How To Make A Perfect Jammy Egg

Okay, I need you to take a deep breath and hear me out. Because I am about to teach you how to make the perfect jammy egg, and when you realize just how easy it is, you are going to feel so wonderfully, beautifully silly for ever thinking it was complicated. And that's okay. We have all been there. This is a judgment free zone.

Ready? Here we go.

Step one: Boil your water. Fill a small sauce pot with water and bring it to a full rolling boil. That's it. That's the whole first step. You've done harder things today, I promise.

Step two: Drop in your eggs (gently!). And here is the part that trips people up. You are going to drop those eggs straight in from the fridge. Cold eggs, boiling water. I know it feels wrong. Do it anyway. Trust the process.

Step three: Set your timer for exactly seven minutes. Not six. Not eight. Seven. This is non negotiable. This is the law. Seven minutes is the magic number that stands between you and a jammy, golden, perfectly set yolk that is going to change your life. Walk away, do the dishes, scroll your phone, do whatever you need to do…but when that timer goes off, you move.

Step four: The ice bath. And before you roll your eyes at me, an ice bath is just a bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water. That's it. No special equipment, no culinary school required. The second your timer goes off, pull those eggs out and plunge them directly into the ice bath. This stops the cooking immediately and is the secret between a perfect jammy egg and one that went just a little too far. Let them sit in there for about five minutes.

Step five: Peel them. Here's my favorite little trick. Use that same ice water to help you peel the shell. The cold water gets under the membrane and makes the whole thing slide right off. No frustration, no egg carnage, no chunks of white going everywhere. Just a clean, smooth, beautiful peeled egg sitting in your hand like a little trophy.

Step six: Cut it in half. Slowly. Dramatically. Because you have earned this moment. And there it is, a perfect jammy egg. That gorgeous, slightly glossy, golden jammy yolk that is set just enough without being fully hard boiled. It's a thing of beauty. Take a picture. You deserve it.

Now, what do you do with this little masterpiece? Oh, I'm so glad you asked. A jammy egg is one of those magic ingredients that makes everything it touches better. Slice it over avocado toast for breakfast and suddenly you're a brunch person. Serve it as a side or chop it up for deviled eggs at your next get together and watch people lose their minds over an appetizer. Or (and this is my personal favorite, and a very serious staple in our house) use it to top what we lovingly call Fancy Ramen.

Now, Fancy Ramen isn’t exactly what it sounds like. It starts with a basic ramen package from the grocery store that gets doctored up with a few key additions to get as close to the real, authentic, soul warming ramen experience as humanly possible, and gets crowned with one of these perfect jammy eggs right on top. It is an absolute game changer and I have a full recipe coming for you very soon, so stay tuned for that because you are going to want to bookmark it immediately.

But first things first. Go boil some water. You've got this.