Eggs are versatile and delicious. You can eat them on their own, on top of a slice of toast or pancake stack, or scramble them into rice for extra substance. However you enjoy them, cooking eggs perfectly isn’t always straightforward—even seemingly reliable methods can fail you sometimes.
A food columnist and solo cooking enthusiast has shared the recipe he relies on every morning for “perfect” soft-boiled eggs. Sharing his insights with Food52, Eric Kim noted: “Martha Stewart drinks celery juice. Khloé Kardashian eats oatmeal with a protein shake. I… have a six-minute egg with toast, orange juice, and coffee.” Eric’s method is simple, unlike many quirky egg cooking hacks that call for an air fryer or vinegar added to a whirlpool of simmering water.
He said: “I’ll always have my egg first, boiled straight from the fridge in a tiny pot of water for six minutes.”
Commonly known as ‘dippy eggs’, soft-boiled eggs have a jammy, runny, but slightly set core. Meanwhile, the whites are just set but still wobbly.
The consensus for achieving this desirable texture is to boil eggs in a pan for five to seven minutes: Eric’s recommendation of six minutes is right on the mark.
But he does one thing differently from most recipes. Instead of using a standard-sized saucepan, the cooking expert notes that the smaller the pan, the better.
Eric uses a stainless-steel butter warmer: “Because it’s so small, it comes to a boil almost as fast as my electric water kettle”, he notes.
How to make soft-boiled eggs
Regarding ingredients, you only need one large egg (or two if you wish), plus a small saucepan filled with boiling water.
When boiling, carefully lower the egg into the water using a spoon.
Set a time for six minutes exactly, lowering the heat to about medium-low so the water simmers gently. This will prevent the eggshell from cracking.
After the six minutes are up, run the egg under cold tap water to halt the cooking process before placing it into an egg cup – or a shot glass if you don’t have one.
Use a sharp knife to chop the top of the egg off, scooping the white from the sliced lid. Eric suggests sprinkling his “magic spice blend” over the sliced egg.
The yolk should “gush out” if the egg has been cooked correctly – perfect for mopping up with a slice of toast. Use a spoon to dig in around the shell to scoop out the rest of the white.