Ingredient

Boiled eggs

The white and the yolk of an egg set at different temperatures, which is why the timing of a boiled egg is so precise and why the range from runny to hard is only about six minutes wide.

Why white and yolk behave differently

Egg white proteins begin setting at a lower temperature than yolk proteins. That is why you can have a firm white around a completely liquid yolk, and why the reverse is impossible by boiling.

It also means the egg is cooking from the outside in, so size, starting temperature and how vigorously the water moves all change the result. This is why egg timings vary so much between recipes — they are assuming different starting conditions.

For consistency, lower eggs straight from the fridge into water that is already at a rolling boil, turn it down to a steady simmer, and time from that moment. Doing it the same way every time matters more than which way you choose.

Timings for a medium egg from the fridge, lowered into boiling water

4 minutes

Very runny yolk, white only just set. For dipping.

6 minutes

Runny yolk, firm white. The classic soft-boiled egg.

7 minutes

Jammy — a yolk that is set at the edge and molten in the middle. Best for ramen and salads.

9 minutes

Almost fully set, still bright and slightly fudgy in the centre.

11–12 minutes

Hard boiled. Any longer and you get a green ring and a chalky yolk.

Large eggs

Add roughly 30–60 seconds. Small eggs, subtract the same.

Peeling

Peelability is mostly about the age of the egg, not the technique.

• Very fresh eggs are hard to peel. The membrane clings to the white, and no trick fully overcomes it. Use eggs at least a week old for peeling.
• Cool them fast in iced water. The white contracts away from the shell, and it also stops the cooking dead.
• Crack the shell all over, then peel starting from the fat end, where the air pocket is.
• Peeling under running water or in a bowl of water helps considerably.
• Steaming instead of boiling makes eggs noticeably easier to peel, and is worth doing when it matters.

What goes wrong

• Green-grey ring round the yolk — overcooked. Iron in the yolk reacting with sulphur from the white. Harmless, slightly sulphurous, and entirely avoidable by cooking less and cooling fast.
• Cracked in the pan — lowered in too fast, or a very cold egg into very hot water. Lower gently with a spoon, or pierce the fat end with a pin.
• Rubbery white — overcooked.
• Yolk off-centre — normal. Stirring the water in the first minute helps if it bothers you.
• Impossible to peel — the egg is too fresh. Nothing to be done except use older eggs.

Common questions