Eggs are one of those foods that are so versatile because there are so many ways to use them. They are the base for custards, leavening agent for baked goods, thickening agents as well as a nutritional meal.
Introduction
I decided to treat this blog assignment as a science experiment. My objective was to cook the perfect soft-boiled egg.
On my quest for cooking the perfect soft-boiled egg I decided to use my general knowledge from making hard-boiled eggs over the years. I also decided to use a cooking method suggested by one of my culinary lab instructor. He suggested placing the egg directly into a pot of boiling water rather than bringing it to a boil with cold.
After successfully achieving the perfect consistency I felt incomplete and decided to find another method. I stumbled on a YouTube clip of Alton Brown. I was immediately intrigued because he used an oven to achieve the consistency of a hard boil eggs. By using logic I hypothesized I could achieve the same texture of a soft-boiled egg in an oven if I adjusted the cooking time.
Method
Moist-Heat
Egg No1. Triangle
Egg No2. Square with a cross.
I placed a medium size pot on the stove with cold water with a tablespoon of salt. I gently placed egg no 1. When the water started to boil (2-3 minutes later) I placed egg no 2 into the same pot and let them both simmer for 3 minutes. I removed the pot from the heat and placed a lid on top to let the residual heat cook them for an additional 1.5 minutes. I then plunged them into an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
The results: Egg no 1 came out perfectly soft-boiled. Egg no 2 was undercooked. The white looked like it was beginning to gelatize and the yolk was very runny. I think if I had let egg no 2 simmer for an additional 2-3minutes it would’ve been perfect.
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Dry-Heat
Egg No1. Triangle
Egg No2. Square with a cross.
I preheated the oven to 350˚F for 10 minutes. I then placed egg no.1 in the middle of the rack. After 15 minutes I placed egg no 2. After an additional 15 minutes I removed the eggs and immediately placed them in an ice bath.
The results: Egg no 1 was cooked completely. Egg no 2 was the perfect consistency of what a soft-boiled egg should be.
Discussion
Would these methods work for 50 or 500 eggs?
I believe the moist heat method would work for both 50 and 500 eggs. What I would do is use a colander (or something similar) to plunge the eggs in a pot of boiling water rather than cold water and let them simmer for 6 minutes. I would start with boiling water because it would take a long time for the water to come to a boil if I started with cold.
With the dry heat method I believe it would work for 50 eggs. I don’t think it can work for 500 eggs because of limited space in an oven. Also if I needed 50 or 500 eggs at the same time cooking them in an oven would be time-consuming. Nevertheless it was a fun experiment.
Conclusion
Soft boiling an egg is a simple task but timing is key to avoid under or overcooking.
Shockingly this was my first time cooking and eating a soft-boiled egg . I enjoyed it with a sprinkle of salt and a slice of toast. It was yummy and it’s now a breakfast option.
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Alton Brown’s Oven Eggs <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1faC1B8WSI0>
My Culinary Journey 
Hi Latoya.. i would like to say that i really like your blog.. it is very interesting, full of pictures and attractive… i like your methods of cooking eggs.. they are new for me, and i did not really knew about that you can make soft boiled egg in the oven… i think with the oven technique you could keep it less time, and the first technique, you could make eggs cook separately- firstly one egg and then another, and look at the time- how long did you cook the egg which get cooked the way you wanted, and cook the other egg the same time
anyway, your blog is very interesting and creative, and full of new and interesting ideas
Lana
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Hello Svetlana. I tried to make it as creative as I possibly can. I sometimes lose focus when reading things in long paragraphs, especially online so I try to add colourful pictures to captivate the reader. I’m glad you appreciate my efforts :)!
Making soft boiled eggs in an oven was new to me until this assignment. I recently played around with the temperature and was able to cut it down to 7 minutes (instead of the 15) if I increased the temperature to 400˚F. I also roasted them longer at a lower temperature and they had a smokey taste.
The eggs have a tendency to explode in the oven so if you decide to try this just be careful.
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