How difficult is it to boil an egg?

When I cook an egg at home, I do it by feel. Sometimes I start with cold water, other times I boil the water first and then put the egg in. After a while, I think: “Shit my egg” and then it’s hoping that it’s not too soft and just not too hard. We always called that Perfect Egg at home.

I don’t understand people who boil the egg until it’s completely blue. With a Niçoise salad it should indeed be a bit hard, but with a caesar salad I actually like it when the yolk drips when you cut it open. It can be completely runny for me if I want to dip a toasted slice of bread in it. Well, to each their own. When I throw an œuf in the water for someone else, I start timing, because seriously it’s an art to meet the desired hardness exactly.

This is how you boil an egg for someone else:

I put plenty of water on and bring it to a boil. I actually never add salt and vinegar or anything like that. A small prick in the bottom, I happen to have an egg pricker at home, but it can also be done with a needle. This ensures that the shell doesn’t crack too quickly.

When the water is boiling, you turn the heat down and put the eggs in the pan.

Below is a little chart for the number of minutes:

Soft-boiled                     3.5 minutes

Yolk soft/white hard     4.5 minutes

Yolk creamy/white hard    6  minutes

Hard-boiled                        8  minutes

Then letting the eggs cool is very important. Let ice-cold water run over the eggs for at least half a minute. This ensures that it doesn’t continue cooking and that you can peel the shell better. Okido, good luck!