Boiled eggs are runny every time if you use chef’s ‘6-minute’ method

There are many ways to cook eggs, but if you like your boiled eggs runny, it can be a bit challenging to get them perfect every time. Many people enjoy runny eggs because the runny yolk serves as a creamy sauce that enhances the flavour and moisture of whatever it accompanies.

Anyone wanting to know the trick to getting perfectly runny boiled eggs ‘every time’ can follow advice from a professional chef. Culinary instructor Frank Proto, who has been a professional chef for 24 years, explained the ‘secret’ to soft-boiled eggs.

In a YouTube video that demonstrates exactly what to do, Frank Proto shares essential techniques for achieving perfectly boiled eggs, focusing on timing and water temperature for different desired outcomes. The video, uploaded onto the Epicurious 101 channel, currently has more than one million views.

He said: “Soft-boiled eggs should be a super runny yolk. The whites should be just set, but not slimy. A lot of times, people mess up because their whites are slimy. You want the whites set and the yolk super runny.”

Explaining what temperature the water should be and how long the eggs should be boiled for, Frank Proto said: “For the most part, I like to use boiling water for my soft boiled eggs because if I put them in cold water, it’s going to take at least like five to 10 minutes for them to boil, and in that time, they’re gonna be cooking.”

Sharing his ‘six-minute’ method, he added: “We only really want them to cook for six minutes. So if we start with cold water, they’re gonna cook for way more than six minutes.”

He said it doesn’t really matter what type of pot you use, as long as the eggs are covered with water. “You don’t want the eggs to be half in and half out of the water. You want them to be completely covered,” he said. “And with soft-boiled eggs, you want to pretty much eat them immediately.”

After boiling his eggs for six minutes, he says: “My eggs are done. It’s been six minutes. Fish them out. Just put them in a bowl. I don’t put these into an ice bath because I’m gonna eat them right away. This is one of those dishes that’s fairly immediate. Cook it and eat it.”

Issuing a word of caution to viewers, he went on: “If you try to peel them, you will not be successful. You’re gonna have an eggy mess, yolk everywhere.”

He recommends using an egg cup or a shot glass, and tapping around the top of the egg to “cut the lid out”. Showing viewers just how runny the yolk is, he said: “You see how my egg white is nice and set?

“Look at how nice and eggy and yolky that is. My egg whites are set perfectly. But that’s the consistency of a soft-boiled egg, a nice white that is set, and a beautiful creamy yolk.”

Offering suggestions on how runny eggs can be eaten, Frank Proto said: “Now, what I would do with this is I would have some toast on the side to either dip in here or to take and scoop my egg out on the toast. Preferably, buttered toast with a little bit of salt and pepper, and you’re done.”