When I was a little kid, growing up in communist Poland, we didn’t have Cheerios for breakfast. Cornflakes were hardly ever available. We usually ate open-face sandwiches of some kind. Sometimes we had oatmeal or semolina with hot milk, which I hated. Eggs were on the menu as well. Usually scrambled or soft-boiled.

The soft-boiled egg is the most sentimental memory of my childhood breakfast. Perhaps because its eating involved using a special, little egg holder cup. In that time of scarcity, little things like that meant a lot to me. I guess they still do, that’s why I have such a huge collection of ceramics and dishes in my house. Back then, however, I didn’t have a lot of toys, so little trinkets like that amused me even more. My favorite soft-boiled egg holder was the one that my mom brought for me from Czechoslovakia. It was made out of white plastic and looked like a little chicken standing on the plate that was attached to its legs. It held one egg, and that little plate was for holding egg shells. I guess my love for cool design and functionality in one began when I was a child. So when my parents asked me if I wanted to have a soft-boiled egg for breakfast, I was always very excited, because I got to eat out of my one and only plastic chicken, and I got to dispose of those egg shells in the little tray. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world! I am not sure if this holder is still around. I remember it got cracked, so it probably ended up in the trash after my brothers and I moved out of the family home. But the memory of that little, cute egg holder remains in my head to this day.

Soft-boiled eggs are not so popular in the US, and I don’t eat them that often anymore. I only have two kinds of egg holders in my kitchen. But sometimes I do prepare them for breakfast, and it always triggers memories from my childhood. So here is to the soft-boiled eggs breakfast and the chicken that held it. The simplest recipe in the world, for my favorite, is a 5-minute boiled egg breakfast. Because the perfection in the soft-boiled egg recipe is a matter of seconds. This is how I do it. This is how I like it.

5-minute soft-boiled egg recipe

Shopping List:

• 2 large eggs
• 1 thick slice of sourdough bread or freshly baked, crusty roll
• fresh butter (unsalted)
• salt

Now follow these steps:

1. Cut the roll in half and spread cold, solid butter over it.
2. Fill the small pot with cold water (enough to cover both eggs) and bring to a boil; when the water starts boiling, gently drop each egg in (using a spoon); boil on medium heat for 5 minutes (exactly!); remove the pot from the heat and pour cold water over eggs; remove eggs from the water after 20 seconds.
3. Serve immediately in egg cups; use the side of a small spoon to crack and remove the pointed end of the egg, making a hole in the shell large enough to fit the spoon.
4. Season with salt.
5. Enjoy the little bites of crispy roll.

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