Cook's Illustrated

The Easiest, Chicest For-Company Eggs

The Coddled Egg Toppings Bar

Eggs go with anything, so have fun with the toppings and put out a big spread of options. We like a mix of textures, flavors, and color—anything from fresh herbs and citrus zest to chili crisp, grated cheese, and crumbled bacon.

TOP-TO-BOTTOM SEASONING

Salting the bottom of the ramekin as well as the eggs before cooking means that every bite will be well seasoned.

I bet you’ve never coddled an egg. It’s an old-school British preparation that doesn’t share the iconic foothold of boiled, fried, scrambled, or poached, and its English manor vibes give it a rather bygone feel.

But I’m a recent convert to coddling, and the fact is that we’ve all been missing out. First, coddling is, by definition, one of the gentlest ways to cook an egg. You crack one or two into a greased ramekin

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