Cooking Eggs: Soft-Cooked to Hard-Boiled

“Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.” ― Julia Child

How true those words are.  In 2010, when I left my job in film production to explore other opportunities, I was given a card by a coworker with this quote.  These words now dangle over my desk at home and whenever I find myself questioning what I’m doing with my career, I take solace in Julia’s sentiments. I am passionate about photography.  When I pick up my camera and focus on an ingredient or a family or a couple about to get married, this is when I feel like I’m in my element.

Being passionate about something is not always easy. But that’s what elevates it from being merely a hobby. It’s supposed to challenge us and force us to grow.  When you’re passionate about something, you endure such struggles because you stand behind what you’re creating.

Julia Child, who would have turned 100 on August 15th, was relentless when it came to her work in the kitchen. Watching videos of Julia and reading her cookbooks it becomes clear just how passionate she was. No falter or mistake would stop her.  And that’s something we should all live by, especially when it comes to our work. Be passionate, stay interested… and don’t let anything or anyone stop you from pursuing your dream.

I thought an egg recipe would be a great way to celebrate Julia’s birthday.  She enjoyed the simple pleasure of preparing and consuming them and I’ve learned a lot from studying her cooking methods.  She liked to promote their elegance and decadence, but her goal was always to cook them to perfection and to treat them delicately.

One of the most basic and delightful ways of preparing eggs is by boiling them.  And by “basic” I do not mean easy.  You should’ve seen how many I went through just to photograph this post.

There are factors that may effect the cooking time:

1. The temperature of the eggs:  If they are at room temp, it will take less time to cook them through.  The times below are for eggs that are coming directly out of the refrigerator.

2. The density of the shell:  I’ve found that a lot of the farm-fresh, free-range organic eggs that I come across have thin shells.   This can produce over cooked eggs if left in too long.

But, for the most part, these directions should work for most eggs:

The process of boiling an egg, whether you want it soft-boiled or hard-boiled, is the same.  Place the eggs in a pot and fill it with water until it covers the eggs by one inch.  Set over a high heat and bring to a boil.  Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for the designated time based on the consistency you are looking to acheive:

Soft-boiled eggs: A soft-boiled egg has a cooked, slightly firm white and a runny yolk.  This will occur when you cook the egg for approximately 4-5 minutes (depending on the size of the egg).Medium-cooked eggs: The difference between this and the soft-boiled egg is that a medium-cooked egg will have a slightly firmer yolk.  This can be achieved by cooking the egg for approximately 7-8 minutes. Hard-boiled eggs: A hard-boiled egg will have a firm white and a firm, fully cooked yolk.  Cooking time: approximately 10-12 minutes.