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II am a big fan of soft-boiled eggs and I've always thought this was common knowledge since my mom taught me how to prepare them when I was young. My recipe:

II am a big fan of soft-boiled eggs and I've always thought this was common knowledge since my mom taught me how to prepare them when I was young. My recipe: 1. Boil water 2. Place eggs in boiling water 3. Cook eggs for 5 minutes 4. Place pot with eggs in the sink and let cold water run to replace the hot water, don't let the water get warm in the pot. 5. Wait for eggs to cool for a few minutes 6. Peel eggs easily now. Total time: about 15 minutes

2muchcoffeeman 11y ago
I had been experimenting with eggs when this article first came out trying to recreate the results. A found no difference between bringing eggs to the boil and dropping them in boiling water. I did find a difference between running cold water into the pot and dropping the eggs in cold water. Putting the eggs straight into cold water gave me rounder eggs that were easier to peel.
- optymizer 11y ago
  Well, the reason to drop them in boiling water is to control the softness on the inside, because you have a consistent starting point at 100C, then you can keep the temperature at 100C and time 5 minutes. If you use cold water, the time for the water to get to 100C is going to be dependent on the stove and the flame that comes out of the burner, so when the water gets to 100C, in some cases the eggs will be half-ready, in some cases 1/3 ready, so it's more difficult to cook the eggs perfectly. Obviously, if you are always using the same stove and the same flame, you will eventually know how long it takes you to cook the eggs, but then when you switch stoves, you have to re-learn this. For me, dropping the eggs in boiling water is a little easier. Finally, yes, cold water is used to make the eggs easier to peel.
jmnicolas 11y ago
It will be less wasteful and you'll get better results by placing your eggs in some water with ice cubes. 5 minutes appears low, but until reading this article I was starting my eggs in cold water so I don't have any reference.
kbart 11y ago
Don't forget to add a spoonful of salt into a water -- this makes eggs cracking less often.
forgetsusername 11y ago
>Cook eggs for 5 minutes Thing is, it's difficult to apply a time to the process. Different stoves, different water starting temperature, different pots..these these will all affect how quickly you can cook the eggs. I think it's a matter of having some idea, some "recipe", and tweaking it. Currently I warm my eggs by running them under tap water, then put them in the water on the stove, set a time for 14 minutes, bring the water to a boil, turn it down to medium, remove from stove when timer elapses. It works for me. Judging by the article, and the comments, almost no two people do the same thing.
- HeXetic 11y ago
  > Different stoves, different water starting temperature, different pots..these these will all affect how quickly you can cook the eggs. No matter what model of stove or pot or starting temperature you have, water boils at 100C* . If the water is supposed to be boiling the whole time, the 5-minute cook time is completely repeatable. You understand that it is physically impossible to have liquid water above 100C without applying pressure, yes? * Depending on atmospheric pressure.
  - forgetsusername 11y ago
    >No matter what model of stove or pot or starting temperature you have, water boils at 100C And? Does water boil instantly, or are there factors that can affect how long it takes to get water to boil? Things like, say, your stove, pot and starting water temperature. >You understand that it is physically impossible to have liquid water above 100C without applying pressure, yes? Wow, thanks for the physics lesson. I was referring to the OP stating "the process" takes X minutes from start to finish. Well, different stoves are going to heat water at different rates. Colder water from the tap will take longer to heat that warmer water from the tap. When I'm the one cooking my eggs, these things matter. Time-from-boil isn't relevant to me when I'm getting ready in the morning. Learn to tame your nerd-rage and give people the benefit of the doubt that they aren't as stupid as you think.
- herge 11y ago
  > Different stoves How different does the temperature of boiling water get from 100? If your little eggs are lowering the temperature of your water at a simmer by that much, you should try bigger pots.

2muchcoffeeman 11y ago

I had been experimenting with eggs when this article first came out trying to recreate the results. A found no difference between bringing eggs to the boil and dropping them in boiling water. I did find a difference between running cold water into the pot and dropping the eggs in cold water. Putting the eggs straight into cold water gave me rounder eggs that were easier to peel.

optymizer 11y ago
Well, the reason to drop them in boiling water is to control the softness on the inside, because you have a consistent starting point at 100C, then you can keep the temperature at 100C and time 5 minutes. If you use cold water, the time for the water to get to 100C is going to be dependent on the stove and the flame that comes out of the burner, so when the water gets to 100C, in some cases the eggs will be half-ready, in some cases 1/3 ready, so it's more difficult to cook the eggs perfectly. Obviously, if you are always using the same stove and the same flame, you will eventually know how long it takes you to cook the eggs, but then when you switch stoves, you have to re-learn this. For me, dropping the eggs in boiling water is a little easier. Finally, yes, cold water is used to make the eggs easier to peel.

jmnicolas 11y ago

It will be less wasteful and you'll get better results by placing your eggs in some water with ice cubes. 5 minutes appears low, but until reading this article I was starting my eggs in cold water so I don't have any reference.

kbart 11y ago

Don't forget to add a spoonful of salt into a water -- this makes eggs cracking less often.

forgetsusername 11y ago

>Cook eggs for 5 minutes Thing is, it's difficult to apply a time to the process. Different stoves, different water starting temperature, different pots..these these will all affect how quickly you can cook the eggs. I think it's a matter of having some idea, some "recipe", and tweaking it. Currently I warm my eggs by running them under tap water, then put them in the water on the stove, set a time for 14 minutes, bring the water to a boil, turn it down to medium, remove from stove when timer elapses. It works for me. Judging by the article, and the comments, almost no two people do the same thing.

HeXetic 11y ago
> Different stoves, different water starting temperature, different pots..these these will all affect how quickly you can cook the eggs. No matter what model of stove or pot or starting temperature you have, water boils at 100C* . If the water is supposed to be boiling the whole time, the 5-minute cook time is completely repeatable. You understand that it is physically impossible to have liquid water above 100C without applying pressure, yes? * Depending on atmospheric pressure.
- forgetsusername 11y ago
  >No matter what model of stove or pot or starting temperature you have, water boils at 100C And? Does water boil instantly, or are there factors that can affect how long it takes to get water to boil? Things like, say, your stove, pot and starting water temperature. >You understand that it is physically impossible to have liquid water above 100C without applying pressure, yes? Wow, thanks for the physics lesson. I was referring to the OP stating "the process" takes X minutes from start to finish. Well, different stoves are going to heat water at different rates. Colder water from the tap will take longer to heat that warmer water from the tap. When I'm the one cooking my eggs, these things matter. Time-from-boil isn't relevant to me when I'm getting ready in the morning. Learn to tame your nerd-rage and give people the benefit of the doubt that they aren't as stupid as you think.
herge 11y ago
> Different stoves How different does the temperature of boiling water get from 100? If your little eggs are lowering the temperature of your water at a simmer by that much, you should try bigger pots.