I read that sous-vide eggs were amazing, so I tried cooking them at 165°F like I did with chicken. They came out as solid rubbery pucks. Then I tried 145°F. Still wrong, just different wrong.
After wasting about two dozen eggs at various temperatures, I finally looked up what actually happens at different heat levels.
The Problem With Guessing
Egg whites and yolks set at different temperatures. The texture you want determines the exact degree you need. There is no universal egg temperature.
At 145°F, you get custardy yolks but loose whites. At 165°F, everything is solid. At 167°F, you basically have hard-boiled eggs with a different texture. The window for what most people want sits around 145-147°F.
What Actually Works
I now cook eggs at 146°F for 45 minutes. Creamy yolks, set whites. But I had to accept that sous-vide eggs require precision I do not need for other foods.
The lesson was simple: some foods have narrow temperature ranges. Eggs are one of them. I should have researched first instead of treating it like a forgiving steak cook.