Creating our perfect ramen egg has been something we’ve slowly worked on as we prep for one farmers market after another. We weren’t surprised by J. Kenji López-Alt’s findings about how to boil the perfect egg (although we are endlessly grateful for him anyway!), because we have experienced first-hand what works and what doesn't; which eggs are hardest to peel and which are easiest; which cooking method is most consistent, and which isn’t!
What are we looking for in a great ramen egg? The white should be cooked, though tender. The yolk should start runny, but time spent in a salt-brine should cure the yolk, deepening the color to a vivid orange and transforming the texture into something jammy, gooey, akin in texture to dulce de leche. The egg should taste savory but not aggressive.
Towards those ends, we’ve developed a few rules of thumb and a few classic tricks we ignore, because they are impractical or don’t seem quite worth it to us. If you have obsessed over ramen eggs before, you may agree or disagree with us. That’s part of the fun! If you haven’t, go ahead and skip right down to the recipes and prepare an egg that will blow you away!
What We Don’t Do:
We do not pay attention to whether the egg is young or old. It’s too much to gander at how old an egg from the store is, plus sometimes you want a ramen egg and you can’t be bothered to wait until your eggs age.
We do not make a tiny pin prick in the bottom (flatter) end of the egg to ensure the yolk stays centered. This is too much hassle, leaves room for cracking an egg or two, and doesn’t seem to make as much difference as people say!
When we steam eggs, we do not try to fit as many eggs as we can in the basket or cook two steamer levels at once. The same principle applies for boiling: we do not crowd our eggs. We only cook enough at once that they can have plenty of boiling water surging around them.
When we boil eggs, we do not stir the water to try to center the yolk. It’s never made enough difference.
We do not add extra seasoning to our soy marinade. Although it is delicious to simmer your soy sauce and water with green onions, garlic, and star anise for example, it’s always just a little too much hassle, knowing you’ll then have to let the mixture cool. We actually don’t prefer the flavor of a marinade with added mirin or sugar. We’ve found, for our tastes, the simpler the better.
What We Do:
We buy the best eggs we can, ideally organic, pasture-raised, and when possible, directly from the farmer. The flavor is going to be far and away superior and since this is a small investment in the future, we consider this worth the cost.
Inspect our eggs for cracks. While cooking, egg will seep out of any cracks and create wild shapes, leaving gaping holes in the cooked eggs inside the shell.
Try to cook eggs that are all about the same size at one time. This will ensure consistency. If some eggs are smaller or larger than others, set them aside and cook them for less or more time respectively (see recipe.)
We steam our eggs when we have a good steamer setup, always in a single layer. Steaming is the most reliable method we’ve found for making great, consistent, easy to peel eggs.
We set a timer and make sure we are ready with mitts and an ice bath when it sounds.
We make a large ice bath and thoroughly chill the cooked eggs to stop the cook time.
We peel eggs over a strip of parchment paper in a rimmed baking sheet. The baking sheet makes sure the water from the eggs doesn’t completely soak your shirt or apron. The parchment paper makes for the easiest clean-up—simply fold up your parchment, and compost or toss it.
We dip newly peeled eggs in a cold water bath to remove any clinging shell pieces.
After peeling, we marinate our eggs in a solution of 1 part soy sauce to 4 parts water.
When we can make it to a store with options, we buy soy sauce that has been aged longer, with richer flavor, than the standard. The cheapest soy sauces are heavy on salt and low on flavor. You aren’t looking for the top shelf sashimi stuff here, but something a cut above the bottom is ideal. San-J and Yamasa (made in our backyard, Salem, Oregon) are good options. Price is a pretty good indicator here. Also, look for any notations about how long the soy sauce was aged (ideally you’re looking for soy sauce between 6 months and 2 years).
1. Steamed Jammy Eggs
Steaming is our preferred method for cooking a lot of ramen eggs. Whenever we make several dozen, this is our technique, and it creates the most consistently cooked and easy-to-peel eggs. That said, at home we almost always boil eggs because it’s easier. We have a nice metal steamer in our Umi kitchen with baskets that fit perfectly into the base and a lid that secures everything inside. These are inexpensive and worth it if you plan to make a lot of eggs at once, or want to try your hand at any other delicious steamed foods!
1 dozen eggs
1 cup soy sauce or tamari
4 cups water
1. Fill the base of a steamer at least half way and bring to a boil. Inspect eggs and discard any with cracks. Set your eggs in a single layer in one steamer basket. Once the water is rapidly boiling, set the steamer tray with eggs over the water and add the lid. Start a timer and steam for 8 minutes and 10 seconds. (If your eggs are quite small, steam for 7 minutes 50 seconds. If they are quite large, go for 8 minutes and 30 seconds.)
2. Prepare a large ice bath, adding ice cubes and water to cover in a large bowl. Once the timer sounds, pour the eggs into ice bath, make sure they are submerged, and let them chill at least 30 minutes.
3. Combine your soy sauce and water in a large container. Depending on how many eggs you prepare, you may need several containers.
4. Place strips of parchment paper to cover the bottom of a rimmed baking sheet. Prepare a small bowl with water. Peel eggs and then dip them in the water bath to remove any pieces of clinging shell. Set the peeled eggs in the soy and water marinade. Cover and set in the refrigerator. Let marinate at least 12 hours and up to 4 days. For fun, the first time you do this, cut an egg in half each day and watch as the salt transforms the yolk and the soy sauce depends the flavor. Enjoy!
2. Boiled Jammy Eggs
Steaming is our preferred method for cooking a lot of ramen eggs. Whenever we make several dozen, this is our technique, and it creates the most consistently cooked and easy-to-peel eggs. That said, at home we almost always boil eggs because it’s easier. We have a nice metal steamer in our Umi kitchen with baskets that fit perfectly into the base and a lid that secures everything inside. These are inexpensive and worth it if you plan to make a lot of eggs at once, or want to try your hand at any other delicious steamed foods!
3 eggs
1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
1 cup water
1. Bring a small pot of water to a rapid boil. Carefully, using a spoon or ladle, place eggs in the boiling water, and set a timer for 7 minutes.
2. Prepare an ice bath, adding ice cubes and water to cover in a large bowl. Once the timer sounds, scoop out the eggs and set them in the ice bath. Make sure they are submerged, and let them chill at least 30 minutes.
3. Combine your soy sauce and water in pint jar.
4. Prepare a small bowl with water. Peel eggs and then dip them in the water bath to remove any pieces of clinging shell. Set the peeled eggs in the soy and water marinade. Cover and set in the refrigerator. Let marinate at least 12 hours and up to 4 days. For fun, the first time you do this, cut an egg in half each day and watch as the salt transforms the yolk and the soy sauce depends the flavor. Enjoy!
