topic Re: Boiled Eggs: Want to Know the Science? in Kitchen

Boiled Eggs: Want to Know the Science?

Sooner — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 15:31:48 GMT

There is an eggcellent article on the ThermoBlog on the ThermoWorks website called The Best Hard Boiled Egg.

There is a lot of great information about the egg itself, and its structure and then they go into different cooking methods and the pros and cons of each.

If you are looking for something interesting, Google this (I can't post the link) then go boil some for lunch!

Re: Boiled Eggs: Want to Know the Science?

Imaoldhippie — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 15:35:11 GMT

I never knew there was so much to boiling eggs until lately. And to find out I have been doing it wrong for 50+ years.

Re: Boiled Eggs: Want to Know the Science?

Sooner — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 15:38:02 GMT

@Imaoldhippie I know what you mean! I have a little cheapie egg cooker I often use or the Instant Pot (both are perfect ever time--especially the IP), but my husband always steams them and his are perfect too!

Steaming really does work! It is amazing how those shells just come off. And to think the half century I fought with peeling eggs!

Re: Boiled Eggs: Want to Know the Science?

Imaoldhippie — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 15:41:40 GMT

@Sooner ........How long do you steam the eggs? I think I would like to try it.

Sometimes my boiled eggs will peal nicely and other times I peal off half the egg white.

Re: Boiled Eggs: Want to Know the Science?

Sooner — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 15:51:47 GMT

@Imaoldhippie He steams them 12 minutes--using a steam basket in a pot. He gets the water boiling below the basket, adds the eggs, counts 12 minutes, then puts the eggs in cold water. Sometimes he just uses water about 1/3 of the way up on the egg--not covering it. Of course the lid goes on the pot either way.

I don't do that. I am lazy and use the IP or the egg steamer! LOL!!!

Re: Boiled Eggs: Want to Know the Science?

Imaoldhippie — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 15:53:52 GMT

@Sooner ..........thanks for the info. I got a new slow cooker with a steam function. I am going to use it to steam some eggs for tuna salad.

Re: Boiled Eggs: Want to Know the Science?

sunshine45 — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 15:57:27 GMT

love my egg steamer.......if it ever broke i would buy one again in a second.

great for soft, medium, or hard boiled eggs.

also includes two small trays for poaching eggs.

Re: Boiled Eggs: Want to Know the Science?

kaydee50 — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 16:11:25 GMT

I had a Dash egg steamer and it worked OK for about 6 months. Did not replace it.

I did not read the article but what works for me: boil the eggs for 10-12 minutes, immediately place in ice cold water for a minute or 2 and 99% of the time the shell easily peels off. Easy!

Re: Boiled Eggs: Want to Know the Science?

Sooner — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 16:24:54 GMT

@kaydee50 wrote:
I had a Dash egg steamer and it worked OK for about 6 months. Did not replace it.

I did not read the article but what works for me: boil the eggs for 10-12 minutes, immediately place in ice cold water for a minute or 2 and 99% of the time the shell easily peels off. Easy!

@kaydee50 You might want to read the article!

Seriously, the advantages of the steam method are that it is quicker because you don't have to heat all that water and also that you don't have to haul all that water around and take all that water to the sink and pour it out!

Re: Boiled Eggs: Want to Know the Science?

roster — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 18:09:09 GMT

Martha Stewart had this suggestion about steaming eggs for ease of removing shell. It was either on her blog or the April MSL issue. Of course Martha knows a lot about eggs. She loves her chickens & eggs.

Re: Boiled Eggs: Want to Know the Science?

ECBG — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 19:33:56 GMT

@Sooner @roster @kaydee50 @sunshine45 @Imaoldhippie

Ladies, I found this video which went into more detail on the boiling of eggs to all levels of doneness. This is the way I did demos in my Food Science classes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CnAQzEiuvQ

Re: Boiled Eggs: Want to Know the Science?

kaydee50 — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 20:28:20 GMT

@ECBG Thanks for the video. Pretty much how I make hard boiled eggs but good to know about the different times for soft boiled.

Re: Boiled Eggs: Want to Know the Science?

Harpa — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 11:47:41 GMT

The only "science" I ever knew about hard-boiled eggs was from my Mom, who insisted that fresh hard-boiled eggs were harder to peel. If she was going to use hard-boiled eggs for, like a potato salad or deviled eggs, she always bought them a week ahead of time.

I always steam mine in Henrietta, and they always come out perfect and are a snap to peel. (No need to adhere to my Mom's wisdom.) For a single or a whole tray full, about 13 min.

My grandchildren call their Henrietta, Henrietta Chickaletta. These are the steamers that look like a chicken.

Re: Boiled Eggs: Want to Know the Science?

novamc1 — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 13:17:29 GMT

I've come to the conclusion that the term "hard-boiled" is what makes many people have trouble with cooking and peeling eggs.

I have done the hard-boiled thing MANY times. I've done the steaming thing many times., which works nicely.

Now I just get the water to a simmering point and keep low like that for a while, then cut off heat, let eggs sit in hot water and then rinse or dunk with cold water.

I no longer have the dark sulfur ring around the yolks, the white part isn't tough, and the eggs are easy to peel, 99 percent of the time.

If we would just rid "hard-boiled" from our vocabulary and substitute "gently cooked", I think that would be a good step toward better eggs!!

Re: Boiled Eggs: Want to Know the Science?

Imaoldhippie — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 13:15:15 GMT

@Sooner ................just finished steaming eggs. Rinsed them with cold water so I could handle them and the shell practically fell off. Im a happy camper. Thanks to you and your hubby for the steam method advise.

Re: Boiled Eggs: Want to Know the Science?

Sooner — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 14:03:41 GMT

@Imaoldhippie I am happy the steaming worked! One of the best things about it is not having all that water to deal with if you boil a big pot of eggs!

Re: Boiled Eggs: Want to Know the Science?

giddy up — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 15:10:36 GMT

I've been using an instapot pressure cooker for probably years now to make hard boiled eggs to make deviled eggs. I cook 6 at a time, not sure if more would make any difference though in the instapot. Set the eggs on some kind of rack inside the instapot (above water). Pressure cook on high pressure for 6 minutes, give it a natural release for 5 minutes, then do the quick release. I dunk them in a big bowl of tap cold water for a few minutes after. I don't waste my ice on it, just tap cold. They peel easily and are cooked perfectly (no green rings inside).

Re: Boiled Eggs: Want to Know the Science?

Sooner — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 15:14:25 GMT

In the scope of life, yes, it really is a small thing, but isn't it wonderful not to have to fight to peel an egg again? You can get hard boiled eggs without going through a carton of them to get a nice one?

Shell comes off, no green ring, no sulphur taste and smell? A small victory but a nice one!

Re: Boiled Eggs: Want to Know the Science?

LonestarBabs — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 21:24:07 GMT

I make a dozen at a time in my 6qt Instant Pot. 5 min pressure cook, 5 min natural pressure release, then dunk in a bowl of cold water.. They peel super easy, taste great, and no discoloration.