How do you boil an egg?

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NZDoug said:
Hi JoAnn
What does the vinager do, just wondering?????

You know, I haven't got a clue.:rolleyes: I was told years and years ago that it would prevent the shells from cracking. It seemed to be working. You mean I have been doing that all of these years for nothing. :LOL:
 
I boil a kettle for my eggs too....because there was a tv advert saying it was more environmentally friendly to do that! If my eggs are at room temperature I run the under cool water then warm (it is important to clean the shell under only cold water, so I do that as most of our eggs are home laid) then pop them in on a spoon. Our home eggs are different sizes, so time ends up being different for each.
 
I did some searches and found out the following:

When egg is hard-boiled, 3 chemical reactions occur:

1. Sulfur is released from the white of the egg.
2. This sulfur combines with hydrogen ions to form hydrogen sulfide.
2. When the hydrogen sulfide gas encounters iron on the border of the yolk of the egg, it forms iron sulfide.

That iron sulfide is the green-grey tinge on the outside of the yolk.

The hotter and longer you boil your egg, the more efficient the above chemical reactions become.
 
Lulu, I worked in a commercial egg production plant for a (mercifully) brief time. One of the things I learned there is that the US Department of Agriculture recommends using water a few degrees warmer than the egg for washing--between 100 and 110 degrees F.

Reasoning is that cold water causes the shell to contract, which may draw bacteria into the the egg.

That said, I only wash eggs if they have nasties on them. Eggs keep better if they are not washed--the natural coating serves to keep moisture in, protecting the developing chick.

Which brings me back to boiliing eggs. If you have your own chickens, and eggs are really fresh, they WILL NOT peel. The problem is the membrane inside the egg, which, when the egg is fresh, sticks tight to the egg white and to the shell. You need to let the eggs dry out a bit to be able to peel them.

Thru experimentation, I found that if I wash the eggs, store them in the fridge for 2 or 3 weeks and then boil them, they peel easily. Unwashed eggs will probably never peel, because the natural coating on the eggshells keeps them from drying out.
 
Oh, thanks for egg washing info, I was told the other way I think, but yours makes sense. We'll do that. we only wash them when boiling....because the spoon touches the shell when you crack it,

I really like fresh boiled eggs, though. Yes that membrane bit is there, but I either eat eggs hot with soldiers, or manage to get it off. I prefer same day or day old eggs for boiling and poaching.
 
I usually chill the eggs in cold water after cooking them and cracking the shells. This stops the cooking process and makes shelling easier. However, the OP wanted soft cooked eggs for eating and would probably prefer them hot/warm.
 
Never in a million years did I think there could be so much discussion on the subject of boiling an egg! To be honest I thought the thread title was a lure to bait people into looking at the thread, lol!
 
For poached eggs I understand the vinegar and maybe the salt but for eggs in the shell I don't know what the advantage is. I start with cold water covering the eggs and bring that to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes and let them stand covered for 15 minutes. Next they go into an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. I like to peel them ASAP as they seem to peel much better then if they set in their shells.
 
Lulu, I think when most Americans talk about boiling eggs, they are talking about hard cooked eggs to shell for egg salad or deviled eggs. If you soft cook eggs, and take only the top off to dip your "soldiers" (toast strips, right?) then peeling them is not an issue.

Also, spoons don't come into the equation anywhere during peeling hard cooked eggs.

So, I am with you on eating fresh eggs--I like mine cooked in a pan with butter, over easy (firm white, runny yolk) with toasted bagels or English muffins for dipping.

Nothing like that big orange yolk from a real chicken who eats bugs and grass.

(Guess what I am going to have for lunch today?)
 
vagriller said:
Never in a million years did I think there could be so much discussion on the subject of boiling an egg!

Neither did I :ohmy: , but I must say I've been reading this thread with great interest. I learn something new every day on this site... like this:

sparrowgrass said:
Which brings me back to boiliing eggs. If you have your own chickens, and eggs are really fresh, they WILL NOT peel. The problem is the membrane inside the egg, which, when the egg is fresh, sticks tight to the egg white and to the shell. You need to let the eggs dry out a bit to be able to peel them.

Thru experimentation, I found that if I wash the eggs, store them in the fridge for 2 or 3 weeks and then boil them, they peel easily. Unwashed eggs will probably never peel, because the natural coating on the eggshells keeps them from drying out.

Of course, my eggs are never that fresh... but it's good info.

.
 
Yes, I was talking about eating hot boiled eggs, when I make hardboiled eggs I use fresh ones too though. I think it might be pschological, but I like fresh eggs!

These guys in the picture are the current layers, obviously, they were chicks here! the boy is almost two foot now....Gregory Peck and his girlfriends...Ginger Rodgers, Hedy Lamarr, Claudette, Joan Crawford & Zeppa (she was, we though Zeppo).

Fresh, grass rich eggs are something else!
 

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sparrowgrass said:
I like mine cooked in a pan with butter, over easy (firm white, runny yolk) with toasted bagels or English muffins for dipping.

Yum :-p !

Sounds perfect (although, I do like the versatility of the egg... and the egg's 'source' for that matter).
 
I really can't believe there are 4 pages on this. If hard-boiling eggs was the major production some of you make it, I'd never use them - lol!!!

I put my eggs into a saucepan with cold water to cover & bring them just to a boil. I reduce the heat to a simmer & cook them for 1-2 minutes (1 minute for 1-2 eggs; 2 minutes for multiple eggs). I then turn off the heat, cover the pan, & leave them for 15 minutes.

What do I end up with? Perfectly hard-cooked eggs with no green-ringed yolks or rubbery whites. Go figure.

Sorry - can't understand what the big problem is.
 
How cute Lulu!
Yep, fresh is best.
We only have two laying right now but.. the other two are just about laying age. Can't wait to have four farm fresh eggs every morning.
 
When I was growing up we had about anywhere from 20-30 chickens. I hated them then. My brother and I had to collect eggs and clean the chicken coop. Not fun in the winter. Maybe that is why I never liked eggs much till I left home.
 
VA... I'd much rather clean our chickens in the winter. It smells a lot less. Then again we only have four ( had five but my youngest cutest sweetest one died Saturday).
 
pdswife said:
VA... I'd much rather clean our chickens in the winter. It smells a lot less. Then again we only have four ( had five but my youngest cutest sweetest one died Saturday).

Sorry to hear that! You mean you'd rather clean the chicken coop in the winter? That was the worst because the floor would be a wet mix of hay and droppings. Not fun! I would also wait too long and it was very heavy (uphill both to the compost pile and back!).:ROFLMAO:
 
It all depends

What an interesting thread!

It would all seem to depend on:

The initial temperature of the eggs.
The size of the eggs.
The initial temperature of the water
How much water (how big a pan)
The rate of heating (how hot a burner/electric element)
The time to get to 212 (or whatever temp. the water boils at - I wonder how long it takes at 10,000 ft?)

Everyone probably gets varying results, and modifies their technique until they are acceptable.

On our latest smooth top (small size element)
Using a small saucepan that holds 7 large eggs
eggs at refrigerator temp.
water at 55 to 60 tap temperature.
Perfection is: bring to a boil, boil 4 minutes, rest 20 minutes covered, and cool in tap water to stop the cooking.

My wife boils for 5 minutes, and rests for 10. She claims I'm all wrong, of course:rolleyes:
 
Lots of great discussion here about a simple process.
Kinda reminds me about the different methods we use to cook rice!
For hard boiled eggs, I put cold eggs (usually a week old) into a pot of cold water (to cover), bring them to a simmer, cover with a lid, take them off the heat and set for 17 minutes. Drain the hot water, cover with cold water to stop cooking, crack and peel under cold running water. Yokes are always yellow, whites are nice and firm and no nasty smell:)
 
Oh yes - you definitely need slightly "aged" eggs if you want to be able to peel them without removing half the egg with the shell.

When I used to raise my own chickens, I always kept some apart in a dated carton in the fridge specifically for hardboiling. Wouldn't even think of boiling them for at least a week and a half to two weeks. You really need that increased interior air space for neat & easy peeling.
 

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