{"title":"How to Soft Boil an Egg","canonicalUrl":"https://www.showmestepbystep.com/cooking/how-to-soft-boil-an-egg","category":{"slug":"cooking","name":"Cooking"},"creator":{"name":"SAM THE COOKING GUY","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbRj3Tcy1Zoz3rcf83nW5kw","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLLanAKtdm0"},"tldr":"Make foolproof soft-boiled eggs in 5 minutes flat. Rolling boil, 5-minute timer, ice bath, peel — runny yolks every time, plus toast soldiers for dipping.","totalDurationSeconds":453,"difficulty":"easy","tools":[],"materials":[],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Step 1: Get your equipment ready","text":"You'll need a small saucepan, a slotted spoon, an egg cup or small bowl to serve in, and a timer. Egg cups are the traditional way to serve a soft-boiled egg upright so you can crack the top and dip into the runny yolk.If you don't have egg cups, a shot glass works, or any small narrow vessel that holds the egg point-up. A ramekin works in a pinch."},{"number":2,"title":"Step 2: Bring water to a rolling boil","text":"Bring a saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Use enough water to cover the eggs by an inch.While the water heats, take your eggs out of the fridge and let them sit on the counter for a few minutes. Cold eggs straight from the fridge are more likely to crack when they hit boiling water. Room temperature eggs cook more evenly."},{"number":3,"title":"Step 3: Temper cold eggs","text":"If your eggs are still cold from the fridge, temper them by lowering each one into a cup of warm tap water for 30 seconds before they go in the boiling water.Tempering narrows the temperature gap and stops the shells from cracking. Skip this step if your eggs are already at room temperature."},{"number":4,"title":"Step 4: Lower eggs in and set timer for 5 minutes","text":"Lower the eggs into the boiling water with a slotted spoon. The instant the egg touches the water, start a timer for exactly 5 minutes.Five minutes is the sweet spot for soft-boiled - white set, yolk runny. Six minutes gives a slightly firmer jammy yolk. Seven gives a yolk that just holds its shape. Time is the only variable, so be precise."},{"number":5,"title":"Step 5: Remove eggs immediately","text":"When the timer hits zero, remove the eggs immediately and turn off the heat. Don't leave them in the hot water - they'll keep cooking from residual heat and overshoot to a rubbery yolk.If you want to stop the cook precisely, dunk briefly in cold water for 5 seconds, then transfer to the egg cup. The cold dip pauses the cook without making the egg cold to eat."},{"number":6,"title":"Step 6: Crack the top with a spoon","text":"Place the egg in the egg cup, pointed end up. Let it sit for 30 seconds to cool slightly so the shell is workable.Tap around the top of the egg with the back of a spoon to crack the shell about a third of the way down. Work all the way around so the shell breaks in a clean ring."},{"number":7,"title":"Step 7: Lift the cap and serve","text":"Slide the spoon under the cracked top and lift the cap off cleanly. Sprinkle salt and pepper into the runny yolk.Serve immediately with toast cut into thin strips - sometimes called soldiers - for dipping. Or with a slice of buttered bread on the side. The toast strip dips straight into the yolk and you eat the whole thing in five bites."}],"recipe":{"servings":"Serves 1-4","prepMinutes":2,"cookMinutes":6,"cuisine":null,"ingredients":[{"name":"eggs","notes":"ideally room temperature","amount":"1-4"},{"name":"water","amount":"enough to cover eggs by 1 inch"},{"name":"buttered toast","notes":"for dipping; optional"}]},"lastUpdated":"2026-05-20T13:36:11.400Z","published":"2026-05-04T00:26:13.002Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}