On 2008-03-02, notbob > wrote:

> What's the deal with the famous "three minute egg"? I mean, how the heck
> can a real egg be soft-boiled in 3 mins? I've never cooked one for less
> than 4:30 secs and it still has a runny whites. Am I supposed to let it sit
> for a certain amount of time before cracking, like seen in old English
> movies where the egg is served in an egg cup and broken by some persnickety
> old barrister who chastises the maid for bringing an improperly cooked egg?
>
> I boiled two lrg eggs this morning, cooked a timed 4:30 secs for the both
> after the water was at boil, and waited 2 mins before cracking (lotsa
> retained heat). Still runny whites around the yolk. Dammit! What's the
> secret time to getting a soft-boiled egg with cooked whites and runny yolk.
> I'd settle for a little overcooked yolk on the outside if the whites were
> beyond the Afrin-required snot stage and there's still enough liquid yolk to
> paint funny faces on my pancake. Could it be soft-boiled eggs are
> traditionally supposed to include some runny white. What's the deal?

From Harold McGee's fantastic book, On Food and Cooking:

Cooking times for in-shell eggs are determined by the desired texture (they
also depend on egg size, starting temperature, and cooking temperature[...]

He describes "coddled" or soft-boiled eggs as:

[...] cooked 3 to 5 minutes, have a barely solid outer white, a milky inner
white, and a warm yolk, and are spooned from the shell.

He further describes "mollet" eggs as:

[...] cooked for 5 or 6 minutes, have a semi-liquid yolk but a sufficient
firm outer white that they can be peeled and served whole.

I sounds like you prefer a boiled egg like a "mollet" egg, or what Cooks.com
refers to as a "medium boiled egg":

BOILED EGGS

Bring eggs to room temperature before using. If the egg has been stored in
the refrigerator it can be warmed gently under a flowing hot tap.

Place sufficient water to cover the eggs in a saucepan and bring to a
gentle boil. Lower the eggs carefully into the water, using a tablespoon.
When the water reboils, start timing and reduce the heat so that the water
simmers gently.

Fast boiling makes the egg white tough and causes the egg to bang against
each other and crack. Timing boiled eggs depends on the size and degree of
hardness desired.

You should start timing the eggs from the moment the water first boils.

Soft-boiled (soft whites, soft yolks):
------------------------------------
Large size: 3 minutes 20 seconds.
Medium size: 3 minutes.
Small size: 2 minutes 40 seconds.

Medium-boiled (hard whites, soft yolks):
--------------------------------------
Large size: 4 minutes 15 seconds.
Medium size: 3 minutes 50 seconds.
Small size: 3 minutes 20 seconds.

Hard-boiled (hard whites, hard yolks):
-------------------------------------
Large size: 10 minutes.
Medium size: 8 minutes.
Small size: 7 minutes.

--
Clay Irving >
The imposition of stigma is the commonest form of violence used in
democratic societies.
- R. A. Pinker