Quick story: I once studied abroad in Lyon, France. And lived with a host family. One time we had soft-boiled eggs, and since it was my first time having one, they taught me how to eat one properly. According to them, it’s kiiind of a mark of distinction to know how to do it. So basically, when a girl has a boy over for dinner, her family should purposely serve soft-boiled eggs. Just to test him.
Ha, anyhow, no worries if you’ve never had a soft-boiled egg before. I gotchu!
How to Cook Soft-Boiled Eggs
Set a pot of water on the stove and add a little salt. Bring the water to a boil.
Slowly drop in the eggs with a ladle. Turn the heat down to low.
Let the eggs boil uncovered for 6–7 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast some bread, if you like. Buttered strips of toast, sometimes called “soldiers” in the soft-boiled egg context, taste excellent when dipped into a nice, warm soft-boiled egg.
Once 6 or 7 minutes has passed, carefully lift the eggs out of the water with a ladle and zap them with some cold water.
A good soft-boiled egg has a fully cooked white and a golden, runny yolk.
How to Eat Soft-Boiled Eggs (the Fancy Way)
First, do you have your “soldiers” ready? Ok, good.
You’ll need two utensils: an egg cup and a little spoon. If you don’t have an egg cup, try improvising. I’ve found that both napkin rings and the-jewelry-kind-of rings work well.
Set the egg in the egg cup and, with your spoon, tap a circle around the top of the egg to create a “crown” that you can take off. Make sure it’s big enough for you to dip your bread and spoon into.
Take the crown off, and enjoy your egg. You can spoon bits of egg out and eat it that way, or feel free to dip your soldiers into the runny yolk.
…or you can just lay the egg on your plate, chop it in half, and eat it that way.
Some people who do this remove the shell first. And add salt and pepper and such.
Ta for now.
Love, Maurine
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