Eggs in a steamer

[lmarshal1]

In a thread on steamer use, someone mentioned cooking hardboiled eggs in a steamer. I have two little egg cookers (one for 8 and one for 7 eggs) that make perfect eggs. I normally don't buy appliances that won't do multiple jobs, but these are wonderful and take up little space. One was a gift and the other was on the clearance table...so I only have $7 in them. But...I'm wondering about using a steamer to do more at once. Has anyone tried this? If so, how long do you steam them? How much water, etc.? Thanks. lkm

[mjmchef]

Hello Imarshal1,

I have had the best luck by cooking the eggs on a preferated hotel pan in the steamer for 11 minutes. Then they are submerged in an ice bath. They come out perfect everytime! When you want to get more daring and technical I can tell you of how to cook and egg for an hour and when it is finished comes out just cooked but still wobbly!

[Jinmyo]

We're speaking of chicken eggs?

I steam quail eggs (7-8 minutes) sometimes.

[lmarshal1]

mjmchef: What do you mean by a perforated hotel pan? I have an inexpensive Oster steamer with a perforated steamer insert. Would that work? I'm curious about the egg cooked for an hour. lkm

Edited September 8, 2004 by lmarshal1 (log)

[ladybugseattle]

doing a large batch of steamed eggs creates some problems as steam temperature can be much more variable than a steady 212ºf (Hint) and although it gets hotter than liquid water the lower specific heat of steam means there less total heat to cook the eggs i.e. less efficient. It also implies packing in a number of eggs will make the timing variable for one egg to the next as the eggs closest to the heat will cook faster and insulate the next egg. And don't you have to boil water to make steam anyway, I say boil 'em.

[lmarshal1]

Ladybugseattle: I have two little egg cookers that use less than a half cup of water each and take about 9 minutes to steam perfect eggs with yolks perfectly centered. I prick the big end of each egg (tiny pin prick) and put the eggs into the rack big end down. I figured that an all-purpose steamer might be able to hold maybe 10-12 at a time. When I boil eggs in a pan, the worst thing is the timing and the fact that the egg yolks are usually not centered, which doesn't matter if I'm just eating the eggs straight or chopping or slicing them for recipes but is a pain when I'm making deviled eggs. We have frequent family get-togethers and deviled eggs are

my specialty...frequently requested and always totally devoured. I was just hoping to make more at once by using a steamer. lkm

[mjmchef]

Hello Imarshal1,

As for the steaming of the chicken eggs. Again I cannot say how perfect the steamer works. Maybe I spelled it wrong but a preferated hotel pan is a chafing dish with holes. I get the steamer going, and when it is hot I place the eggs in and cook for exactly 11 minutes. Take them out and then submerge in an ice bath. I don't like the (BOILING) method as you get a chemical reaction from the metals in the pot that cause the yolks to turn green. I don't agree with ladybug. In a steamer you have more room to place eggs without the risk of cracking them when you cook them in water. You never boil eggs at 212 as the result is a green yolk due to the metals in the pot! When I have time I will explain the principles on new techniques in egg cooking. You will see Heston Blumenthal , Adria and Herve This using these new methods and people like Wylie Dufresne adapting them in the states!

[scott123]

I don't like the (BOILING) method as you get a chemical reaction from the metals in the pot that cause the yolks to turn green.

←

An iron pot can be a factor in ferrous sulfide formation in eggs, but the three major players are the iron in the yolk, the sulfur in the white and high heat. Green tinged eggs can occur in a glass pot. They can also just as easily occur in a steamer.

[dano1]

i believe we're talking about a different steamer. A commercial steamer takes hotel pans and puts the contents in a steam "bath". Ain't like using a steamer insert in your sauce pot.

hth, danny

[Porthos]

A faire friend posted about steaming eggs to hard cook them. I couldn't find anything on the subject here. Has it been discussed? If so, could someone reply with a link or links.

 

HIs technique: steam for 13 minutes then move into cool water to halt the cooking. I have been doing the "halt the cooking" part for a very long time with my traditionally-boiled eggs.

 

I am impressed with the results. The bigger test will come at a later date when I try doing 5 dozen eggs at a time.

 

[gfweb]

You can bake them in a slow oven too

[Smithy]

Great topic!  I've taken to steaming eggs rather than boiling them in the shell.  It saves on water, and in general seems to produce eggs that peel more easily.  I still haven't tried a full-blown study of this, as in splitting batches and keeping records.  I use a steamer insert in a small pan, bring the water to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and put the lid on.  I haven't tried timing either, but at somewhere around 8 - 10 minutes I turn the heat off and let the eggs cool while the lid is still on the pan.

 

The most recent discussion I can find is when Anna N raised the issue in the "Breakfast! 2014" topic in this post, and some discussion of the technique ensued.

 

I'll be interested to see how the full-blown test runs.  Do please keep us informed; maybe you'll inspire me to actually start keeping records, too.  

[blue_dolphin]

Just this weekend, I tried the recipe that Kenji wrote up in April on Serious Eats.

I steamed mine for 12 minutes and they were perfect.

 

Edited to add:  See also this The Food Lab: The Hard Truth About Boiled Eggs where he says that a "hot start" is key to easy peeling.

Edited June 2, 2014 by blue_dolphin (log)

[scubadoo97]

I've been steaming my eggs for a while now.

Also tried pressure cooking. 5 min at pressure with a natural release using just a cup of water

Both worked well. Steaming was just easier. Eggs should be room temp to avoid cracking and leaking. Usually steam for 8-9 min then ice down.

The eggs I did for this salad where cooked for 7 min

Edited June 2, 2014 by scubadoo97 (log)

[Kerry Beal]

I steam mine in my thermomix.  Perfectly cooked.

[Porthos]

The eggs I did for this salad where cooked for 7 min

 

In this picture the yolks don't look completely set. Is that correct?

[andiesenji]

Several months ago America's Test Kitchen did a segment on steaming eggs - noted there was no dark border around the yolks.

 

Since I have been using various egg cookers (I also collect them) for decades and they steam the eggs, this was nothing new to me.

 

I even have one that is so ancient, it does not have a regular 2-prong plug - it was made so the "plug" would screw into a light socket.  And it still works!

 

 

The absolute best one of all the ones I own and have owned is still the vintage Oster - from the '70s and '80s. 

[scubadoo97]

In this picture the yolks don't look completely set. Is that correct?

correct. I intended to leave them just under cooked. 7 min was perfect for this. 10 min and they are completely cooked through Edited June 2, 2014 by scubadoo97 (log)

[Porthos]

This is one of my 13 minute eggs. The yolks are fully set but there is no beginning of the grey-green darkening at the outside of the yolk.  Peeling eggs is not normally a concern since I age eggs first before hard-cooking them.

 

 

 

[Martin Fisher]

I've steamed then since back in the mid-80's.

I pre-heat the water in a pan with a steamer basket.
Gently set in the eggs and cover.
About 12-13 minutes to hard cook a large egg....less time for room temp eggs.
Run under cold water to cool.
Crack both ends on the counter. Tap, tap!
Roll the egg across the counter on it’s side to loosen the rest of the shell, then peel under cold running water starting at the large end.
Works like a charm!

[dcarch]

All these tests, experiments, all seem to assume that all egg are the same, as if they are all laid by the same kind of chickens.

 

How many breeds of chickens? Old chickens lay the same eggs as young ones? Does it matter what they eat? Morning laid eggs v.s. evening laid eggs? Winter eggs? Summer eggs? Caged? Free ranged?

 

All I have seen is that fresh eggs cook differently than old eggs.

 

dcarch

[Smithy]

Your points are valid, dcarch, and it's one of my justifications for not getting too heavily into the data collection. I can control for breed of chicken and age of eggs, since they come from the neighbor down the road when I'm home, but then those results might not apply to your standard supermarket eggs from some factory farm.

What about the statistical approach, however? If one compares the results of two different cooking methods for long enough and for many eggs from different sources, I think that would be a pretty strong indicator that the cooking method is more important than the source, feed, time of year and so on. Note that I said "would be". I haven't done that level of effort, and I don't know whether anyone else here has. Maybe we need to do a collaborative effort?

[Norm Matthews]

Several years ago my son brought home a Nordic Ware that steams eggs in the microwave. I was skeptical but it works.  6 to 8 minutes steams the eggs and they peel easy and do not have a green ring.  The eggs are shielded from the microwaves while the steam cooks them quickly.  The steamer will only do 4 eggs at a time but that has not been a serious problem for me.  Here is a link to what they look like.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-64802-Microwave-Boiler/dp/B0007M2BN0

[dcarch]

Your points are valid, dcarch, and it's one of my justifications for not getting too heavily into the data collection. -------

 

 

Not trying to be an egghead about this ( ), in the tests, it would be nice to know what is sticking to the shell, the membrane or the egg white.

 

dcarch

[Norm Matthews]

All these tests, experiments, all seem to assume that all egg are the same, as if they are all laid by the same kind of chickens.

 

How many breeds of chickens? Old chickens lay the same eggs as young ones? Does it matter what they eat? Morning laid eggs v.s. evening laid eggs? Winter eggs? Summer eggs? Caged? Free ranged?

 

All I have seen is that fresh eggs cook differently than old eggs.

 

dcarch

 

Grocery store large grade AA eggs are all close enough to being the same size and age that there isn't a need for concern over the differences.   If you raise your own chickens or get them from a farmer down the road, those concerns might be valid. Fresh eggs tend to be harder to peel but  steaming them seems to ameliorate that problem.  This is an observation made from using this steamer for about 7 years.

 

Most recipes expect one to use large eggs for use in baking. 

Edited June 3, 2014 by Norm Matthews (log)