Soft boiled egg
How do you cook a nice soft boiled egg?
Nothing tastes better than a soft boiled egg for breakfast. Before we get into the secret of cooking a soft egg, let’s define it. A soft egg is called soft-boiled when the egg white is completely solidified, but the yolk is not yet or not completely.
Because the cooking time also depends on the size of the egg, you will find the different cooking times in the tables below.
There are three common ways to soft-boil your egg. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. Below you will find them described:
Soft boiled egg in cold water
The most common way is to put the eggs in cold water and then calculate the cooking time from the moment the water starts boiling. The eggs will have already started to solidify because they already solidify at 90 degrees. This has already been taken into account in the table below. The disadvantage is that it is somewhat difficult to determine the exact starting point of the cooking. Therefore, this approach often works a little better if you want to cook hard-boiled eggs. Make sure the eggs are not completely submerged.
Cooking time soft egg
S: 2 – 3 minutes
M: 3 – 4 minutes
L: 4 – 5 minutes
XL: 5 – 6 minutes
Saving energy when cooking eggs?
Do you want to save energy when cooking a nice egg? And do you want a soft boiled egg in the process? Heat the eggs in a pan and close the pan with a lid. The moment the eggs cook turn off the heat source and wait 6 minutes. So do not scare the eggs. Enjoy your meal!
In boiling water
You can also choose to bring the water to a boil first and when the water is clearly boiling, place the eggs in the boiling water with, for example, a spoon or a egg tongs. Do this carefully and carefully place the eggs on the bottom of the pan. Make sure they are just barely under water. The advantage, of course, is that you can determine exactly when to start counting. The disadvantage is that the eggs tend to break because of the big difference in temperature. Especially if they have previously sat in the refrigerator and are now put directly into water of 100 degrees.
The cracking of the eggs can be prevented by using the convex side with a egg piercer a hole to prick. Because the air then escapes it does not expand inside the egg and therefore the eggshell will not crack. It is also useful to bring the eggs to room temperature beforehand.
Cooking time soft egg
S: 3 – 4 minutes
M: 4 – 5 minutes
L: 5 – 6 minutes
XL: 6 – 7 minutes
After the egg is cooked, pour off the hot water and immediately scramble the hot eggs under cold water. If you don’t do this, the eggs will boil and you will still have a hard boiled egg. An additional advantage is that the eggs are easier to peel. This applies to both methods described above.
In an egg cooker
The easiest way to make a soft egg is to use a egg cooker. Carefully place the eggs on the metal plate in the egg cooker, add some water and close it with the supplied sealing cap. Then set the device and you can walk away with it. Easy but not very crafty.
Softly boiled egg in airfryer
Cooking an egg in an airfryer turns out to be quite possible. Some even bake their bread in it for breakfast. If you want to know more about that check out the explanation of the Philips chef. But how long should an egg be in the airfryer to come out as a soft boiled egg?
The start is important. Do not take eggs straight from the refrigerator but take eggs that are at room temperature. We will assume a cold start of the airfryer. Set the temperature to 120 degrees and set the time to 10 minutes. Others recommend 9 minutes at 150 degrees. Testing yourself is best. You have your own taste and the size of the eggs also matters. The larger the egg the longer the ‘cooking time’ should be. Cool the eggs immediately after the beep, otherwise they are impossible to peel.
The advantage of cooking the egg in an airfryer is that you don’t have to bring water to a boil. Also, you don’t have to look for your egg timer. If you also prepare your complete breakfast this way you can walk away with it.
The basics of a soft boiled egg
A perfectly soft boiled egg. The egg white solidified, but not too hard. The yolk creamy, but not too soft. It sounds demanding, but with a few simple basic techniques, it’s literally an egg.
But how do you know if the egg is fresh?
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All you need to know if an egg is fresh is a container of cold water. You place the still uncooked egg in the bowl or pan of water. A fresh egg sinks straight to the bottom and remains flat there. A less fresh egg will stand vertically in the water but still with the tip on the bottom. You can still eat them but don’t wait too long. It is always useful to smell the egg before eating it. A spoiled egg floats and ends up in the green waste container.
Green asparagus with soft boiled egg (serves 4)
4 eggs
20 green asparagus
50 g breadcrumbs
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pinch of chili powder
1 pinch paprika
sea salt
1. Fry the breadcrumbs in the olive oil so that they are golden brown and crispy. Add sea salt, chili and paprika to taste and let cool.
2. Cook the asparagus in salted water for 3-5 minutes until nicely soft. Just prick with a fork to determine doneness.
3. At the same time, boil the eggs for 3-4 minutes until they are soft and peel them.
4. Pour the water from the pan and place the asparagus on a plate. Add the soft boiled egg or eggs. Sprinkle with the fried bread crumbs.
Broccoli with a soft-boiled egg (serves 4)
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4 eggs
2 sprigs of parsley
1 clove garlic
1 shallot
2 tablespoons butter
3 deciliters milk
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon mustard
600 grams small or small potatoes
Pepper, salt and nutmeg
- Place a pan of water on the fire, add a little salt and cook the new potatoes for about 20 minutes. Cut the potatoes in half.
- Chop the parsley finely and do the same with the garlic and shallot.
- Cut the broccoli into small florets and cook for about 8 minutes in water with a little salt.
- When the broccoli is in the pan melt the butter in a pan and mix it with flour. Stir this for a few minutes. While stirring, add the milk until a nice sauce is formed. Season the sauce with pepper, salt and the nutmeg. Don’t forget to add the mustard.
- Now cook the eggs softly cooked in about 4 minutes in boiling water. If you want the eggs a little harder then cook them longer.
- Dump the olive oil in a frying pan and heat it. Lightly fry the garlic and shallot so that they are translucent.
- Now it’s time to add the new potatoes and bring to temperature.
- Add parsley, salt and pepper to taste
- Prepare the plates and place the soft boiled eggs, potatoes and broccoli on the plates.
- Good appetite!
Pasta niçoise with tuna and green beans
with cherry tomatoes and a soft boiled egg (serves 4)
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2 medium-sized eggs
150 grams green beans
180 grams penne
250 grams cherry tomatoes
10 grams fresh leaf parsley & basil
1 garlic clove
1 shallot
30 grams of olives & capers
Half a lemon
1 can of tuna in olive oil
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard
Pepper and salt
- Bring a large pan of water to a boil with a little salt. Shell the green beans and cut them into 2 equal pieces. Cook the penne at the same time as the eggs in the same pan, covered with a lid for 10 – 12 minutes. After about 5 minutes, add the green beans. Pour off the hot water and let the remaining liquid evaporate without a lid.
- Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and finely chop the parsley, garlic and basil. Cut the olives in half and chop the shallot. Cut the lemon into 2 pieces and squeeze out 1 half, cut the other half into pieces.
- Dump 4 tablespoons virgin olive oil 0.5 tablespoon lemon juice and 0.5 teaspoon mustard into a large bowl and mix. Add the other ingredients except for the eggs and a wedge of lemon and mix again.
- Add the green beans and penne and mix.
- Peel the eggs and cut them into pieces.
- Serve the pasta niçoise with the soft boiled egg parts and a piece of lemon. Add extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.