| I've lost the ability to boil a egg...
Posted: 2/12/2009 10:57:42 PM | I'm looking for a little help here...
Somehow I've lost the ability to boil a egg, well actually the ability to boil a perfect soft boiled egg that I can actually peel the shell from!
I've always loved a soft boiled egg, for breakfast, for a snack, anytime really, and I've never had a problem before, they've always turned out perfect, nice and soft yokes, fully set whites with a shell that just fell away...
That was until I took a break from them for about 6 months....
I've always followed the same procedure, but lately its stopped working. First I thought it was the egg (never blame the cook), so I've tried different brands with no success, and different methods but every time I make them now, the shell sticks to the white rock hard, and pulls it off in big chunks leaving a disfigured, but edible egg. (the yoke is still perfect.)
1. Make sure the eggs aren't fresh - check... I let them age in the fridge for 4 or 5 days at least after buying them so the membrane can develop.
2. Let the eggs warm to room temperature.. Check
3. Put them in a pot, cover with about a inch of water and add a little sea salt to help with de-shelling and a little vinegar just in case they crack to keep the whites from floating away... Check
4. Put them on a burner over high heat, bring them to a gentle rolling boil, reduce the heat, cover and leave on a rolling boil for five and a half minutes (6 minutes for a large egg).... Check.
5. Take off the heat, move the eggs to a bowl full of ice water... Check.
6. After a couple of minutes and the eggs can be handled, crack the shell, roll it with a little pressure on some paper towel to crack the shell completely and "hopefully" separate the shell and membrane from the white.
7. Peel the egg cleanly with it almost sliding out of the shell... FAIL!...
Am I going insane here? Do the chickens have it out for me? I'm starting to go into withdrawal from not getting my beautiful soft boiled runny yoked egg fix.. Its turning into a obsession now to accomplish what I did before with no thought and always had perfect eggs...
Any help or advice? I have 2 dozen week old eggs in the fridge just begging to be boiled properly.... (I lied, I do have some other baking planned for the weekend, I haven't become that obsessed yet) .
Help! | |
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| I've lost the ability to boil a egg...
Posted: 2/12/2009 11:04:46 PM | Brown, not white eggs. Big diff. in taste and texture.
room temp (or close) eggs, put them in cold water, med. high heat, let it come to a slight boil then shut it off. run cold water into the pan to stop the cooking then peel it easily.
if you want hard boiled, just let it boil for 2-3 mins..
HTH | |
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| I've lost the ability to boil a egg...
Posted: 2/13/2009 5:22:13 AM | | I'd agree to cut back on the cooking time if you want a soft yoke. I never roll my eggs, of course that breaks the shell into a million pieces. Try to just tap it 3 - 4 times, then break on either end till to find the air pocket and work from there. Good luck and let us know what works for you. | |
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| I've lost the ability to boil a egg...
Posted: 2/13/2009 5:24:56 AM | I've been following the recipe from Yankee magazine for years. Really works for me..
In a saucepan cover the eggs with 1 inch of
room -temperature water.
Bring just to a boil (until the first bubble
comes to the surface).
Remove the pan from heat, cover, and let stand for 11
minutes (or up to 15 for extra large eggs).
Drain and rinse in cold
water.
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| I've lost the ability to boil a egg...
Posted: 2/13/2009 8:19:48 AM | | A natural follow-up question would be "Is one color of egg healthier than the other?" According to the Egg Nutrition Center in Washington, D.C., the answer is a pretty firm "no". The color of the shell has nothing to do with egg quality, nutritional value or flavor. They say the reason brown eggs cost more is because the brown-egg variety of chickens are bigger eaters and cost more to feed. The cost is then pushed forward to the consumer. I happen to believe the real reason is that the health food industry is perpetuating the myth that brown eggs are healthier. There, I said it. | |
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| I've lost the ability to boil a egg...
Posted: 2/13/2009 2:08:33 PM | I'd disagree with no difference in flavor . To me , white ones taste chalkier than brown ,
for lack of a better description . Otherwise I agree , but I'll pay the extra 30ยข a dozen for brown .
" Free Range " , etc , another story ........ 
Ditto 59's "boil recipe" , and rax's vinegar add .  | |
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| I've lost the ability to boil a egg...
Posted: 2/13/2009 2:16:20 PM | Older eggs work better than fresher for peeling... so since eggs can last up to about 3 weeks in the fridge (as long as you have kept them refrigerated) you will find the shells peel off in one piece the older your eggs are. Bringing them to room temperature before putting them in the pot will prevent cracks during boiling. But you can use them straight from the fridge if you pour cold water over them before you turn on the heat. As soon as the water boils fully set the timer for 6 minutes then plunge them in cold water to cool or they will overcook and get green yolks. Green yolks are a sign of over boiling. I also crack them all over and soak them in water a few minutes before removing the shells and that seems to make the task easier.
Just to let you know I have been a professional cook for about 30 years, starting when I was 12 in my family's restaurant. I am going to school this fall to get my baking and pastry certificate and fulfill a life long dream of having a bakery just like my grandfather did. | |
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| I've lost the ability to boil a egg...
Posted: 2/13/2009 4:22:02 PM | | ..It's kind of funny that the OP has been able to use fresh eggs for years without a problem, and now they don't seem to work. I have to agree though..that an older egg (at least 10 days to 2 weeks) is a good idea. There will be a bigger air pocket in these older eggs that might help him get that shell off without any damage. The rest of the ideas are all pretty good suggestions...Might be a segment for America's Test Kitchen in the making..LOL | |
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| I've lost the ability to boil a egg...
Posted: 2/13/2009 6:49:28 PM | Not sure about cutting back more on the cooking time, 5.5-6 minutes seems to give me my ideal yolk, just slightly set but still quite orange and slightly runny.
Thanks for all the suggestions, I do add vinegar, salt, and peel them while running under cold water.
I do have good news thought! SUCCESS!!! Took another crack at it (all pun intended) and cooked them exactly the same way I always have this time however I ended up with PERFECT EGGS AGAIN!
...and I think I figured out what it is...
All the eggs I've been buying recently they seem to be moving away from the Styrofoam or cardboard egg crates and have all started coming in clear plastic containers. I used to always take the eggs out of the container and put them in the egg shelf of the fridge, except I took that out a while ago when I cleaned the fridge to get more space.
The ones I cooked tonight were about a week old and came in a cardboard container, so my thinking is that the plastic cases don't allow the eggs to breath and loose some of their moisture over the week or so of aging like the vented containers do, so they are "fuller" more like a fresh egg (funny the plastic containers actually say "Stay Fresh Packaging helps keep eggs fresh longer!") so they don't have the little extra space to pull away from the shell when you cool them off, leaving the shell stuck in more places.
Regardless, I'm happy again! I'm just praying this isn't a fluke!  | |
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| I've lost the ability to boil a egg...
Posted: 2/13/2009 9:27:49 PM | Hi there I thought the quintessential soft yolked egg was a "3 minute egg" literally 3 minutes, 4 minutes for a bit firmer. I don't do any of that rolling it around, shocking in ice water or any of that. No salt or vinegar in the water. Just put it in the already boiling water, set the timer for 3 minutes, make the toast in the oven, and have it on the plate ready to go, pop the egg straightaway into an egg cup, cut the top off with a sharp knife and enjoy with toast. And now I'm looking forward to breakfast tomorrow morning!!
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| I've lost the ability to boil a egg...
Posted: 2/14/2009 7:52:49 PM |
Regardless, I'm happy again! I'm just praying this isn't a fluke!
I'm just praying you won't put us all through that garbage again.... I doubt if boiling an egg has anything to do with whatever carton or space is betweem the eggs....use common sense. | |
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| I've lost the ability to boil a egg...
Posted: 2/15/2009 6:01:30 PM | Really fast soft boiled egg!
Just fill a glass custard cup (one that is microwave safe) about 3/4's full of water. Add a dash of salt. Nuke for about 1 min. on high. Take out of the microwave and crack an egg into it and place back into the microwave at high for 30 sec. more for a very soft boiled egg. About 45 sec. for a med soft boiled egg. Just experiment with this a couple of times to get the perfect timing for you as each microwave is different.
Drain the water out of the custard cup or use a slotted spoon and place on toast or have on its own.
enjoy | |
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| I've lost the ability to boil a egg...
Posted: 2/16/2009 10:45:14 PM | I have to thank you Blues, for putting into work eggxactly what I couldn't....
As a Eng. I'd like to think I have great common sense and maybe follow the scientific method at times too much.
On a side note, I found the following from the US egg and poultry association website :
"... The older the raw egg, the larger the air sac is created due to moisture loss, and therefore the greater the egg contents must contract to accommodate the larger air sac. A greater degree of contraction leads to a easier to peel egg..."
I can't speak to everyones examples, but to mine at least from my eggsperience's, the way I've always cooked eggs works again, as long as I let them age in the fridge and not in a sealed plastic container.
Thanks for everyones help, I have a few additional ways to try to boil the perfect soft boiled egg now which I'll try, (it might just turn out a better egg and I'm all about that) but if you happen to run into egg boiling mishaps, maybe you'll check the carton and prove me right!  | |
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| I've lost the ability to boil a egg...
Posted: 2/17/2009 7:22:49 AM | Don't leave the eggs in the refrigerator for 4-5 days
because once you boil it, the inside will over cook
basically before you cook boiled soft eggs, take them
out over night so they can get warm once you wake up
SPIK3 | |
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| I've lost the ability to boil a egg...
Posted: 3/27/2009 3:44:27 PM | | Yeah, It really comes down to egg "freshness". This is ultimately influenced by many factors, which it seems you have discovered. I raised chickens for years and the only time I bought eggs from the store is when I wanted eggs to boil. In my experience all those various "tricks" don't mean diddly squat ! Luckily, there is one thing we can all agree on. Which came first! | |
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| I've lost the ability to boil a egg...
Posted: 3/30/2009 6:47:35 AM | Hello there give this a go. To boil an egg is about 7 or 8 mintues. When it done give it a twist the egg should spin like a top. Put the egg back in cold let sit a few minutes. Crack the shell on the pot and peel in the water the shell will slide more easily.  | |
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| I've lost the ability to boil a egg...
Posted: 8/11/2009 6:11:35 AM | I bring the water to a boil, put the eggs in, and then turn off the burner. I let them sit in the hot water for 25mins (give or take) and then replace the water with cold water and let them cool down.
Works like a charm.
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| I've lost the ability to boil a egg...
Posted: 8/11/2009 3:29:52 PM | | I have a flat stove. Usually, I put eggs in the boiler with water. When the water is boiled, I turn off the stove until the stove shows not hot. Then the eggs can be eaten. | |
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