1,478 easy and fully explained recipes, with +66K photos and 78 videos

The perfect boiled egg

Making boiled eggs is always a delight and it pleases the young and old alike. This little transgenerational side puts them on the list of "things to do on Sunday evening when you don't know what to do" in many families (including mine)...

That said, it's not that simple, you have to pay attention to several details, which if not respected could (a little) spoil the moment.

14 K 4.7/5 (28 reviews)

Keywords for this post:Cooking Egg Tip

Last modified on: January 30^th 2021

For this post: Comment Follow Send to a friend

The perfect boiled egg

What is a "perfect" boiled egg?

It's very subjective of course, but let's try to list what's important:
- Its shell is whole, not cracked or split
- It is impeccably cooked: the white is set, completely, but not the yolk, which has remained liquid (otherwise it is a soft-boiled egg, or even hard-boiled)
- When you cut the cap (the top) you don't put small pieces of shell in the egg
- It is served with "mouillettes", an essential French concept, which deserves a real good bread

That's it, now let's see how to try to get as close as possible to this noble goal.

How to do it ?

A big effort on the cooking, you will have understood, and for that you must absolutely respect the basic rules of cooking eggs in water:

1) If possible, use fresh, quality eggs, and take them out of the fridge, if they are there (which is not necessary), at least 1 hour beforehand, so that they come back to room temperature, otherwise the cooking time becomes random
2) Everyone goes to the table at the beginning of the cooking, boiled eggs don't wait
3) We pierce the base of the egg shell with a needle or a nail, to burst the air pocket that is there, so the shell does not crack during cooking

percer la poche d'air d'un oeuf

4) Do not salt or vinegar the cooking water, it is useless
5) Put the eggs gently into the boiling water with a soup spoon
6) Cook for exactly 3 minutes, not less, and from the moment the water comes back to the boil, which means you don't have to worry about the number of eggs in the pan

That's it, most of the work is done. You put your eggs in egg cups and then directly to the table.

The tasting

Cutting

Classically, we cut the top of the egg with a knife by tapping and turning all around, gesture not very practical. If your family is a "big" consumer of boiled eggs, you can consider buying a "toc-oeuf" or "toqueur", it is a small, simple and not very expensive utensil, with a small spring and a weight that makes in 1 second an almost perfect cut of an egg cap, it is what all restaurants use.
If you have young children, or grandchildren, you will surely look like a magician to them, when they first use this tool.

toc-oeuf ou tocqueur

The "mouillettes"

There is no boiled egg worthy of the name without "mouillettes", i.e. small sticks of bread that you dip in the yolk to taste it, it is all the delight of boiled eggs.
The mouillettes deserve a special treatment, it would be a shame to just take a slice of bread cut into sticks (although... in case of a big laziness).

oeuf coque et mouillettes

Instead, I suggest you bet on a good traditional baguette (trust your baker), no need for it to be fresh, a leftover from the day before will do just fine, and you could :
1) Cut a piece of baguette 7 or 8 cm long, depending on the age of your guests
2) Cut this piece in 2 in the height and put them in the toaster
3) Cut each piece into sticks and spread with a little butter
4) Taste...

You can also decorate the mouillettes by putting on top, rather in thin slices, a little ham, salmon, cheese, etc. according to your taste.

Obviously, all this may seem a little complicated, a little long, but not so much, and you will see that in time, you will do it naturally without really making an effort.

In summary: Take particular care with the cooking, use a toc-egg if necessary, and make beautiful and good mussels.

Lasts posts

Travel cakes

You may have come across the term "travel cakes" ("gateaux de voyage" in french) for certain pastries, so let's take a look at what they're all about.
January 27^th 20252,218

The aromatic power of sugar

In the kitchen, sugar doesn't just sweeten, it also has an exceptional ability to capture flavors. Combined with aromatic ingredients, such as citrus zest, it acts as a veritable sponge for aromas. By taking the time to let the sugar soak up the flavors, you can transform your desserts, making...
December 25^th 20242,5545

The little trap of thick cream

When you need to add cream to a recipe, you might be wondering: thick (heavy) cream or liquid cream? In most cases, there's no big difference: you can use either. But there is one exception, and that's when the cream needs to be cooked, for a sauce for example, and here the difference between...
December 13^th 20243,1195

Sauce and salad: When and how to mix them?

When dressing a salad, there's a kind of golden rule: add the dressing very shortly before serving, especially if your salad contains crunchy elements such as croutons or fresh vegetables, which will retain their crunchiness or crispiness. But, as is often the case in the kitchen, there are...
November 29^th 20243,2825

No need to boil gelatin

Gelatin is a magical ingredient for making light, creamy, structured desserts, yet it's often misused in the kitchen. A common mistake in some recipes is the idea that it needs to be boiled for it to work properly, but this is a mistake indeed: gelatin melts at a much lower temperature, around...
November 21^th 20243,1835

See all posts Random post RSS feeds

Other pages you may also like

What is the difference between bakery and patisserie?

This is a question that you may well have asked yourself and which I will attempt to answer. In France the two trades of "boulangerie" (bakery) and "pâtisserie" (patisserie and confectionery) have always been quite distinct, but where exactly do the boundaries lie? .
February 7^th 2017126 K 14.1

A few tips for effective kneading at home

When you have to knead dough for bread or some other recipe, you may well use a food processor or the type of machine known as a stand mixer. The best-known brands are Kenwood and KitchenAid. They are useful tools, but here are a few tips to help you get the best out of them.
June 23^th 2021275 K 23.7

The so-called "nervous" meats

You've probably heard this before, we're talking about "nervous" meat, or meat with nerves, to describe what is indicated by the blue arrow on the left. This is a piece of beef, and what we call a nerve is not a nerve, it is in fact collagen (chemists sometimes call it a "collagen sink"), a...
April 16^th 202129 K4.5

Candied fruits: don't get ripped off

Do you like candied fruit? You might like to nibble a handful or add it to a recipe, like a classic fruit cake or delicious Italian specialities like panettone or sicilian epiphany pie.
June 21^th 201761 K 24.2

Fruits which can ruin your jelly

There are many ways of making a fruit mousse, but one of the simplest is to prepare a fruit jelly (basically a fresh fruit coulis with gelatine) and then mix this jelly before it sets completely with whipped cream. The result is perfect for filling a charlotte, for example. But do beware;...
March 6^th 201373 K4.0