Eggs Enough and Time

[maggiethecat]

I'll t to remember to upload a pic of my eggcups tomorrow. (Lovely handle, violetfox.)

[Domestic Goddess]

Maggie - let me tell you that this article has lured me back to eGullet. Your endearing, funny post struck heartchords as I miss my dad (who's back in Manila) who makes the best soft boiled eggs ever. I like snotty eggwhites, I also like medium-soft egg whites. And I also recently discovered the joys of making toast soldiers.

One thing I do miss and still have not found here in Korea - eggcups or egg holders. What do I use instead? Korean soju shot glasses. LOL

Now I will confess that I will try the needle-pricking technique next time. I've got double-yolk eggs in the fridge and THAT would make for a sublime soft-boiled egg.

[Kouign Aman]

Maggie, what size eggs are you using? What temp is your fridge set to?

Loved the story. Love little touches like tossed, tossed, tossed - all that attention to detail in your writing .

We make one softboiled egg 5 days a week for more than a year now. I told the munchkin about my Gma making me eggs and soldiers. 2 yr old Munchkin was dubious but interactive food was a hit.

From fridge, slip into boiling water, acceptable (not perfect by a long shot) egg is 4 min. The eater will accept 4 min 15 sec. Any visible yolk firming is met with criticism "Daddy does this better, Mama. You should let Daddy do it.".

Daddy never boiled an egg in his life til Mama got the munchkin hooked on the e&s .

I prefer the eggs closer to 4:30. Dont like unset albumin. :shudder:

Eggs size Extra Large, Fridge at 35F.

[maggiethecat]

Thanks for your kind words -- they'll propel me through this crappy chunk of February Block.

Doddie -- you brought back some memories. My college flat was short on equipment, so what did I use for eggcups? Shot glasses! (Every student apartment has a few of those on the shelf.)

KA: I hang my head. I have no idea what temp my fridge is set to;indeed I can't find the thermostat! 34-35 sounds around right. My eggs are typically Large.

[violetfox]

Thanks, Maggie - the handle actually belonged to a distant relative, a real name.

One of my sets of eggcups was found on sale at Williams Sonoma, mostly nondescript but with fairly huge attached saucers, and in cute pastel colors (for spring, of course!). Now, with the approach of Easter, temptation will lurk everywhere I turn. I hope that I can resist, but I'm not sure. The original idea was "oh, I won't just use them for family Easter brunch, I can do all of those cool egg things that I have in cookbooks and impress EVERYONE!"

This has yet to happen a single time. I do use my eggcups, usually on Easter morning. I think that you have inspired me to use them more often. Thanks!

[qrn]

Interesting subject...

One comment I have is, all the timing is predicated on water boiling at 212º.

Here, depending on the current barometric pressure water boils at 202º Very few folks are at sea level

Pasta takes at least 20+minutes...

Bud

[maggiethecat]

Interesting subject...

One comment I have is, all the timing is predicated on water boiling at 212º.

Here, depending on the current barometric pressure water boils at 202º Very few folks are at sea level

Pasta takes at least 20+minutes...

Bud

←

That's a very excellent point, and perhaps the reason recipes for soft boiled eggs often suck eggs, or why my timing may not jive with yours.

[ChefCarey]

Interesting subject...

One comment I have is, all the timing is predicated on water boiling at 212º.

Here, depending on the current barometric pressure water boils at 202º Very few folks are at sea level

Pasta takes at least 20+minutes...

Bud

←

According to Greenpeace 70% of the world's population live on coastal plains and 11 of the world's 15 largest cities are on coasts or in estuaries.

Seems like sea level temps will work pretty good for most folks.

[andiesenji]

While searching through The Splendid Table How To Eat Supper I came across the mention of Herve This and his 65 degree egg. (Actually 149 degrees F.)

This intrigues me and I wonder if anyone else has tried the experiment but plan to try it myself tomorrow.

Method described here.

I'm not sure my oven will operate at that low a temp but one of my dehydrators should so I should have some results. I don't know how successful but it should be interesting. I do love eggs...

[maggiethecat]

While searching through  The Splendid Table  How To Eat Supper I came across the mention of Herve This and his 65 degree egg.  (Actually 149 degrees F.)

This intrigues me and I wonder if anyone else has tried the experiment but plan to try it myself tomorrow. 

Method described here.

I'm not sure my oven will operate at that low a temp but one of my dehydrators should so I should have some results.  I don't know how successful but it should be interesting.  I do love eggs...

←

Andie, that article gives me furiously to think. Like you, I'm up gor any new thinking about eggs.

[andiesenji]

While searching through  The Splendid Table  How To Eat Supper I came across the mention of Herve This and his 65 degree egg.  (Actually 149 degrees F.)

This intrigues me and I wonder if anyone else has tried the experiment but plan to try it myself tomorrow. 

Method described here.

I'm not sure my oven will operate at that low a temp but one of my dehydrators should so I should have some results.  I don't know how successful but it should be interesting.  I do love eggs...

←

Andie, that article gives me furiously to think. Like you, I'm up gor any new thinking about eggs.

←

I've prepared them at least three times since I posted this and every time they turned out beautifully.

I took the eggs out of the fridge the night before so they were at room temp when I began.

I set my Excalibur dehydrator at 155 degrees F., figuring that some heat is lost because of the open system, and used a thermometer on the center rack to keep track of the actual temp which varied between 145 and 150. Opening the front as little as possible because the temp did drop each time. I left them for 90 minutes and the whites were not fully sent but 100% opaque and the "skin" of the yolk did not collapse but the interior was the perfect consistency for me - the texture of extra thick cream.

[nickrey]

I must confess to a cheat when boiling eggs.

Simply slip the Burton egg-perfect egg timer in with the eggs in the water, watch it gradually change colour and take the eggs out when the indicator reaches the desired level of doneness.

Some of the reviews on Amazon talk about a plasticky taste in the eggs when using the product but I've never experienced this.

Someone also commented that it doesn't work at high altitudes so it may not suit if you live in the mountains.

[maggiethecat]

Andie: thanks for the update.

Nick: I've always wondered if those gizmos work How cool is it that they do, and like you, I can't believe the plasticy thing penetrates the shell. If I see one on sale somewhere I'll buy one. But do I really want less drama in my life?

Oh yeah, right!

[Kim Shook]

That was wonderful, Maggie! The funny thing is that I never saw this until today and my daughter and I had a discussion about soft boiled eggs YESTERDAY! She wanted to know how to do them and I told her the same thing that said - basically: I can cook lots of difficult things, but soft boiled eggs are one of the most challenging things that I've ever tried. I think that I see soft boiled eggs and soldiers for breakfast this weekend!

[Chocolatesa]

Thank you for this! You've convinced me that a soft-boiled egg is doable, and I can't remember having attempted doing this ever. I'm looking forward to one on hot buttered toast with white pepper and powdered fat-free chicken broth sprinkled on top! (I keep it in a shaker and use it on lots of savoury foods).

[Rover]

Back in the wilderness of my long-ago-childhood years in England, soft boiled eggs and toast soldiers were referred to as Nursery Tea. This evokes images of Peter Rabbit, being told to sit up straight and remarks about not having done a sufficiently good job of washing ones hands.

I think I feel the need for Nursery Tea for dinner this evening ...

Great article, Maggie - thank you.

Rover

[Lisa Shock]

I have owned one of the plastic egg devices for years, mine is marked Norpro brand, but it's the same thing. It works wonderfully well every time. I even took mine to culinary school and my instructor ran it through a barrage of tests when we were studying eggs. It worked every time. He liked it so much, I gave him one.

Some amazon reviews talk about a bad smell, I have never experienced that, nor have I had one fall apart.

[maggiethecat]

Back in the wilderness of my long-ago-childhood years in England, soft boiled eggs and toast soldiers were referred to as Nursery Tea.  This evokes images of Peter Rabbit, being told to sit up straight and remarks about not having done a sufficiently good job of washing ones hands.

I think I feel the need for Nursery Tea for dinner this evening ...

Great article, Maggie - thank you.

Rover

←

Rover, you're welcome. Although I'm Canadian, not British, my grandparents were from Lancashire and I know the glory of nursery tea (I have a Royal Doulton porringer , Bunnykins, which I use when I'm scooping out a couple of soft boiled eggs over toast points with much butter, salt and pepper.)

Perfect soft boiled eggs are eminently doable, but require timing and care. But oh, so plain and eggy and good. And cheap and somehow luxurious.

Kim et all, enjoy.

Edited July 25, 2009 by maggiethecat (log)

[Dave the Cook]

"Eggs Enough and Time" has been selected for inclusion in the anthology Best Food Writing 2009. Congratulations, Maggie!

This is the third year in a row that the Daily Gullet has placed articles in BFW, and the second time in three years for multiple inclusions. Read the official announcement here.

[racheld]

Well, it's about TIME!! The Voice To Be Reckoned With is finally recognized. I just hope she realizes how great a talent she has. And is.

Congratulations, Sweetpea!!

And to Daily Gullet for recognizing The Real Thing.

[jgm]

I just re-read this, after seeing it mentioned in the NewsGullet I received in e-mail this afternoon.

It's been a helluva week. Moving an office, which we've spent the past two weeks doing, has been the biggest pain in the arse I've had in recent memory. The entire week has been full of (what should have been) simple projects that turned into technological nightmares, and it'll take at least all of next week to iron them out. The way things have been going, I'll be lucky if I'm not dealing with them for several more weeks. To say I'm in a bitchy mood would be a compliment I don't deserve.

Then, Maggie, along comes your description of trying to find a song on a CD that will be the perfect length, and I realize someone understands, really understands, my frustration with the simple act of boiling an egg. It would take at least three glasses of wine to lift my spirits that much.

Life does have its moments. When I arrive home from work tonight, perhaps my husband won't secretly wish I'd worked late. We both are grateful to you, even if he doesn't know it.

Jenny

[maggiethecat]

jgm: You just made myday! Thanks so much for your lovely words. I feel 'ya about your job -- hope things get better soon!

Have that wine anyway!

[maggiethecat]

I'm back to midwinter soft boiled eggs, and with our push to have home made bread around all the time, we always have toast. I've forsaken my eggcups, and I'm scooping out the eggs over the nest of toast soldiers. Nursery food, sure, put pour on the butter and s and p and it's the cheapest, most satisfying lunch around. Dessert is one of Priscilla's home grown satsumas, which takes care of a lotta those food groups.

[Blether]

And your great eggs gave you a wonderful story, too. I missed this one till now, Maggie. You've prompted me (forgive me !) to fire up Winamp and use the media library to sort everything by length: at 5 minutes, I can let you have CCR Sweet Home Alabama, Bruce Springsteen The River or (5:01) Nirvana Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Somehow 5:30 works for me and I get a more esoteric choice between Elvis Costello Man Out of Time (5:29 and maybe his best - he apparently thinks so, or did at one point), Art Tatum and Ben Webster Night and Day, and (5:31) Styx Domo Arigato Mr, Roboto - which has to be just the thing.

"World Enough and Time..." - are you familiar with AD Hope's "Since you have world enough and time, sir, to admonish me in rhyme..." ?

[anm]

definitely an experiment I want to repeat .Thank you !

Brings back fond memories of eating soft boiled eggs with pepper for Cold ...A treat ..

Edited February 16, 2010 by anm (log)