A microwave egg boiler makes this a quick and easy breakfast!  This popular and comforting breakfast, a boiled egg and soldiers, is just a runny egg served with toast cut into dipping sticks – and they can be made from standard bread or toasted bread if you prefer.

To soft boil an egg can be a tricky business – you’re trying to get the white firmed up, yet leaving the yellow yolk still runny, so you can dip your soldiers into it! To boil an egg, you should get the egg to room temperature (so it’s not straight out of the fridge) and then carefully lower it into a saucepan of boiling water. Hopefully the shell won’t crack…. then, 3 minutes later, take the egg out and it should be soft boiled. However, that does depend on the age of the egg, the size of the egg and how accurately you timed it.

Personally, I find boiling an egg a bit of a long-winded pain in the butt, so I’ve got a microwave egg boiler. It looks like a chicken. It’s simple to use. All I do is place some water in the base, put in a metal ring, sit the egg on the ring, fit the chicken’s head over the top, then microwave it for 5 minutes at half power – the photo shows my medium egg done at 5 minutes on half power. For a hard boiled egg it takes 7 minutes in the microwave. So far I’ve never had a single egg turn out wrong! Also, as it’s in the microwave, I don’t have to watch it as there’ll be a ping when it’s done.

These are quite easy to buy either at a good hardware shop, or most easily on ebay, where you’ll find a selection of sizes and designs. I’ve also got another microwave egg boiler that boils four eggs at a time.

One boiled egg only provides enough runny yolk to dip one slice of toast – but there’s nothing to stop you also having a second slice of toast if you want a bigger start to your day.

Menu Cost

Eggs can be bought for about £0.79 for 10 large eggs from budget supermarkets, or 8p each.

A box of 6 eggs at main supermarkets can cost 70p or you can get 6 organic eggs at Sainsburys for 85p. Prices do vary enormously but I price this at 8p per egg. But, shop around, or dedicate more of your week to eggs and you can get more for your money.

2 slices of bread: Most supermarkets will sell a sliced loaf for 40p, containing 20 slices and 2 crusts. That makes 2p/slice. So two pieces of unbuttered toast are £0.04.

Total cost: £0.12 (2017 prices); £0.17 (2022 prices)

2022 Price Update:

Eggs are now closer to £1.10 for 10 eggs; a cheaper loaf of bread is closer to 55p.  Cost would now be closer to 11p for one boiled egg + 5-6p for the bread/toast = 17p.

Buy a Microwave Egg Boiler

A microwave egg boiler is not only faster and easier to use, it also doesn’t generate steam that a pan of water would do. Nor does it need watching as you can’t forget it as there’s the “ping”!

To buy a microwave egg boiler, either just remember to keep an eye out when you’re in supermarkets or kitchenware shops – or you can buy one online if you search Ebay or Amazon for a chicken shaped microwave egg boiler and choose a design!