# Soft boiled egg **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 3, 2003, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-boiled-egg/211125 "2003-11-03T08:41:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hydrocortisone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e19b73/32.png) [@Hydrocortisone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hydrocortisone)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-boiled-egg/211125/1 "2003-11-03T08:41:32Z")
What is a soft boiled egg? Is it as safe to eat as a hard boiled egg? Is it basically an under-cooked hard boiled egg? [http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,161,150171-254201,00.html](http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,161,150171-254201,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-boiled-egg/211125/2 "2003-11-03T08:58:23Z")
It is an egg cooked in boiling water for between four and five minutes. It is eaten hot , straight from the water , with bread and butter. You can get egg cups to hold them while you slice the top off , sprinkle with a little salt, then eat with a tea-spoon or dip your bread into the soft yolk . Usually they are eaten for breakfast here in the UK. Yes they are safe because they are cooked in the boiling water. ---
**Author:** ![Hydrocortisone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e19b73/32.png) [@Hydrocortisone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hydrocortisone)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-boiled-egg/211125/3 "2003-11-03T09:00:52Z")
Is the yolk still runny? ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-boiled-egg/211125/4 "2003-11-03T09:01:16Z")
I have just read the link you included that says to boil the egg for twenty minutes. You will not get a soft boiled egg that way . It will be rock hard. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-boiled-egg/211125/5 "2003-11-03T09:10:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hydrocortisone \* > \*\*Is the yolk still runny? \*\* Yes the yolk is runny , hence dipping your bread into it. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-boiled-egg/211125/6 "2003-11-03T10:30:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rayne Man \* > \*\*I have just read the link you included that says to boil the egg for twenty minutes. You will not get a soft boiled egg that way . It will be rock hard. \*\* …Unless it is an ostrich egg, in which case it would still be quite runny. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-boiled-egg/211125/7 "2003-11-03T10:51:09Z")
How can someone not know what a soft-boiled egg is? I don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-boiled-egg/211125/8 "2003-11-03T11:19:50Z")
Lower the eggs carefully into boiling water using a spoon and allow to boil for 3 1/2 minutes. If your fridge is very cold remove them a little time before. Serve immediately as they continue cooking in their own heat. Or, this is the way I do it: Put cold eggs in cold water on the stove, turn burner to high. At first bubble of boil, turn the burner off. Leave the pan on the burner and let eggs sit in the water for 5 minutes. Yummy soft boiled eggs. ---
**Author:** ![keithnmick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90db22/32.png) [@keithnmick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keithnmick)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-boiled-egg/211125/9 "2003-11-03T13:39:54Z")
I had to look around for a while in the US to find eegcups for eating soft boiled eggs. I did find them though, just not in Kmart or Bed Bath and Beyond (williams sonoma had them). Where I come from - Oop north in England - we have our soft boiled eggs with buttered toast cut into strips and called “soldiers”, and salt and pepper. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soft-boiled-egg/211125/10 "2003-11-03T13:45:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ccwaterback \* > \*\*Lower the eggs carefully into boiling water using a spoon and allow to boil for 3 1/2 minutes. If your fridge is very cold remove them a little time before. Serve immediately as they continue cooking in their own heat. > > Or, this is the way I do it: > > Put cold eggs in cold water on the stove, turn burner to high. At first bubble of boil, turn the burner off. Leave the pan on the burner and let eggs sit in the water for 5 minutes. Yummy soft boiled eggs. \*\* Or alternatively boil the water first. Pop in the eggs. boil for 6 minutes. Yummm you can’t beat egg and soldiers. Oh and eggs in the fridge makes for eggs that pop in the water!