Boiled
Lower cold large eggs into gently boiling water with a spoon, and start a timer. At six and a half minutes the white is set and the yolk is jammy. At nine minutes the yolk is firm but still creamy in the center, and at eleven to twelve it is fully hard. Move the eggs straight into a bowl of ice water for five minutes, which stops the cooking and loosens the shell. A gray-green ring around the yolk is harmless and means the egg was overcooked. Eggs that are a week or two old peel more cleanly than fresh ones.
Scrambled
Beat two or three eggs with a pinch of salt until no streaks of white remain. Melt a teaspoon or two of butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, pour in the eggs, and stir slowly and steadily with a silicone spatula, sweeping the bottom of the pan. Take the pan off the heat while the eggs still look slightly wet. They will finish on the plate. High heat produces dry, rubbery curds sitting in a puddle of water.
Fried
Heat butter or oil over medium-low heat until the butter foams, and crack in the egg. For sunny-side up, cover the pan for the last minute so that steam sets the film of white over the yolk. For over easy, flip the egg gently once the white is set and give it twenty to thirty seconds more.
Poached
- Bring three inches of water to a bare simmer, with small bubbles on the bottom and none breaking the surface.
- Crack a fresh egg into a small cup, because fresh eggs have tighter whites that hold together.
- Lower the lip of the cup to the water and slide the egg in.
- Cook the egg for three minutes for a runny yolk, then lift it out with a slotted spoon and blot it on a towel.
Safety and storage
The USDA's advice is to cook eggs until both white and yolk are firm, and to cook dishes containing eggs to 160 degrees. A runny yolk carries a small risk of salmonella. For anyone who is pregnant, elderly, very young or immunocompromised, use pasteurized eggs or cook them through. Keep eggs refrigerated in their carton, where they last three to five weeks.
Tip For a quick omelet, cook three beaten eggs in foaming butter over medium-high heat, stirring for the first twenty seconds. Let them set, add the filling, and fold. The whole thing takes under two minutes.
