Soft Boiled Eggs No. 2

A one-line method that depends entirely on how fast your stove heats water, which is why it needs a little translating. The cold-water start produces a very loosely set egg: white barely opaque, yolk still liquid.

• What "as soon as the water boils" actually gives youOn a modern high-output burner the water may reach a boil in roughly 5 to 8 minutes, and an egg pulled at that moment will generally have a just-set white and a runny yolk. On a slow burner or in a heavy pan the same instruction can run considerably longer and produce a firmer yolk. Judge by the egg, not the clock: if you want reliability, drop eggs into already-boiling water and count 6 minutes.
• Use a small pan"Water to cover" means barely covering. A wide pan holds more water, takes longer to boil, and overcooks the egg before the surface ever breaks.
• Egg size has changedHousehold eggs in this period were generally smaller and less standardised than today's graded eggs; a US large egg runs about 2 oz. A jumbo egg will need something like 30 to 45 seconds more than a large one by any of these methods.
• Cold eggs from the refrigeratorThe original assumes eggs stored at room or larder temperature. Straight from a modern refrigerator they need about a minute longer if you are timing them in already-boiling water, and the cold-start method suits them well because there is no thermal shock to crack the shell.
• Stop the cookingRetained heat keeps working after the egg leaves the pan. Lift it out with a spoon and either serve at once or run it under cold water for 15 seconds if you want the yolk to stay fluid.
• AltitudeWater boils below 212F at any elevation above sea level, and above about 3,000 feet (roughly 206F) the difference is enough that the egg will be noticeably underdone at the same moment of boiling. Switch to timed cooking in boiling water and add a minute or two.
• Yield and servingReckon one or two eggs a person. Soft-boiled eggs of this period were commonly sent to table upright in egg cups with the top struck off, or broken into a warm cup with butter, salt and pepper.
• A note on runny yolksA yolk this soft does not reach a pasteurising temperature. Anyone pregnant, very young, elderly or immune-compromised should use pasteurised-in-shell eggs or cook them through.