The most basic egg recipe there is, and the one most worth getting exactly right -- the difference between soft, jammy and hard is only a couple of minutes either way.
Ingredients
- As many eggs as you need, straight from the fridge
- Water
- A pinch of salt or splash of vinegar (optional -- helps a little if a shell cracks)
Method
- Bring a pan of water to the boil -- enough to fully cover the eggs.
- Lower the eggs in gently on a spoon and start timing once the water returns to the boil.
- Soft-boiled (runny yolk): 6 minutes. Jammy (set white, soft yolk): 8 minutes. Hard-boiled: 10–12 minutes.
- Lift out and drop straight into a bowl of cold or iced water for a couple of minutes -- this stops the cooking and makes hard-boiled eggs easier to peel.
- Tap and roll gently on a hard surface to crack the shell all over, then peel under a little running water.
Peeling tip: eggs that are a few days old tend to peel more cleanly than very fresh ones -- as an egg ages, the air pocket inside grows slightly, which helps the shell separate from the white. More on that in our storage & freshness guide.
Related reading
A boiled egg is also the starting point for devilled eggs and Scotch eggs. See all egg recipes.