6 minutes 45 seconds, large egg, straight from the fridge, into boiling water. Custardy centre, the ramen-egg standard.
Custardy centre, the ramen-egg standard
Six forty-five. Ready when you are.
6:45
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Start it the moment the eggs go into the boiling water.
Method, altitude, and other eggs
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From the fridge, into already-boiling water. Tap any time to start it.
Doneness
Medium
Large
Extra large
What you get
Soft
Runny yolk, set whites
Jammy
Custardy centre, the ramen-egg standard
Medium
Set edge, soft fudgy centre
Jammy egg questions
How long do you boil a jammy egg?
Six minutes forty-five for a large egg from the fridge into boiling water. The yolk sets at the edge and stays custardy in the middle — thick enough to hold, loose enough to smear.
Why is the ice bath non-negotiable for jammy eggs?
Because the window is about 45 seconds wide, and a hot egg out of the water keeps cooking through it. Skip the ice and your 6:45 jammy egg is a medium egg by the time you peel it. Two minutes in ice water is enough.
How do I marinate them for ramen?
Peel them cold, then steep in equal parts soy sauce and mirin cut with two parts water, for four hours minimum and overnight ideally. Keep them submerged — a plastic bag pushes the marinade against the whole surface better than a bowl does. They keep about four days refrigerated and get better on day two.
Jammy or medium — which do I want?
Jammy at 6:45 if the yolk is meant to be a sauce. Medium at eight minutes if the egg has to survive being halved, put in a lunchbox, or sat on top of a salad. Medium travels; jammy does not.