Removing Soft Boiled Eggs from Shell

I have always loved soft boiled eggs, but I am desperate to master the technique to remove them (easily) from the shell so that I can use the whole egg in various preparations. I've seen multiple theories, but wondered if anyone here had tested any of them with any success?

Erin Jeanne McDowell
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4 Comments

Lisa M. November 29, 2012
Depending on your recipe, perhaps you could soft-boil them the way I've seen in various British recipes. That is, to cook them longer to where the yolk is firmer but still somewhat runny. I have an excellent salad using parsley as a base that has eggs cooked this way. I remove them from the shell effectively.
 
sdebrango November 29, 2012
I did it once, with some difficulty but the egg was intact. I gently rolled the egg applying a little pressure shattering the shell then gently peeled each shard away. The second time I tried it, it didn't work maybe the egg was too fresh who knows. I let cold water run on the egg after I removed it from the pot not sure if that made a difference but it was easier to handle.
 
emadethis November 29, 2012
I'm not a soft-boiled eater, so I can't speak from experience, but I wonder if soft-boiled are like hard-boiled eggs (I have 8 in my fridge right now waiting for me) in that they seem to peel more easily when the eggs are not the freshest as that membrane between the shell and the egg breaks down with age.
 
bigpan November 29, 2012
Have you considered using a poached egg instead - same cooked white and runny yolk.
 
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