seven-minute egg

March 27, 2015

Just a quick pop-in to tell you about an egg.

That’s right. An egg.

But not just any egg. This, my friends, is the seven-minute egg.

I’ve heard about boiling eggs so that the yolk is still runny, but it seemed over-the-top. Want a runny egg? Just crack it in a skillet and fry it. Big whoop.

But then I read Molly’s article. As usual, her words were beguiling, her methods seductive. So I made the egg.

Everything proceeded just fine until I peeled it. The egg felt soft—squishy soft—in my hand. Like there was a big puddle of liquid inside, oh dear. Anticipatorially (new word!) anguished, I plopped the for-sure underdone egg into a bowl and hastily sliced it open and—

I froze.

The white was solid.
The yolk was velvety soft, like a thick, creamy sauce.
The egg was perfect.
Perfect!

Elated, I snapped a few pictures and then dug in, dipping my buttered toast into the cheesy yolk and, at the all-too-soon end, raking the crust over the bottom of the bowl to dredge up every last smear of egg.

Seven-Minute Egg
As per Molly Wizenberg’s instructions on Saveur (via this post on Orangette).

Fill a saucepan with enough water to cover an egg and bring it to a boil. Slip the egg, still cold from the fridge, into the bubbling water and set the timer for 7 minutes. (I reduced the heat a tad—just enough to keep the water boiling, but not madly boiling—and kept the saucepan partially covered.) When the timer bings, quickly cool the egg in cold water. Peel the egg and serve immediately. 

Cooked eggs can be chilled and then later reheated for 20 seconds in the microwave. 

Serve the seven-minute egg on toast, roasted veggies, spaghetti carbonara, beans, quesadillas, sauteed greens, polenta, fried potatoes, etc. In other words, anything.

This same time, years previous: our oaf, the visit, a spat, and brandied-bacony roast chicken.

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10 Comments

  • sassygirl711

    March 31, 2015 at 3:39 pm Reply

    yummy breakfast! does the cooking time change for…3 eggs in the pot simultaneously? 2 for my husband/1 for me.
    thanks…
    deb 🙂

    • Jennifer Jo

      March 31, 2015 at 3:52 pm Reply

      I did this very thing the other morning—cooking all three eggs for the seven minutes. They turned out great. Just make sure you have enough water to cover them and that the water boils happily the whole time.

  • Margo

    March 29, 2015 at 5:33 pm Reply

    I am extremely impressed with your dark orange yolk! And your gorgeous photos.

    I adore eggs boiled eggs this way, but I do them a little differently. I put them in a steamer over a few centimeters of cold water and when the water comes to a boil, I time it for 8 minutes. Less water to come to a boil means less time to wait! And the peeling is a snap, even for fresh eggs.

    • Rebecca

      March 28, 2015 at 11:58 am Reply

      The only way I eat 'em is runny. But just make sure your eggs are from, as the cookbooks say, "a reputable source". No nasty confinement unit eggs, please.

  • Anonymous

    March 28, 2015 at 2:12 am Reply

    My mom used to make eggs like this for us all the time growing up. She would crack the top of the shell off and give us little spoons to eat them with. Thanks for your great posts Jennifer.

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