Soft Boiled Free Range Eggs

Soft boiled eggs are a delicious treat to eat with pork crackle ‘soldiers’.  That solid egg white coupled with the warm runny golden yolk and the crunch of pork crackle.  Cooking the perfect soft boiled egg is just a matter of timing.  There’s a few ways you can do it, here are just a couple.  If you’re using a really big pot and cooking a lot of eggs at once, you may need to increase the cooking times.

Method 1:

1. Add water to pot with ½ teaspoon of bicarb soda.  Use enough water that it will cover the eggs in a single layer, with an inch of water above them.
2. On high heat bring to the boil.
3. Once at boiling point, carefully place the eggs into the pot of boiling water (roll them off a spoon so they don’t hit the bottom or sides of the pot).
4. Bring back to the boil and cook for exactly 4.5 minutes.  Set a timer!
5. Giving the eggs a gentle swirl in the pot will help to centre the yolks.
6. Strain hot water off eggs and immediately run through cold water or put into a bowl of ice to stop the yolks cooking further.
7. Once cooled, peel egg shells off (egg shells peel off easily due to the bicarb soda).  You need to be a little careful peeling them.
8. Or, if you’re removing the tops to serve in an egg cup, stand them upright and gently tap around the top of the egg with the back of a kitchen butter knife to remove the top.  Salt to your liking with some Celtic Grey Sea Salt or Magnesium Enriched Natural Lake Salt.
9. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
10. If you’re not peeling the eggs, store them (shells-on) in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Method 2:

1. Follow the hard-boiled egg instructions and once at boiling point, cook for only 2 minutes.
2. For half-soft boiled eggs (pictured), cook for 3-4 minutes.