Is boiling an egg that important?What is a “perfectly boiled egg”?
Lets find out….
Breaking an egg,the right way…
The Traditional Method
It can’t be done after the yolk is broken/pierced. But, of course, separating white from yolk requires that you break the egg shell to separate them.
- Break egg roughly in halves along its “equator.”
- Hold both halves broken side up, like cups. One of them contains egg white and the yolk, and the other only egg white.
- Empty the egg whites from the half-shell without yolk into a receptacle (e.g. bowl).
- Slide the yolk from the other half-shell into the empty shell, taking with it as small an amount of egg white as possible. Pay attention to the yolk; you must not pierce it at the jagged shell edges.
- Repeat steps 3 and 4 until there is no longer separable egg white remaining. Generally, it is OK to have a tiny amount of whites with the yolks, so you don’t have to separate perfectly. It can happen that yolk gets pierced.
If you need the egg whites (e.g. for meringue), don’t use the ones into which yolk has bled, even if it is a tiny amount. Dump both yolk and contaminated whites into the yolk bowl (or trash). If your yolk is pierced and you need the yolks (e.g. for hollandaise) and there is still lots of egg whites with the yolk, you have to continue separating. But if you suspect that you might need the whites pure, just put the contaminated whites from this egg in a separate receptacle (e.g. a teacup) and add them to something which uses whole eggs.
This YouTube video by updowngroupfood illustrates the method nicely, only they crack the egg into two different-sized “halves.” For me, it works better when the halves are of equal size.
The Hands-On Shortcut
The traditional method is as Rumtscho describes. I got tired of this method for several reasons:
1. Egg shells are dirty.
2. Shells get in the egg (especially with home collected eggs which have much thicker shells than store purchased eggs).
3. Egg shells are sharp and it’s hard to keep yolks whole.
4. That method just takes too long if you need more than two eggs.Now I just crack the egg into my hand (which has been thoroughly washed – cleaner than an eggshell). I hold my fingers a little apart and let the white slip through, leaving the yolk in my hand. Quick and simple. Regardless of the method that you use you should use three bowls: one for the collected whites, one for the white you are working on, and one for the yolks.
Remember: only dump the current white into the collected whites after verifying that the yolk is whole. That way you don’t spoil all your whites with one broken yolk
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- Prep Time: 2
- Cook Time: 1
- Ready Time: 3
Ingredients
- Eggs A thick bottomed pan Strainer
Recipe Steps:
- Successfully boiling an egg is quite simple, really -- all you need is a pot of water and a timer, and you're on your way to creamy yolks and glistening whites. We've found that the easiest way is the best way, and it just requires a few steps.
- First things first: the freshest eggs aren't best for boiling -- they're difficult to peel. If you get your eggs from a local farm, use week-old eggs. If you're buying from a regular grocer, boil away -- they've likely had a few days of rest on the shelf
- Place your eggs in a pot with enough cold water to cover them by about one inch. Heat your pot on high, uncovered, and then turn off your heat just a second before your water reaches a boil. Cover your pot immediately and let the eggs sit for 6 to 10 minutes. Make sure to set a timer here -- an extra minute of cooking time can make a big difference.
- After your chosen number of minutes have passed, run your eggs under cold water until they are cool to the touch. Alternately, you can transfer your eggs to a bowl filled with ice water. Cooling your eggs quickly will keep them from overcooking and save you from that unsettling (but harmless!) green ring that can form around the yolk.
- Set the bowl aside until the eggs cool completely, or peel immediately for instant gratification. Remember to be gentle when peeling your eggs -- it's easy to get aggressive, whacking them against the counter with reckless abandon. Instead, tap each egg gently on the counter all over to crack it. Roll the egg between your hands to loosen the shell, and then peel, starting at the large end. Peeling your egg while holding it under cold water will make the process easier and wash off any stray shell fragments. Finally, enjoy the fruits of your labor: bite right in, brown bag an egg salad sandwich, or whip up genius deviled eggs.
