How do you boil an egg?

[NZDoug]

My method, we usually do 4 at a time.
1) boil water in a kettle
2) pour boiling water into sauce pan.(75mm/3in. enuf to cover eggs)
3) add salt to the water
4) preheat eggs from fridge in warm tap water so they dont crack due to temperature change
5) gentley place eggs into saucepan of boiling water.
6) maintain gentle boil for 6 to 7 minutes for a soft centre, which is our preference.
My question
1) is the salt neccessary?
2) is there a better way?

 

[Andy M.]

I don't think the salt does much good. Also, why do step one at all. Boil the water in the saucepan. But first.

Use a push pin to make a small hole in the blunt end of each egg. Place the eggs in the saucepan and fill with hot tap water. Bring to a boil, covered then turn down the heat to a gentle boil for 10 minutes for hard cooked. For softer yolks back off a couple of minutes.

Pour off the boiling water and shake the pan vigorously to crack the shells all over, peel and eat.

 

[NZDoug]

THX! for the prompt reply, Andy.
1) We have an electric stove so that is why I use an electric kettle to boil the water. Its the speed factor. By the time the water is boiled the pan is also heated. Our next stove will be LPG.
2) If you pierce the fat end of the eggs, wont the egg whites come out?
cheers
D

 

[JoAnn L.]

Boiling eggs

I put water in a saucepan and gently put in the eggs, then I add a little salt and about 1 tablespoon of vinegar. I bring the water to a boil and take the pan off the heat. Then I cover the pan and let it set for 20 minutes. Then I drain off the hot water and immediately put them in ice cold water. They turn out perfect every time.

 

[Andy M.]

THX! for the prompt reply, Andy.
1) We have an electric stove so that is why I use an electric kettle to boil the water. Its the speed factor. By the time the water is boiled the pan is also heated. Our next stove will be LPG.
2) If you pierce the fat end of the eggs, wont the egg whites come out?
cheers
D

1) The point is to raise the temperature of the eggs slowly along with the water.

2) There is an air pocket at the blunt end of the egg and the pin should go into the air pocket. If any white leaks out, it's minimal.

 

[amber]

I usually boil only two or three at a time. I just put the pot with water, let it boil, use a spoon to add the eggs once the water is boiling, and then boil for 20-25 minutes. I know this sounds like a long time, but my eggs come out yellow, no green at all. I would guess the perfect hard boiled egg depends on altitude, gas, electric, qualtity? My stove is electric.

 

[amber]

1) The point is to raise the temperature of the eggs slowly along with the water.

2) There is an air pocket at the blunt end of the egg and the pin should go into the air pocket. If any white leaks out, it's minimal.

A friend of mine said the same thing about bringing the eggs up to temp slowly, but his always turned out green around the edges, and mine turned out perfect with adding them to boiling water and cooking for 20-25 minutes.

 

[Andy M.]

Green on the yolk means overcooked eggs.

 

[amber]

Green on the yolk means overcooked eggs.

Yep, I know, which is why I never used his method of boiling eggs

 

[Andy M.]

Yep, I know, which is why I never used his method of boiling eggs

Bringing the eggs up to a boil in the water isn't the cause, leaving them in boiling water too long is the cause.

 

[NZDoug]

I put water in a saucepan and gently put in the eggs, then I add a little salt and about 1 tablespoon of vinegar.

Hi JoAnn
What does the vinager do, just wondering?????

 

[Seven S]

vinegar should not do anything when hard boiling eggs just as salting the water doesnt either... although when poaching eggs, the added vinegar in the poaching water speeds up the coagulation of the albumen leading to a neater, tighter white around the yolk and the salt does contribute some flavor

 

[Chopstix]

2) There is an air pocket at the blunt end of the egg and the pin should go into the air pocket. If any white leaks out, it's minimal.

Just wondering why the need to remove the air pocket? Is this to let the egg get a perfect shape? Thanks!

 

[Chopstix]

Green on the yolk means overcooked eggs.

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the green/grey tinge around the yolk comes from not immediately unshelling the hard-boiled egg and instead letting it cool down on its own for a few minutes without immersing in cold water.

Can somebody verify or debunk this? Thanks!

 

[Chopstix]

Also, to unshell or peel off the shell more easily, I immerse the just cooked egg in cold water in the same sauce pan, let it sit a few minutes until cool enough to handle, then crack the egg underwater on the side of the pan just enough to let some water in between the membrane and the white. Peeling becomes a breeze.

 

[Chausiubao]

I always thought that the green comes from overcooking, that or not immediately cooling down the eggs. This is why I bring the eggs to a boil, and then let them sit covered for 15 minutes off the heat. This is followed by cooling in cold water, shelling, and eating. Comes out yellow everytime.

 

[Michael in FtW]

If we can trust Julia Child for the perfect hard boiled eggs:

Salt and vinegar do nothing for boiling eggs in the shell.

Poking a hole in the shell prevents deformation of the large end of the egg, and reduces shells breaking during cooking. This becomes more important the older the eggs where the airspace gets larger and the shell becomes less porous.

Place eggs in a pan and cover with tap water ... then gently bring to a boil (this brings the eggs up to temp slowly - and if you poked a hole in the shell it allows the air to expand and escape). Boil for 1 minute, cover, remove from the heat and let sit 13-15 minutes. After that, pour off the water, roll the eggs around in the pan and bag them against each other and the side of the pan to crack them ... then peel under cold running water.

Now - if you're looking for soft-boiled or coddeled eggs where the white is soft and the yolk is runny ... that's something else.

 

[NZDoug]

Time is of essance

Ya!!!, Im a 6 minute egg man, I couldnt eat a golf ball.
Clean and precise temps with constant value tools seem to be the way to fly for precision.( familiarilty with you own utensils)
I use a stainless 1 gal. pot Paderno with copper insert for even temp. spread.
There`s many aways to skin an egg shell.
Isnt it amazing how much there is to know about which came first?

 

[Michael in FtW]

Would you believe ... when a cookery school grad wants a job in a kitchen with a first class chef ... one of the first things they have to demonstrate is their ability to properly cook eggs?

 

[thumpershere2]

I usually cook about 7 or 8 eggs and I put them in a pan with water, bring to a boil and then turn off the heat and cover and let stand for about 20 min. Drain and cool with cold water and peel.