I’ve always loved eggs – scrambled, omelets, fried – any version will do. I especially love a runny egg (or slutty egg as some people I know refer to it lol). Anyone else love sopping up the yolk of a sunny side up eggs? Yum!
Unfortunately, frying an egg in butter is not the best option for someone trying to eat healthier so I try to limit how often I do that. In my effort to eat healthier, I’ve thought about other ways I could enjoy eggs without the need for butter. There’s poaching, which is delicious, but not great for a weekday option. Hard-boiled is an easy choice, but fully cooked yolks are not my favorite unless they are in the form of deviled eggs. Then I’m all for them!
So when I saw an Instagram post by Justin Chapple, who works for Food & Wine magazine (one of my favorite reads, btw) about how to make the perfect soft-boiled egg, I just knew I needed to try it.
His post reminded me of how my German step-grandparents used to eat soft-boiled eggs and how I thought that was so European and cool. I had even purchased egg holders years ago to try making them myself, but I never got them quite right. The yolk was never jammy (another word to describe a soft yolk) enough. Thanks to Justin, I now know the secret. I must give credit where credit is due.
So, to make the perfect jammy, soft-boiled egg, follow the instructions below. In full transparency, I let mine go about 30 seconds longer than I should have so these aren’t even totally perfect, but I’ll know better next time. I also tried a trick for getting the shells off easier that I’d never done before and it certainly seemed to make a huge difference.
Instructions
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add your eggs carefully and cook them for 7 minutes exactly. Set a timer so you can get them out right at the 7-minute mark.
While the eggs cook, get a bowl and add some ice and water. Once the eggs are done, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the hot water and immediately add them to the ice water.
At this point, you can do a couple of things. You can set them in an egg holder, cut off the top of the egg and use a spoon to scoop out the egg and eat it with a little salt sprinkled on top.
Or you can let them cool a bit, then crack them on the counter and remove the shell while keeping them wet in the cold water. The shells should come off fairly easily using this method. Once you remove the shell, you can cut them in half and enjoy with a bit of salt (again) or add something to bump up the flavor a bit like I did. Mine were served with a Mediterranean chili past called harissa. I'm pretty sure you can find harissa at most grocery stores.
If you try it out, let me know how it goes. I'd love to hear if your experience was successful, too!
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