190F for like 8 minutes for soft boiled. Might have the times off. I don’t do soft boiled often.
Hmm I make soft boiled eggs every week for ramen night 6 and a half to 7 minutes for large eggs comes out perfect every time. I drop them straight from the fridge in boiling water and move them around every minute or so. Are they extra large eggs? Might just need a little more time.
So, I don’t know how they’re doing their eggs, but I make soft boiled eggs all the time, and this is my procedure:
1. Bring a pot of water up to boil. It needs to be enough to cover the eggs.
2. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to medium. The water should be above a simmer, but not a roiling boil.
3. Add eggs with a spider.
4. Let the eggs boil for seven minutes. Meanwhile, set up an ice bath: Bowl of water, plenty of ice.
5. Once the timer goes off, the eggs go into the ice bath. Either let them rest until you can hold them, then eat, or put them in the fridge for later.
Some notes:
* Bringing the water to a boil was key for me. If I just put the eggs in when the water ‘looked’ ready, I’d end up with runny whites.
* I think the level of boiling is called a full simmer? Lots of bubbles, breaking all over. If you just have the little bubbles at the sides, it’s not hot enough.
* To reheat the eggs, I peel them and put them in somewhat hot water (soup heat). There are probably other ways, but I only make the eggs so I can add them to my ramen.
One thing no recipe talks about is how cold your fridge is. Mine is on the cooler side, so boiling eggs less than around 7:20 I get uncooked white. Also depends on the size of the egg. Adjust the boil time based on your results.
Pot with sufficient water to cover eggs by 1 inch.
Bring to boil.
Turn off heat.
Lower eggs into pot slowly with slotted spoon.
Cover and set timer for 6 minutes or to your taste.
Plunge in cold water briefly at end of time.
Serve immediately.
It might take a few attempts to determine your specific timing depending on various factors.
shouldn’t the soft boiled eggs have runny yolk
I think egg cooking and egg preferences can be so fussy and specific that it is best to use any egg recipe as a guideline and adjust it however you need/prefer. For whatever reason this is what you get at 5 minutes, so next time go a bit longer and see whether you like it more. I use the same method as Kenji, but I wait 7 minutes not 5.
Also I use an electric coil stove and leave the pot on the coil after I turn it off. I tried the method on an induction stove top and I think the stove top cooled down too fast so the egg didn’t cook through as much as it does on my electric stove. There are so many variables to consider with egg cooking, that a recipe is really just guides not laws.
I’ve been making soft boiled eggs every single day for over a year now.
Just enough water to cover the eggs, put them on the stove, when you hear the water hissing as the temperature approaches full boil, set a timer for 4.5 minutes. Timer goes off, cold bath immediately. Works every time.
You just have to experiment and find the time that’s right for the method you’re using and your elevation, and be consistent, doing it exactly the same way every time.
Do you really need to cover the eggs with water? I usually fill an inch of water and get it to a boil. I put the egg in and cover. The steam is enough to set the white and yolk.
I’m a fan of a pressure cooker for my boiled eggs. I do 6 min for hard, anywhere from 3-4 min for soft (trial and error based on device). Ice bath shock is paramount. They are perfect and easy to peel.
>fails the foolproof recipe
One more thought- Altitude?
Are you boiling them for the full time or are you just pouring boiling water on them and letting them sit
I’ve never gotten serious eats sous vide soft boiled eggs to work to my satisfaction.
I follow all the instructions and always end up with liquid egg whites.
I think sous vide just isn’t a good method for soft-boiled eggs.
I just adjust my boil time and make them as normal.
nobody ever talks about high altitude as a factor 🙁
Some variables beyond the water temperature and time to consider:
* Mass of the water
* Mass of the eggs
* Temperature of the eggs
* Elevation
I’d start by boiling more water. It’s significantly easier than moving your kitchen to sea level. Measure it so you know what you’re using. If that doesn’t get you to where you want to be, start playing with the time. Use the same amount of water in the same lidded pot each time. If you keep the eggs, the pot, and the amount of water the same, you can jot down how much time you like best and then repeat that whenever you want soft-boiled eggs.
I live at 1000 meters elevation and had to add time to get it to work for me. Keep experimenting and take notes!
I live at 11,000 feet (~3350m) and water boils at about 190°F. I cook mine for 8 and a half mins for perfectly soft boiled eggs
Eggs should be in room temperature