Before being introduced to the seductive ways of a perfectly gooey soft-boiled egg, I've had some pretty negative associations with boiled eggs - the slippery deviled egg platter that went untouched at backyard potlucks, the sulphur-y smell in the kitchen from my grandmother peeling eggs for her ultra-retro (and not in the hip way) egg salad during the holidays.
I've wised up since then. I now understand you should never boil your eggs to oblivion - you must boil them soft. The white should be just barely set, so that it jiggles with the most satisfying quiver when you crack it open. The yolk should be luxuriously creamy - making a perfect eggy sauce for whatever vehicle you choose to sop it up.
We're big advocates for the classic and very elegant approach of nestling your eggs in little egg cups and using finger-sized toast points or a dainty egg spoon (we really like this one) to scoop out all the eggy goodness. Just make sure your toast is slathered thick with good butter and have some flakey sea salt nearby.
[vimeo 243187487 w=640 h=360]For Soft-Boiled Eggs
with runny yolks and custardy whites
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Set your timer for 5 minutes, 6 if you prefer them a bit firmer (but don’t press start yet)
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Put your eggs in a pan of cold water, making sure they’re covered by an inch or so of water.
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Turn your stove on high and bring the water to a full, rolling boil.
Just after your water is boiling, turn off the heat and cover the pan. But don’t wander too far. -
Start that timer! After 6 minutes, grab your eggs with a slotted spoon and drop them (gently!) into a bowl of ice water for just 30 seconds.
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Nestle them in your egg cups, give them a good whack, and dig in.
