Eggs in a glass: five minutes, and a second either way
The breakfast of old European hotels and cafes, with nowhere to hide: two eggs in a glass, butter, chives. Everything rests on one number — the boiling time. Five minutes gives a running yolk and barely set white, six a creamy yolk, seven a yolk that is almost set — too firm for eggs in a glass. The second trick is iced water straight afterwards, which stops the cooking quickly.
Your own work in that: 16 min.
- Boiling 10 min
- Iced water 1 min
- Serving 5 min
Step by step
0 / 5 doneBoil the water and prepare ice
Bring salted water to the boil in a pan wide enough for the eggs to sit in one layer. The salt does not affect the taste but helps escaping white set faster if a shell cracks. Set a bowl of cold water with a few ice cubes beside the hob.
Ingredients: 4 pcs eggs · 1500 ml water · 1 tsp salt
Lower the eggs and time from the return to the boil
Lower the eggs in on a slotted spoon, one at a time, so they don't crack on the base. Reduce the heat to a gentle bubble and start the timer only when the water returns to the boil: 5 minutes for a running yolk, 6 minutes for creamy.
TipLarge eggs need 30 seconds more, extra large up to a minute. The times are for fridge-cold eggs; eggs at room temperature need 30 seconds less.
The timer starts when it boils againStraight into iced water
At the signal, move the eggs immediately into the iced water for 1 minute — enough to stop the cooking and let you handle them, while the inside stays warm. Without it the egg goes on cooking in its hot shell and a running yolk quickly thickens.
TipQuick chilling also makes peeling easier: the white contracts and comes away from the membrane more readily.
Straight into ice, one minuteSpoon them into a glass
Tap the egg around its middle with the back of a knife, turning it as you go. Split it in half and scoop the contents into a wide glass or bowl with a teaspoon, taking what clings to the shell too.
Tapped around the middle, scooped outSeason and serve
Drop a piece of cold butter into the hot eggs and stir until it melts — the butter is a seasoning here, not a garnish. Add chives, salt and pepper. Serve at once, with toast cut into strips for dipping.
Ingredients: 20 g butter · 1 tbsp chives · 1 pinch salt · 1 pinch freshly ground pepper · 2 pcs bread for toast
Butter into hot eggs, then the chives
Before you start
In the shell, in an egg cup
The same technique, served in a cup with the top of the shell sliced off. Strips of toast for dipping; in England they are called soldiers.
Why they crack
A cold egg dropped into boiling water cracks from the sudden change in temperature. What helps most is lowering it in gently on a spoon and keeping the water at a calm rather than rolling boil; pricking the blunt end with a pin is an old household trick that sometimes helps too.
Additions
A spoon of cream, grated parmesan, a few drops of Worcestershire sauce, or smoked salmon. Add anything after the butter so the eggs don't cool.
Hard-boiled
The same method timed at 9 minutes gives a hard-boiled egg with a yolk still orange and no grey ring. That ring is the sign of an egg boiled too long.
