Alice Waters perfect boiled egg recipe

In these trying times I would like to offer you a nice boiled egg. 85% of these eggs turn out perfectly if one follows the instructions. My wife prefers a more cooked yolk, so I boil for 10 minutes. Otherwise, if you crack the eggs really well after the minute in ice water, they will peel like a dream.

1. To cook eggs in the shell, soft-boiled or hard-boiled, fill a pot with water deep enough to cover eggs by an inch or two, and bring to a boil.

2. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, and lower the eggs into the pot with a slotted spoon. For soft-boiled eggs with a runny yolk, simmer for 5 to 6 minutes. (If the eggs are very large or very small, adjust the timing by a minute more or a minute less.)

3. Remove the eggs, cool briefly in cold water, and serve in the shell with the top cut off, or crack them open and scoop the contents into a warm bowl. For hard-cooked eggs, with yolks just set but still moist at the center, simmer the eggs for 9 minutes. (For eggs with firmer yolks, simmer another minute or two.)

4. Remove and cool in cold water, then crack them all over and peel off the shells.

bon appetit