Cracking the Code: The Perfect Boiled Egg
The Challenge of Achieving the Perfect Boiled Egg
Achieving the perfect boiled egg can be a challenge. The yolk cooks at a lower temperature than the white, making it difficult to achieve a velvety yolk and a soft, solid white. Hard boiling an egg can result in a chalky yolk, while cooking low and slow can produce jelly-like, undercooked whites.
Researchers Crack the Code
To tackle this runny conundrum, researchers cooked hundreds of eggs and used math to develop a solution. They created an equation to capture how heat travels between a hot surface and an egg, as well as another equation to describe how the egg’s contents morph from liquid to solid with a gel-like state in between.
The Periodic Cooking Method
The researchers’ final recipe involves transferring eggs in a steamer basket every two minutes between two bowls of water – one boiling and the other lukewarm at 86°F (30°C) – for a total of 32 minutes before cooling under running water and peeling. This "periodic cooking" method heats and cools the egg whites until fully set, while keeping the yolk at a constant temperature and cooking until creamy.
The Result: A Velvety Yolk and Soft, Solid White
The researchers tested their method by preparing eggs and serving them to a panel of eight tasters alongside traditional boiled eggs. The results were impressive, with a velvety yolk and a soft, solid white.
A New Technique for the Kitchen
According to food scientist Joanne Slavin, this new technique may require more time in the kitchen, but the blend of textures on the tongue could be worth the extra effort. "This is a slower process to get a better outcome," she said.
Conclusion
The researchers’ periodic cooking method has cracked the code for achieving the perfect boiled egg. By understanding how heat travels and the egg’s contents morph, they have developed a technique that produces a velvety yolk and a soft, solid white. This method may require more time and effort, but the results are worth it.
FAQs
Q: How does the periodic cooking method work?
A: The method involves transferring eggs in a steamer basket every two minutes between two bowls of water – one boiling and the other lukewarm at 86°F (30°C) – for a total of 32 minutes before cooling under running water and peeling.
Q: How does this method differ from traditional hard-boiling?
A: The periodic cooking method heats and cools the egg whites until fully set, while keeping the yolk at a constant temperature and cooking until creamy. This produces a velvety yolk and a soft, solid white.
Q: Is this method worth the extra time and effort?
A: According to food scientist Joanne Slavin, the blend of textures on the tongue could be worth the extra time and effort. "This is a slower process to get a better outcome," she said.
