The Perfect Soft Boiled Egg

Wooden Egg Cups from Sand and Pine Co.

Growing up, our mom would make us soft boiled “dippy eggs” at least once a week.   I can still remember the painted, wooden scandinavian egg cups that she would serve them in.  She lived in Denmark for a short time as a child, and her mother passed the cups down to her.  We also had a set of melamine plastic egg cups (which are now sold as vintage items on etsy). 

I can still remember my mom using the butter knife to crack open the top of the egg - she knew just where to crack it so that the top would come off evenly, leaving you with the perfect little opening to the yellow, runny yoke to dip your buttered toast. 

Now, we make “dippy eggs” with our kids.  When we started Sand and Pine Co., soft boiled egg cups were on our list of must-haves.  We were so excited when we found the same wooden egg cups that we had as children (sans paint).  We also found an amazing porcelain dishware set from House Doctor with the most adorable porcelain egg cups.  

Pion Egg Cup from House Doctor.

To go with our egg cups, we’ve found a couple different ways to make the perfect dippy egg:

1. The old fashioned way: Pot with boiling water

1. Using a sauce pot, add water (enough to cover your eggs)

2. Heat water on high until the water comes to a boil

3. Add your eggs (using a spoon to gently lower them to the bottom of the pot)

4. Let your eggs boil for 5 minutes

   1. We prefer a really hot, soft and runny yoke. If you prefer a more jammy/cooked center, boil for 6 minutes

5. Turn the burner off (leave the pot right where it is).  Get your egg cups ready

6. Use a spoon to put each piping hot egg in an egg cup

   1. We always love our eggs really hot with runny yoke (and we do not peel our soft boiled eggs). If you only boil for 5 minutes, by not using an ice bath and taking them out and putting them directly in the cup to get ready to eat, they will continue to cook for another minute (so the egg is essentially cooking for 6-6.5 minutes).

   2. Some people prefer to use an ice bath to help peel the eggs.  We don’t peel our soft-boiled eggs, but if you prefer to peel them, you may want to use an ice bath.  We love the blog Love and Lemons for instructions if you want to do an ice bath.

7. Using a butterknife, make a quick, horizontal slice through the top third of the egg shell and egg, exposing your runny yoke and creating a “dippy egg” hole to dip your buttered toast or to just eat the egg plain with a spoon.  You can use a small teaspoon to scoop the egg yolk and egg whites right out of the shell

2. New wave method: Air Fryer

The air fryer wasn’t around when our mom was making us soft-boiled eggs.  It is so nice, virtually no clean up! Move over Mom ;-)!

1. Preheat air fryer to 300 degrees

2. Put eggs in the basket and cook for 7 minutes (we like a hot, runny yoke).  If you like a more jammy/half cooked yoke, then cook for 8-9 minutes

3. We do not use an ice bath to help with peeling the eggs, because we don’t peel them (we like our soft boiled eggs piping hot!). So after removing the egg at 7 minutes, we put the egg directly on the egg cup (the egg will continue to cook until you cut it open because it’s hot).  For those that would like to use an ice bath and peel the eggs, we love the blog Cook at Home Mom where she describe her air fryer eggs and ice bath

4. Using a butterknife, make a quick, horizontal slice through the top third of the egg shell and egg, exposing your runny yoke and creating a “dippy egg” hole to dip your buttered toast or to just eat the egg plain with a spoon.  You can use a small teaspoon to scoop the egg yolk and egg whites right out of the shell

We hope you enjoy these delicious soft boiled “dippy eggs!” (and just for fun, enjoy some egg cracking bloopers!)