boiled egg : eggs (typically chicken eggs) cooked by immersion in boiling water with their shells unbroken. (Wikipedia)
There’s an art to boiling the perfect egg and once you get the timing down pat, it’ll be a breeze. The key to boiling any egg regardless of the wellness of the egg is timing, hence there is a purpose to all the cute little egg timers you see in kitchen stores besides looks.
Soft-boiled eggs
Eggs
The trouble with soft boiled eggs is that many people boil the eggs too long, resulting in a hard boiled egg that is hard to peel, grey coloring around the yolk and dry. Soft-boiled eggs entails having the yolk solidify with the yolk runny. To achieve a soft boiled egg, you must first let it sit out at room temperature prior to boiling. This prevents the egg from cracking under the change in temperature. Usually 20 minutes is suffice or you can always run the egg under warm water. Don’t use too fresh of an egg as they will be difficult to peel. Next using a small pot that is big enough to fit the number of eggs you are boiling, add enough water so it just covers the entire egg. The smaller the pot the better as it leaves less room for the eggs to bounce around and hit each other and the sides of the pot. Bring the water to a boil and gently lower the egg into the water using a slotted spoon or something similar. For large eggs, boil the eggs 4 minutes for a runny yolk and 3 minutes for a medium sized egg. Once the time is up, remove the egg from the boiling water and run it under cold water to stop the cooking process. As the yolk will be runny you will want to place the egg in an egg cup holder and then tap the egg with your spoon to crack it open or slice off the top with a knife.
Hard-boiled eggs Just like soft-boiled eggs, you want to start with eggs that are at room temperature. However, the difference with hard-boiled eggs is that you can add the eggs at the start of the process when the water is cold. Once the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover with a lid. Let the egg simmer between 10-12 minutes. When the time is up, run the egg under cold water as this will help make peeling the egg easier as it creates steam between the shell and the egg due to the temperature difference.
Buscemi's 