Heat-Sensitive Ink for Hard Boiling Eggs

[johnsmith45678]

DESPITE the best efforts of Delia Smith, millions of Britons will readily admit that they cannot boil an egg.

The experts at the British Egg Information Service have been inundated with queries — so much so that they have decided to eliminate the guesswork once and for all.

Their solution? A self-timing egg imbued with the powers of heat-sensitive invisible ink that turns black the minute that it is ready. All you need to do is decide whether you prefer your eggs soft, medium or hard-boiled, and buy accordingly.

Link

Myself, I don't know how to tell whether an egg is soft vs. medium vs. hard boiled. What I usually do is boil them for a few minutes, then use the "spin" test (spin the eggs on the counter top).

[srhcb]

It's a good thing water comes in clearly labeled bottles now or the task of cooking an egg would still be beyond some people's means?

SB

[Luckylies]

eh, it's a good idea- the eggs should have three different colors of ink, for soft, medium and hard. You shouldn't have to buy a whole carton of the same "type" of eggs

[Grub]

It takes all of ten seconds to learn how to make a hard cooked egg:

1) Fill pot with water until it just covers the eggs.

2) Bring to a boil and remove from heat.

3) Leave for 15 minutes, drain then run some cold water over 'em.

That's it. Never failed me. For soft, leave for 3-4 minutes. Medium 8-9 minutes.

I dunno when we reached our apex, but we're definitely on some kind of an evolutionary, intellectual and cultural slope at this stage. Man...

[johnsmith45678]

^ I prefer the recipe that takes only 4-5 minutes. ;P

[Grub]

^ I prefer the recipe that takes only 4-5 minutes. ;P

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Well cool; please share -- how do you cook a hardboiled egg in 4-5 minutes?

[Mimi Sheraton]

It would seem that timing depends somewhat on the egg's temperature just before it is cooked...Chilled direct from refrigerator? Out in a room 10-15 minutes? Also, doesn't size of egg matter? Jumbo vs. small or medium? In articles I have written on eggs, I found that the serious egg professionals rarely buy anything larger than medium - a matter of quality.

[srhcb]

It would seem that timing depends somewhat on the egg's temperature just before it is cooked...Chilled direct from refrigerator? Out in a room 10-15 minutes?  Also, doesn't size of egg matter? Jumbo vs. small or medium?  In articles I have written on eggs, I found that the serious egg professionals rarely buy anything larger than medium - a matter of quality.

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Eggs should be stored in the refrigerator.

The size of the egg doesn't matter enough to alter the results because the key factors, ie: enough eggs to cover the bottom of the pan, the water level about qne inch above eggs, and the fact that water brought to a rolling boil is always about 212 degrees and 15 minutes is always 15 minutes allows X amount of heat to be transfered from the water to the eggs to hard cook them (NOT hard boil).

As with any cooking, your results might vary slightly. With my electric range and the pan I use, I hard cook 7-8 eggs by leaving them set for 16 minutes before cooling.

I think the main reason professionals use medium eggs is because thay're cheaper.

SB (fan of Shirley Corriher)

PS: Set the carton on its side 24 hrs before cooking if you want nice centered yolks)

[Carolyn Tillie]

^ I prefer the recipe that takes only 4-5 minutes. ;P

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Well cool; please share -- how do you cook a hardboiled egg in 4-5 minutes?

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Interesting that THIS version of the same story expands on how various chefs cook eggs. Mrs. Beeton, for example, does it in 3.5 minutes.

[johnsmith45678]

Also, doesn't size of egg matter? Jumbo vs. small or medium?  In articles I have written on eggs, I found that the serious egg professionals rarely buy anything larger than medium - a matter of quality.

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Why are medium eggs supposedly considered higher quality?

[Daniel Rogov]

Don't knock ignorance. After all, it can make us chuckle. I recall about ten years ago receiving a letter from a reader that asked: "I know how to boil water but tell me why the bubbles stop the minute I take the pot off the stove"

[patticky]

I love the put-the-carton-on-its-side trick to center the eggs. Gotta try that. Thanks.

[srhcb]

Also, doesn't size of egg matter? Jumbo vs. small or medium?  In articles I have written on eggs, I found that the serious egg professionals rarely buy anything larger than medium - a matter of quality.

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Why are medium eggs supposedly considered higher quality?

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I suspect maybe this has more to do with consistency than quality? Professionals would measure eggs by weight, and having the same white/yolk ratio could be important in recipes. Since medium eggs are cheaper, the recipes would be written for them.

Also, since professional and commercial users by them in huge quantities, maybe the medium eggs tend to be fresher?

SB (btw: hard cooked older eggs peel easier)

Edited August 1, 2006 by srhcb (log)

[alanamoana]

what is a "serious egg professional"?

restaurants and such use large eggs.

[Mimi Sheraton]

In answer to questions: A serious egg professional or just an egg professional - is someone in the egg business....either by running an egg farm, or by selling eggs at wholesale or retail levels or as itinerant butter-and-egg men if any are left, or as a food scientist specializing in eggs as many do at Cornell and other Ag schools.

The reasons such experts choose medium to small eggs has nothing to do with price, only quality. The older a hen gets and as her vent expands, the bigger eggs she lays. But, as I was told at a Cornell egg lab long ago when I did a story on this, there is always the same amount of material to form an egg-shell no matter the size of the egg.. That means larger eggs have thinner shells and, therefore, do not keep as well and are subject to more contamination by odors and temperature. In addition, younger hens, like younger women, are more likely to produce healthier off-spring at peak breeding years.

[srhcb]

.... there is always the same amount of material to form an egg-shell no matter the size of the egg.. That means larger eggs have thinner shells and, therefore, do not keep as well and are subject to more contamination by odors and temperature.

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That's fascinating.

I was speaking of "food professionals" rather than "egg (industry) professionals". I wonder if they know about this?

SB (always likes to learn something new and esoteric)

[Shalmanese]

I suspect maybe this has more to do with consistency than quality?  Professionals would measure eggs by weight, and having the same white/yolk ratio could be important in recipes.  Since medium eggs are cheaper, the recipes would be written for them.

Also, since professional and commercial users by them in huge quantities, maybe the medium eggs tend to be fresher?

SB (btw: hard cooked older eggs peel easier)

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Huh, I'm pretty sure the convention for recipe books is large eggs.

[Grub]

Interesting that THIS version of the same story expands on how various chefs cook eggs.  Mrs. Beeton, for example, does it in 3.5 minutes.

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Those recipes are all for soft boiled eggs, though. The steeping (is that the right word?) method I described (which came from Better Homes & Gardens) also takes 3-4 minutes -- not including the time it takes to bring the water to a boil.

That's a great article, by the way. Although Michel Roux's method doesn't seem to make sense to me: put the eggs in the the water and bring to a simmer of medium heat and IMMEDIATELY remove them -- no boiling, and no steeping! How can that be enough to cook an egg, even if it is soft?

These renowned authorities all have completely different methods complete with elaborate explanations as to why this is the best way. That's kind of amazing, to me.

Even CI's America's Test Kitchen book seems at odds with their normal optimal, practical methods for hard-boiled egg -- they use the same method as the Better Homes & Gardens as I described, only they let the egg sit just for 10 minutes and then place it in ice water for 5. Now, I'm not sure that's enough to cook it hard, although the residual heat will still work on the inside of the egg while it is in the ice water. I tried letting an egg sit for 13 minutes, and then ran some cold water over it, and that left the center of the yolk "moist" -- a slightly darker color. And most of all, the Test Kichen recipe calls for an entire tray of ice cubes -- that's a little extra bit of hassle...

I wish the Test Kitchen book had spent more time on the hard cooked egg, but it is only mentioned very briefly in the salad section (the Egg & Breakfast section covers scrambled, poached, fried and omelette and frittatas galore, but not a word on boiled eggs. I guess it must be a European thing to eat eggs for breakfast. I tried ordering a hardboiled egg at Denny's once, and that didn't work out too good...

[srhcb]

Although Michel Roux's method doesn't seem to make sense to me: put the eggs in the the water and bring to a simmer of medium heat and IMMEDIATELY remove them -- no boiling, and no steeping! How can that be enough to cook an egg, even if it is soft?

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Think of it as raising the temperature of x number of eggs y degrees by adding z btus via heated water. Then the only question is, for how long?

Eggs in the shell, like eggs out of the shell, benefit from long, slow cooking, so the more gently you can raise the heat, the better they'll be.

SB (another tip: a little salt in the water seems to help seal any "leakers")

[Mimi Sheraton]

Salt in the water may help but what really works is an egg piercer that punches a tiny, needle tip hole in the wide bottom of the egg before it is placed in water. Egg piercers are real devices and come in various forms. By letting some air out of the egg, it prevents expansion and brusting..It is also said that covering the pan tightly while eggs are boiling causes bursting - as with hot dogs or other sausages that are boiled...O.K. Not boiled - simmered.

[srhcb]

oops!

posted twice

Edited August 3, 2006 by srhcb (log)

[srhcb]

Salt in the water may help but what really works is an egg piercer that punches a tiny, needle tip hole in the wide bottom of the egg before it is placed in water. Egg piercers are real devices and come in various forms.  By letting some air out of the egg, it prevents expansion and brusting.

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I heard this called the "Dutch Method", although nobody could ever explain why.

I used to punch the hole with a (boiled) thumb tack, and I guess it worked fairly well. The only drawback was that ocassionally an egg would shatter in my hand.

And, somehow I always felt a bit guilty about violating the sanctity of the egg.

[Mimi Sheraton]

As a matter of fact, I bought the two egg piercers I use in Amsterdam. But I have seen another style in kitchen utensil places in Paris and in germany. Maybe try Bridge Co. in NYC. Anyway, you defiled sanctity as soon as you took the egg from the chicken. And, as they say, you can't make an omelette without.....you know the rest. With a proper egg piercer, you will not shatter the egg.

[Grub]

Eggs in the shell, like eggs out of the shell, benefit from long, slow cooking, so the more gently you can raise the heat, the better they'll be.

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Ah, interesting. In what way will they be better? In the Daily Mail article Carolyn Tillie quoted, Michel Roux says that with his method (eggs put into cold water, brought to a simmer over medium heat and immediately removed), they'll never be rubbery. But I've tried doing some hardboiled eggs now in a rolling boil (rather than my earlier steeping method) and they don't seem any more rubbery...

[srhcb]

Eggs in the shell, like eggs out of the shell, benefit from long, slow cooking, so the more gently you can raise the heat, the better they'll be.

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Ah, interesting. In what way will they be better? In the Daily Mail article Carolyn Tillie quoted, Michel Roux says that with his method (eggs put into cold water, brought to a simmer over medium heat and immediately removed), they'll never be rubbery. But I've tried doing some hardboiled eggs now in a rolling boil (rather than my earlier steeping method) and they don't seem any more rubbery...

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I guess rubberiness is in the mouth of the beholder?