How To Make Soft-Boiled Eggs

The perfect soft-boiled egg should have firm, custard-like whites and a warm, runny yolk — this is what my host mother taught me when I lived with her family in France for a summer in high school, and it’s still the standard to which I hold my soft-boiled eggs today. An egg like this is just right for scooping daintily from the shell and eating with buttered toast soldiers, an experience that always feels simultaneously sophisticated and happily childlike to me.

Making soft-boiled eggs might feel slightly trickier than hard-boiled eggs, but it’s nothing that can’t be mastered in the space of a Saturday morning! Here’s a step-by-step tutorial to teach you exactly what to do.

1. Bring the water to a boil. Fill a saucepan with a few inches of water and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat.
2. Reduce the heat. Lower the heat until the water is at a rapid simmer.
3. Add the eggs. Gently lower the eggs into the water.
4. Cook the eggs for 5 to 7 minutes. If cooking 3 or 4 eggs at once, you may need to cook for a few seconds longer.
5. Cool the eggs slightly. Run the eggs under cold tap water to cool them off.
6. Remove the top of the egg. Use the edge of a knife to gently tap around the top or use an egg-cutter to remove the cap.
7. Serve warm! Eat the egg straight from the shell with a small spoon or toast for dipping. 

A good soft-boiled egg really comes down to timing. Bring the water up to a boil, then lower it to a rapid simmer. Add the eggs to the pot, and then begin timing. Don’t just glance at the clock to time your eggs — set a timer. Using a timer is the best way to get consistent results.

• For one or two eggs, five minutes is perfect for a runny yolk, or cook as long as seven minutes for a more firmly set, but still spoonable, yolk.
• For three or four eggs, add an extra few seconds to your timing. (More than four eggs, opt for cooking in batches.)

Soft-boiled eggs are their own little breakfast package. Nestle your egg in an egg cup, and then use the edge of a knife to gently tap the egg all the way around the top. If you have an egg-cutter, you can use that, too. Pull off the top and dig in.

You can use a spoon to scoop out the insides or dip your toast soldiers right into the yolk. Either way, eat the egg while it’s still warm and runny!

If you don’t have an actual egg cup, here’s an idea: Fill a small ramekin with a few tablespoons of rice or other uncooked grain and nestle your soft-boiled egg inside. Works like a charm, and as long as you manage to avoid egg drips, you can reuse the rice again and again.

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