How to make soft-boiled eggs

Soft-boiled eggs make a fantastic breakfast. This dish cooks quickly, tastes great when paired with toasted bread, and is packed with protein that keeps you energized throughout the day. You can easily make soft-boiled eggs by bringing water to a boil and letting the eggs cook in the boiling water. Alternatively, you can start with pre-boiled water to finish cooking the eggs to your preferred consistency. Once the eggs are cooked, enjoy them with toast, soy sauce, or your favorite breakfast meal.

Poke a small hole in the larger end of the egg. To prevent cracking and make peeling easier, gently poke the larger end of the egg. Use a pin or a flat-headed needle to make a small indentation at the wider end of the shell. Be careful not to poke too deeply, as it may cause the egg white to spill out.

• You can also use a round-tipped tool like a wooden pestle to poke the egg. Simply tap it at the larger end of the egg.

Add cold water to the egg pot. Place the eggs in a small pot and fill with enough cold water to cover the eggs by about 3cm.

• If you're boiling more than 4 eggs, it's better to use a larger pot or boil in batches. This way, you can quickly remove the eggs to avoid overcooking them.
• Usually, people use a saucepan to boil eggs, but if you don't have a stove, you can also use an electric kettle.

Turn off the heat once the water starts boiling. Turn the heat to medium-high and leave the lid off. Once the water starts to boil vigorously, turn off the heat and start timing right away.

• If you continue boiling the eggs at high heat, they may bounce around the pot and crack when they hit each other. That's why it's essential to turn off the heat (or simmer if starting with hot water).

Boil the eggs to your preferred consistency. You'll need to keep an eye on the timer since every minute matters when boiling eggs. Leave the eggs in hot water to achieve your desired consistency. Try boiling the eggs for:

• 2 minutes for runny yolks and soft whites.
• 4 minutes for slightly runny yolks, creamy and firm whites.
• 6 minutes for nearly firm yolks and fully cooked whites.
• 8 minutes for firm yolks and fully cooked whites.

Heat the water in the pot. Place the pot on the stove and add enough cold water to cover the eggs by 5-8 cm. Turn on the heat high to bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat slightly to allow the water to bubble gently.

• As it nears boiling, the water will start to bubble lightly, but it won’t form large bubbles across the surface.

Place the eggs in the pot. Gently place the eggs into a slotted spoon and slowly lower them into water just before boiling. If you're boiling several soft-boiled eggs, add them one by one into the pot. You can cook up to 4 eggs at once.

• If you plan to boil more than 4 soft-boiled eggs, it's best to do them in batches.

Simmer the eggs gently. Start timing so you can cook the eggs perfectly. If you're boiling just one or two eggs, follow the timing below. But if you're boiling 3 or 4 eggs, add an extra 30 seconds. Simmer the eggs for:

• 5 minutes for runny yolks with slightly firm whites.
• 6 minutes for slightly thick yolks with firm whites.
• 7 minutes for slightly firm yolks and fully set whites.

Serve the eggs in an egg cup. Use a slotted spoon or metal strainer to remove the soft-boiled eggs from the hot water. Place the eggs in an egg cup. You can place the larger end or the smaller end up. The egg cup will keep the eggs from rolling around, making it easier to eat.

• If you don’t have an egg cup, you can place the cooked eggs in a small cup, bowl, or teacup.

Tap to peel the egg shell. You can use a teaspoon to tap gently around the top of the egg. Use a spoon or a butter knife to cut and remove the top part of the shell. You can also tap the egg harder, but be careful as this may cause the shell to mix with the soft-boiled egg if you use too much force.

• You can also use specialized tools for peeling soft-boiled eggs, such as small scissors, a suction cup, a bottle opener, or a cigar cutter. These are designed to easily cut off the top part of the egg shell.

Enjoy soft-boiled eggs Malaysian style. Soft-boiled eggs with toast is a popular breakfast dish in Malaysia and Singapore. Crack the egg into a small cup to keep the yolk contained. The egg should have a runny yolk with still-soft whites. Drizzle some soy sauce over the egg and enjoy with toast.

• You can also sprinkle some white pepper on the eggs and pair it with toast spread with coconut jam.

Dip toast into soft-boiled eggs. Start by boiling the soft-boiled eggs in cold water. Let them simmer for exactly 4 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water. Place the eggs into an egg cup and peel them. Toast the bread and spread butter on it to dip into the soft-boiled egg.

• To make classic military-style toast, cut the toast into long strips. You can dip these strips into the egg yolk.

• For easier peeling, you can place the soft-boiled eggs into cold water after removing them from the hot water.
• If you add the eggs to cold water before boiling, the cooking time will reduce to just 4 minutes.

• Strainer spoon or metal skimmer
• Egg cup, optional
• Spoon and knife
• Small mold, optional
• Small pot
• Timer clock
• Thumbtacks or flathead nails