Let’s Boil Some Eggs!

“Probably one of the most private things in the world is an egg until it is broken” – MFK Fisher

During my fourth and final year of university at UofT I was lucky enough to be a part of a seminar class based on the intersection between food and literature. The class was called “Cook the Books” and was quite unique as it included a cooking component, where we worked together in groups to prepare a menu based on our readings, and worked with Chef Joshna in the Hart House kitchen to prepare this meal for our entire class. It was through this class that I first became familiar with the work of MFK Fisher by reading her book based on the creation of wartime meals entitled “How to Cook a Wolf”. This excellently crafted mix of storytelling and practical instruction left a big impression on me in terms of the role of the food writer to inspire both the imagination and the appetite. Fisher dedicates an entire chapter to egg cookery, or as she calls it, “How not to boil an egg”. She discusses two different techniques for hard boiled eggs, one that I am familiar with and use often, and another I have never tried before. I wanted to explore her two strategies and see if I could adapt them to produce the perfect soft boiled egg.

For the first technique, MFK Fisher explains:

“Cover the egg with cold water in a little pan. Heat it briskly, and as soon as it begins to bubble, the egg is done. It will be tenderer than when started in hot water, which of course makes the part nearest the shell cook immediately, instead of heating the whole thing gently”.

Since reading this book a few years ago, this is the technique I have since adapted when making hard boiled eggs: bringing the water to a boil followed by taking it off the temperature and allowing the water to cool to room temperature. Perfect hard boiled eggs every time! For this egg-speriment (I’m sorry), I wanted to try both techniques with three eggs each. For this method I would remove the first egg as soon as the water reached a boil, the second at the 3 minute mark, and the third at 5 minutes.

To begin, I used a large pot filled with 6 cups of water, a teaspoon of salt, and a teaspoon of rice wine vinegar just to add seasoning. I placed the eggs into the water straight from the refrigerator, put the pot on to high heat, and waited for it to come to a boil.

In the meantime, I prepared my ice bath, and as a boil was achieved, off went the pot from the burner and in went the first egg into the ice cold water. I continued this process for the 3 and 5 minute eggs. As soon as the eggs were cool to the touch I began to peel them in a bowl of cold water. This proved to be quite a difficult process! The first egg was so soft and the shell was so difficult to remove that it broke open while still in the water! The yolk was soft and runny, but so was the white. Obviously, straight from the boiling water did not produce the best result. The 3 minute egg was also very difficult to peel but had a nice creamy yolk, while the 5 minute egg was the easiest to peel and its yolk was slightly more solidified. I think I had such difficulty peeling my eggs because they were too fresh, having bought them from the grocery store just two days prior.

MFK Fisher describes the second technique:

“[Another] fairly good way is to drop the egg gently into simmering water, first running cold water over it so that it will not crack, and then letting it stand there in the gentle heat for whatever time you wish. It will cook just as fast as if the water were hopping about in great bubbles, and it will be a better-treated egg, once opened”.

I have never tried merely simmering the eggs before. I have tried the crazy high rolling boil technique however, and I usually end up with over cooked, sulfur green yolks. Yuck! Using the water that I had previously boiled, I brought it up to a simmer, gently placed in my three eggs and set my timer for 7 minutes. I removed an egg at the 3, 5, and 7 minute mark, placing each in the water bath before proceeding to peel away.

Once again, the 3 minute egg was impossible to peel! Maybe if I were to simply serve it in an egg cup with the top cracked off it would be acceptable, but peeled? Not happening. For the 5 minute egg, peeling went well, and, wow! Perfect! The white was completely cooked, although still tender, and the yolk was just beautifully runny and silky smooth. At the 7 minute mark, the yolk had already begun to solidify a bit beyond the point of soft boiled, although it was still a mighty fine egg. I believe this technique could be used for larger quantities of eggs as the water is simmering gently and not knocking them around too much. However, it still might be best to simmer the eggs in batches so to reduce the risk of breakage.

So, my verdict for the optimal soft boiled egg? Bring seasoned water up to a gentle simmer and cook your eggs for 5 minutes. The result: a perfectly gooey center. Thanks MFK Fisher, you really know your eggs.