Sometimes the littlest things make the biggest impact.
Every morning growing up, my mom made me and my Dad soft-boiled eggs and toast. We each had our own egg cup, our own exact timing and strategy for the egg. We even each had our own style of cracking into it.
My mom liked her yolks nice and runny. As soon as they came out of the water, she’d run them under cold water to make sure they didn’t overcook.
My dad, on the other hand, liked his yolks much firmer. So she’d take his out last, not put them in any water, and she even had a little felted chicken-shaped egg-warmer she put over his so as to not risk it cooling down.
Mom would delicately pat the top of her egg with the back of the spoon, and then pick off the broken shells. Dad would take a knife and karate-chop the whole top of the egg right off.
Like Goldilocks, I was somewhere in the middle. I liked my egg yolks runny but not as runny as Mom’s, and not nearly as hard as Dad’s. And for how I ate the egg… well I tried both strategies and found myself once again somewhere in the middle.
I thought I “knew” soft-boiled eggs. But then Chef James and a couple of foodie friends said something about steaming them.
Steaming eggs? Sounds utterly weird.
Until we tried it.
And: perfection.
The yolks are creamy and not dry. There’s no risk of the shells breaking in water because they never touch the water! And then they peel easily (since now I’ve graduated past egg cups and like my eggs a little jammy, cut in half and typically on a bed of veggies rather than with toast.)
Have you tried it? Here’s how to do it:
The 7-Minute Soft Steamed Egg
– A large spoon
– a pot with lid
– a steamer insert
– oven mitts
– eggs
- Place a steamer insert into a pot with water (about 1/8 of the pot filled), cover with lid and boil water.
- Once water is steaming, add the egg(s), cover with lid, and set a timer for 7 minutes.
- At 7 minutes, remove the lid carefully with an oven mitt. Remove the steamer with eggs and place it under cold water from the faucet. You want to cool the eggs as fast s possible. Warm to the touch is okay, but you don’t want the eggs hot or they will keep cooking. Using a large spoon or soft tongs, remove the eggs to a small bowl or plate and peel.
- The yolks should be custardy jam-looking. The whites firm and bright.
What’s your favorite way to make eggs? Leave your comments below.
I just have to say how much I love your recipes. I made these eggs and now I’m hooked! I’ve shared the recipe with my family and they’re obsessed too.
Keep up the incredibly inspiring work. You are amazing.