How to Boil an Egg

How to Boil an Egg — key points from the video

Presenters: Lisa and Jonno

Ingredients

• Eggs — demo uses three; use fresh eggs (see freshness check).
• Bread for toast (sourdough or sliced white/”plastic” bread) — for soldiers.
• Butter — for toast and the “chucky egg.”
• Marmite or Vegemite — optional, to taste.
• Salt and black pepper — to season.

Equipment & prep

• Saucepan or pot for boiling water
• Spoon (to lower eggs into boiling water)
• Timer
• Large bowl of cold water (ice bath or cold tap) to stop cooking
• Toaster and plates/egg cups
• Cutting board (to tap/crack eggs) and a spoon for serving
• Optional: small bowl for the chucky egg

Freshness test: place eggs in cold water — if they sink they’re fresh; if they float they’re off.

Method — step-by-step

1. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.
2. Spoon trick: drop a spoon into the boiling water first, then gently lower each egg on the spoon into the water to help reduce cracking.
3. Start the timer as soon as the egg goes into the boiling water:
   • ~5 1/2 minutes — runnier yolk
   • 6 minutes — jammy soft-boiled yolk (their preferred)
   • ~6 1/2 minutes — slightly firmer (good for salads)
4. When the timer finishes, immediately transfer the eggs into cold water or put them under running cold water to stop further cooking and preserve the desired yolk consistency.
5. Tap and peel:
   • Tap the round end (where the air pocket usually is) on a board to crack and create space.
   • Flick/pull around the shell to remove it.
6. Serve as desired (see serving options below).

Serving options

• Classic: place in an egg cup, slice the top off and dip toast soldiers.
• Toast: butter hot toast right before serving so it’s warm and crispy with some soft/oozy bits.
• Marmite/Vegemite soldiers: spread to taste on sliced toast (Lisa prefers a lot of Vegemite; Jonno a little Marmite).
• Chucky egg (childhood-style variation): crack a soft-boiled egg into a small bowl, add a knob of butter, season with salt and pepper, mix/lightly break up (like a loose scrambled), then spoon onto toast — described as like a hot egg-mayonnaise.

Chef tips & technique cues

• Start eggs in boiling water so timing is consistent.
• Use the spoon-into-water technique to reduce cracking when eggs are added to boiling water.
• Immediately plunge eggs into cold water to stop carryover cooking — prevents a soft egg becoming hard if left in hot water.
• Tap the round end first (air pocket) to make peeling easier.
• Serve toast hot and buttered; assemble just before eating.
• Season the chucky egg simply with salt and pepper and mix until slightly broken but still warm.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Leaving eggs in the hot water after the timer — they will continue to cook.
• Starting timing inconsistently — placing eggs into already boiling water gives more predictable results.

Variations (concise)

• Timing: 5.5 min (more runny), 6 min (jammy), 6.5 min (firmer for salads).
• Soldiers: sourdough vs. white sliced bread.
• Spread: Marmite or Vegemite, amount to personal preference.
• Chucky egg: mashed soft-boiled egg mixed with butter, seasoned, spooned onto toast.

Presentation / serving suggestions

• Serve soft‑boiled eggs in egg cups with toast soldiers for dipping.
• For chucky egg, spoon onto a buttered slice of toast.
• Add a little salt and pepper to taste.

Presenter / channel

• Presented by Lisa and Jonno (video asks viewers to like/subscribe). No external sources referenced.