Gordon Ramsay's Trick To Making Perfectly 'Yolky' Soft-Boiled Eggs
A perfect soft-boiled egg is a truly special treat. The silky-smooth white and just barely drippy yolk are the sure signs of good things to come. Whether it's being used as a simple way to upgrade your ramen, a topping for a whole grain rice salad, or a last-minute addition to a lunch box, soft-boiled eggs are a versatile source of nutrition that is worth keeping on hand.
If you've ever felt intimidated by nailing that perfect soft boil, though, have no fear because celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is here to help. Like so many chefs these days, Ramsay appeared on his TikTok to share how to make the best "yolky" soft-boiled eggs.
In the video, Ramsay is seen gently setting his eggs into a pot of boiling water with a spoon. He makes it clear that, while these eggs will cook up quickly in just six minutes, that doesn't mean your stove needs to be on the highest setting. "Don't boil them ferociously, they'll get that sort of black line around the outside. Boil them gently, as you want to boil that with a little, sort of a yolky bit in the middle," said Ramsay. A gentle simmer and six minutes are just about all it takes to make the perfect soft-boiled eggs.
What is that dark line?
The black line that Ramsay warns against is the number one sign of an overcooked egg. This green or black tinge marks a hard-boiled egg that spent too much time in the pot. Though it is safe to eat, it usually means that the rest of the texture of your egg has been ruined. The white will be rubbery and the yolk chalky because it was cooked for too long or at too high a temperature.
This dark ring is known as a "sulfur ring." It occurs due to a chemical reaction that occurs within the egg where the sulfur and hydrogen in the egg react with the iron in the yolk. This occurs late in the cooking process of an egg, however, which is why it's associated with overcooking.
@gordonramsayofficial #Ramen needs a perfect yolky #egg to go with it….here’s my tips to make the perfect soft boiled egg from #Ramsayin10 ! #tiktokcooks #learnontiktok
If you're aiming for a soft-boiled egg and find yourself with a dark ring around the yolk, then you are severely overcooking your egg. A soft-boiled egg should still be runny in the middle when you cut into it, and crossing the threshold of a sulfur ring means you're missing by a long shot.
Ramsay's other boiled egg tricks
While cooking time and temperature can influence how your egg cooks, another one of Ramsay's tricks can also help you out. In the TikTok video, the moment Ramsay's timer hits six minutes he transfers the eggs to a bowl of cold water. This helps to stop the cooking process immediately. Instead of allowing the residual heat from the boiler to continue cooking the eggs — and possibly hardening those yolks — this will hold them at the perfect moment for soft, runny yolks.
Ramsay has some unique methods for peeling his eggs as well. Once they've cooled for a moment in the water he takes them back out and cracks them at the base. He then returns them to the water for another minute to continue cooling. Next, he takes them out again and removes the cracked base of the shell. He then blows into the shell of the egg before quickly peeling the rest away. There are a lot of ways to easily peel hardboiled eggs out there, but maybe Ramsay is onto something here with his crack-and-blow technique.