The Temperature Mistake That's Ruining Your Sous Vide Eggs

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Cooking foods sous vide is generally pretty easy, but when it comes to eggs, one small mistake can make a huge impact. To get insight on cooking eggs sous vide, we spoke with Hervé Malivert, the director of culinary affairs at the Institute of Culinary Education's New York City campus. Unsurprisingly, not setting the right temperature is a mistake that will ruin your eggs.

According to Malivert, there are very precise temperatures that need to be used to achieve what kind of egg you want — whether that's soft-poached for classic eggs Benedict or hard-boiled for the perfect egg salad. Part of what makes sous vide such an easy technique is that if you lose track of time, it's not that big of a deal; the immersion circulator ensures your food will never go over the set water temperature. But setting the right temperature is key to having the food reach your desired doneness.

When cooking eggs sous vide, you leave them in the shell — no need to vacuum-seal. Hervé Malivert tells us, "Consider placing the eggs inside a colander in the water bath." This will ensure they don't move around too much, as bumping into each other could cause breakage.

If you're looking to make sous vide poached eggs, Malivert says for "set egg whites with a runny liquid egg yolk," cook the eggs for one hour at 62 degrees Celsius (approximately 144 degrees Fahrenheit). For "set egg whites with a runny creamy egg yolk" he recommends 63 degrees Celsius (approximately 145 degrees Fahrenheit) for an hour. That's right — even just one degree will impact the doneness. "You'll get the same result when cooking eggs between one to three hours, but a degree change will have a larger impact," warns Malivert.

To make a soft-boiled egg sous vide, Malivert notes to cook them at 65 degree Celsius (149 degrees Fahrenheit) for one hour, and for hard-boiled eggs, set the temperature to 74 degrees Celsius (approximately 165 degrees Fahrenheit). "Cool the eggs in ice water to make peeling easier," adds Malivert.

Now that you know the proper temperatures, cooking eggs sous vide might sound easy. But there are additional tips for making sure you achieve perfection. "Eggs are susceptible to cracking if subjected to sudden temperature changes," explains Hervé Malivert. "So start with warm water and bring it up to temperature."

Eggs are a famously finicky ingredient, so having finesse is important. Malivert advises, "Don't drop the eggs in [the water bath], be gentle to avoid cracking." And finally, he adds: "Overcrowding the water bath can prevent proper circulation and lead to uneven cooking."

Now that you know the secrets to perfect sous vide eggs, you'll want to add an egg to everything. From avocado toast to burgers, most things taste better with an egg on top.