Boiled Eggs
Cooking Skills: Eggs 1
Chapter 2 · Boiled Eggs
Skill goal
Boil an egg to the yolk you want, every time, and peel it cleanly.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
A boiled egg is really a steamed-and-simmered one: the white sets at a lower temperature than the yolk, so time decides everything. Learn the timings once and you can have any yolk you like.
| Time (medium egg, fridge to boiling water) | White | Yolk | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 minutes | Just set | Runny | Soldiers, dippy eggs |
| 6 minutes | Set | Runny in the middle, soft round the edge | Dippy eggs, salads, ramen |
| 7 minutes | Firm | Jammy: soft but not liquid | Toast, salads, noodle bowls |
| 9 minutes | Firm | Set but creamy and still bright yellow | Sandwiches, snacks |
| 11 minutes | Firm | Fully set and crumbly (go longer and you get a grey ring) | Egg mayo, salad, picnic eggs |
Large eggs need about 1 minute more. Straight from the fridge is assumed. Eggs that have been at room temperature cook about 30 seconds faster.
The method
- Bring enough water to the boil in a small pan to cover the eggs by about 2 cm. Use a pan where the eggs fit snugly, so they don't bounce about and crack.
- Turn the heat down to a steady, gentle boil. Lower the eggs in with a spoon, one at a time, and start the timer straight away.
- When the timer goes, lift the eggs out with a slotted spoon. For hard-boiled eggs, put them straight into a bowl of cold water with a few ice cubes for 5 minutes. This stops the cooking (it prevents the grey-green ring) and makes peeling easier.
- For soft-boiled eggs, serve at once in egg cups: that's the one time you can't wait.
Peeling
Tap the egg all over on the worktop to make a network of cracks, then roll it under your palm. Start peeling from the wide end, where the air pocket is, and peel under a trickle of cold water. Very fresh eggs peel worst: this is where older eggs win.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Soft-boiled egg with soldiers and beans
The dippy egg. Learn the timing for a runny yolk, and get a lesson in toast cutting.
Ingredients (1 portion)
- 2 medium eggs, from the fridge
- 2 slices wholemeal bread
- Small amount of butter or a thin spread
- 100 g reduced-sugar baked beans (about a third of a tin)
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- Start the beans warming in a small pan over low heat, or in a bowl in the microwave, stirring once.
- Bring a pan of water to the boil. Lower in the eggs and cook for 6 minutes for a runny yolk (5 for runnier).
- Meanwhile, toast the bread, spread lightly, and cut each slice into soldiers: strips about 2 cm wide.
- Put the eggs in egg cups (or a mug if you have none). Slice off the top with a knife, or tap the top with a spoon and peel it away. Season.
- Dip the soldiers into the yolk, and eat the beans on the side.
Cutting the top off
A knife slices the top off cleanly; a spoon-tap is gentler. If the white is still wet at the top, put the egg back in its cup for 30 seconds.
Level 2 · Next step
Jammy eggs on toast with spring onion
Seven minutes makes a yolk like thick jam: soft enough to spread, firm enough not to run. This is peeling practice too.
Ingredients (1 portion)
- 2 medium eggs, from the fridge
- 2 slices sourdough or wholemeal bread
- ½ ripe avocado (or 2 tbsp cottage cheese)
- 1 spring onion, finely sliced
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- Pinch of salt, pepper and chilli flakes
- Boil the eggs for 7 minutes, then put them into iced water for 3 minutes.
- Toast the bread. Mash the avocado with the lemon juice and a pinch of salt, and spread it over the toast.
- Peel the eggs (tap, roll, peel under water). Halve them with a sharp knife wiped between cuts.
- Lay the egg halves on the toast, season, and scatter with spring onion and chilli.
Level 2 · Batch it
Hard-boiled eggs for the week
Boil a batch once and you have snacks, salad toppers and sandwich fillings ready. This is the best use of the ice-bath trick.
Ingredients (6 portions)
- 6 medium eggs, from the fridge
- Bowl of cold water with a handful of ice
- Lower the eggs into boiling water and cook for 10 minutes (set but not grey).
- Lift them straight into the ice bath and leave for 5 minutes.
- Dry them, and either peel them now or leave them in their shells (they keep best unpeeled).
- Store in a covered container in the fridge. Eat within 5 days. Write the date on the box.
Food safety: boiled eggs
Once cooked, hard-boiled eggs are no longer protected by the shell's natural coating, so keep them cold. Don't leave them on the worktop for more than 2 hours, and throw out any that smell sulphurous. Shells that cracked while boiling are safe to eat the same day, but not to store.
Level 3 · Confidence
Egg mayo sandwich (lighter version)
The classic, made with half yoghurt so it is lighter. A good way to use up the batch.
Ingredients (1 portion)
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp Greek yoghurt
- 1 spring onion, or a few chives, finely chopped
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- Pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper
- 2 slices wholemeal bread
- Handful of watercress or cress
- Mash the eggs roughly with a fork in a bowl: leave them a bit chunky.
- Add the mayonnaise, yoghurt, spring onion, lemon and seasoning. Mix gently.
- Taste it. Add a pinch more salt or pepper if it needs it. Mustard is also good.
- Pile onto one slice, scatter the cress, and top with the other slice. Cut into triangles.
Treat swap
For a richer sandwich, use 2 tbsp of mayonnaise and no yoghurt, and butter the bread. It's a treat, not an everyday thing.
Experiments
Experiment
The timing ladder
Find out exactly how you like your yolk. This is the most useful experiment in the chapter.
- Put 5 medium eggs into a pan of boiling water together. Note the time.
- Lift one out at 5, 6, 7, 9 and 11 minutes with a slotted spoon into cold water.
- Cool each for a couple of minutes, then cut each in half, keeping them in order.
- Taste and photograph each one if you like, then record it in the table.
Look for: How the yolk moves from runny to jammy to chalky, and at what minute you stopped liking it.
Experiment
Cold start vs boiling water
Does starting the eggs in cold water change the result?
- Put 2 eggs in a pan of cold water, bring it to the boil, and start the timer once it boils; cook for 7 minutes.
- Cook 2 more in already-boiling water for 7 minutes.
- Cool in cold water, peel, and compare the yolk, the white and how easily each peels.
Look for: Boiling-water starts are more consistent and usually peel easier. Cold starts depend on your hob, which makes timing unpredictable.
Experiment
Peeling: fresh vs older
Settle whether egg age really changes how easily an egg peels.
- Boil one very fresh egg and one that has been in the fridge for 2 weeks, for the same time, then ice-bath both.
- Peel both under a trickle of cold water.
Look for: How much white comes away with the shell. The older egg is usually smoother.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Time or method | Yolk and white | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 minutes | ||||
| 6 minutes | ||||
| 7 minutes | ||||
| 9 minutes | ||||
| 11 minutes | ||||
| Cold start vs boiling start | ||||
| Fresh vs old peeling |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Egg cracked in the pan | Dropped in, or the water was boiling too hard | Lower it in gently on a spoon, and turn to a steady simmer-boil. A little vinegar in the water helps the white set if it leaks |
| Grey-green ring round the yolk | Overcooked | Cook for less time and put it into the ice bath straight away |
| Rubbery, tough white | Cooked too long, or the water boiled violently | Use a gentler boil and a timer |
| Hard to peel, white tears off | The egg is very fresh, or it wasn't cooled quickly | Use older eggs for hard-boiled, and chill in an ice bath; peel under running water |
| Yolk off-centre | Stored on its side | Store pointed end down, or stir the water for the first minute |
| Runny yolk when you wanted jammy | Eggs straight from a very cold fridge, or too short a time | Add 30 seconds, and write the time in your notes |
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can boil an egg to a runny, jammy or set yolk on purpose.
- I use an ice bath for hard-boiled eggs.
- I can peel an egg without losing half the white.
- I know how long cooked eggs keep in the fridge.
- I know which yolk I like best, and it's in my notes.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Eggs 1, chapter 3 is Fried Eggs: heat control, from a sunny-side-up egg to a crispy-edged egg on toast.