The Simple Hack For Perfect Soft-Boiled Eggs

There are two steps you need to execute in order to enjoy soft-boiled eggs, which are the perfect addition to a bowl of slurpy ramen or the main ingredient in a luxuriously soft egg salad. The first is to boil them to perfection, so the yolks are golden and jammy. The second is the more difficult of the two: peeling them so that they're not a craggy mess. 

If you've struggled to peel soft-boiled eggs before, you know what we're talking about. It's like peeling a hard-boiled egg, but a far more difficult and delicate task because the white is less firm. Thankfully, Food Republic spoke with Lindsay Chastain, founder of The Waddle and Cluck and expert on all things eggs, and she had a simple hack to share: Slightly crack the egg shell before depositing the just-boiled eggs in an ice bath.

"It allows the water to creep in between the shell and membrane and the white of the egg," she explained. The slight water assist, according to Chastain, actually gets between the membrane and the shell, which is what creates the difficulty in the first place. She was quick to point out that only a very small crack is needed. "Any more[,] and the water can damage the egg white and make it start to ooze," she cautioned.

Lindsay Chastain commiserated with us on the difficulties of peeling eggs, sharing that fresher eggs are actually even more tough to shuck from their shells than older ones. However, an essential component that helps make the task a lot easier, particularly where soft-boiled eggs are concerned, is the aforementioned ice bath. It's a must-do, not just because it aids in peeling, but it also "immediately cool[s] down the eggs," which is necessary for achieving that jammy yolk. The small cracks in the eggs can help the coldness of the ice reach the inside of the egg even faster.

Unlike hard-boiled eggs, which are a bit more flexible when it comes to sitting at room temperature after cooking, soft-boiled eggs will continue to cook as they sit, Chastain explained. An ice bath, which is also the key to making crispier salads, will stop the carryover cooking process, so the yolks stay nice and soft. After draining them from the boiling water (which is an important step; you don't want to dump the hot water into the ice bath), give each one a small crack and place immediately into a big bowl or pot filled with ice water. Let them sit for as little as 1 minute and as many as 15 minutes. Then, watch as the shells glide off, revealing the soft whites that encapsulate your still-luscious yolk.