Perfect soft-cooked eggs

Soft-cooked egg Sandwich

Anytime I read about a foolproof method for cooking eggs, I have to try it out. And this method from Cooks Illustrated, I promise you, proved revolutionary. Tender, but set, warm whites and reliably runny yolks–whether one egg or six–every single time.

All I do is bring a 1/2-inch of water to boil (One-half-inch! As in takes-no-time-at-all) before placing my eggs in the pot, lowering the temperature to medium, and re-covering it. Then I set a timer for 6-1/2 minutes. It turns out that steaming the eggs (placing less water in the pot) actually means there’s less temperature variability owing to the number of cold eggs you introduce, making this recipe work for a simple morning ritual or for serving a crowd.

peeling soft-cooked eggs

After time’s up, I place the eggs in cool water to get them cool to the touch. The eggs are easy to peel (easier than hardboiled eggs) because the whites are so springy.

Soft-cooked eggs are delicious on their own, atop pasta with butter and cheese, on pizza… on nearly anything. Right now, my favorite way to eat these is with salt-and-pepper avocado toast: smear toast with a light serving of mayonnaise, cover with at least half a ripe avocado, top it with eggs and give it a healthy dash of freshly ground pepper and sea salt. Then, let the runny yolks do their job.

soft-cooked sandwiches

By the way, the folks in the Cooks Illustrated test kitchen pointed out that you’ll have the best success with eggs having perfectly centered yolks. It doesn’t make a huge difference, but it’s true: if you wanted to be an absolute stickler for an important meal you’re serving you can hold your eggs up to a bright light and select for the ones with centered yolks.

Soft-cooked egg sandwich

Have a great weekend! Will you try this for breakfast?

P.S. Blood-Orange Salad, my go-to pressed sandwiches, and a cardamon-pear upside-down cake.

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