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I've been working on this riff on an Asian noodle soup. As the final garnish, I want to drop an egg yolk in the middle of the individual serving bowls of soup, to warm for a couple of minutes in the boiling hot soup and to burst with the first stir. Sounds simple, right? It's giving me a problem though.

I use the whites in the soup. I need to separate the eggs at least about 10 minutes before I drop the yolks. Separated yolks are really touchy, they want to break before their time. That they are at room temperature (for reasons that should be fairly obvious) doesn't help. I've been holding the yolks in little custard cups. I've tried putting a little water (hot and cool) in the cups, I've also tried broth from the soup. Even doing those things, the yolks break as I try (ever so gently) to drop them onto the soup.

Any ideas?

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    Can't say I've ever tried this, but I'd consider leaving the yolk in the shell and letting it simmer a little in the soup before sliding it into the soup with a pair of tongs (and remove the shell at that point).
    – PeterJ
    Jan 3, 2014 at 12:41
  • That's an interesting idea...worth a shot.
    – Jolenealaska ♦
    Jan 3, 2014 at 12:54
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    Maybe this would work for you. youtube.com/watch?v=_AirVOuTN_M
    – Optionparty
    Jan 3, 2014 at 16:10
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    I always thought that was a dumb trick, but it might be super useful in this situation @Optionparty
    – Preston
    Jan 5, 2014 at 5:20
  • @Optionparty I am going to try that trick (funny, I was one of the people that made the original non-English video go completely viral). I'm going take pictures as I go. If you write an "answer" with that suggestion before I'm ready to post, and it works, not only will I "accept" and upvote your answer, I'll add the pictures as an edit.
    – Jolenealaska ♦
    Jan 5, 2014 at 5:46

2 Answers 2

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Try this: http://www.chefsteps.com/activities/perfect-yolks

A container of oil is placed in a water bath that is held at a constant temperature. You can experiment with 62 - 65C to find what you prefer. Raw yolks are gently lowered into the oil and cook for about an hour. Remove gently with slotted spoon and serve. They can hold for a couple of hours, particularly if you use a lower initial temperature, then lower the temp to 60C after about an hour.

If you don't have a circulator, I am sure you can experiment and achieve similar results in a simmering pot of water.

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    In case of link rot, it's best to describe or summarize what it is that you're linking to.
    – Joe
    Jan 6, 2014 at 3:36
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    Now that I DO have a sous-vide circulator, this works great.
    – Jolenealaska ♦
    Dec 30, 2014 at 10:43
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I do this all the time, I simply leave the yolk in the shell, then I use the shell to gently place the yolk into the spot I like. Dipping the shell into the broth and then letting the yolk float out will keep it together.

You could try heating the yolk in the shell by putting it in a hot water bath, seems a bit overkill to be honest. Chilling it also may help keep it together but then it won't cook the way you want in the residual heat. Room temperature is your best bet.

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