bubbling steamer will reduce the effective
cooking temperature to something below the
boil and produce a tenderer white.
Telling Cooked Eggs from Raw
It’s easy to tell whether an intact egg is
raw or already cooked. Give it a spin on its
side. If it spins fast and smoothly, it’s
cooked. If it seems balky and wobbly, it’s
raw — the liquid insides slip and slosh and
resist the movement of the solid shell.
Times and Textures Cooking times for in-
shell eggs are determined by the desired
texture (they also depend on egg size, starting
temperature, and cooking temperature; the
times here are rough averages). There’s a
continuum of eggs cooked in the shell for
different periods of time. The French oeuf à la
coque (“from the shell”) is cooked for only
two or three minutes and remains semi-liquid
throughout. Coddled or “soft-boiled” eggs,
cooked 3 to 5 minutes, have a barely solid