Boiled Eggs
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash the eggs thoroughly and place them in lukewarm water for 5 minutes.
Bring a saucepan of water to a rapid boil, enough to cover the eggs completely.
Boil and serve
Gently lower each egg into the boiling water using a spoon.
Boil for 5 minutes for a firm white and heated yolk, or 10 minutes for hard-boiled eggs.
Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon or wire whisk.
If you don't have an egg dish, place a heated napkin in a bowl, nest the eggs inside, and cover with the napkin.
Serve immediately to prevent the eggs from hardening in their shells.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Whites set and yolks firm up as the proteins coagulate with heat.
The step that matters
Boil for the right time. Egg proteins set progressively with heat, so the difference between 5 and 10 minutes decides whether the yolk stays soft and runny or becomes fully firm. Timing from the moment the water returns to a boil keeps the result consistent.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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