Boiled eggs (also known as Dippy Eggs) are eggs (typically chicken's eggs) cooked by immersion in boiling water with their shells unbroken. Eggs cooked in water without their shells are known as poached eggs. Hard-boiled eggs are either boiled long enough for the egg white and then the egg yolk to solidify, or they are left to cool down, which will gradually solidify them, while a soft-boiled egg yolk, and sometimes even the white, remains at least partially liquid. The egg timer was so-named due to its common usage in timing the boiling of eggs. Boiled eggs are a popular breakfast food in many countries around the world.
Contents |
Soft-boiled eggs
Soft-boiled eggs are not recommended for people who may be susceptible to salmonella, such as very young children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems.[1]
Serving
Soft boiled eggs, also known as Chucky Eggs, are commonly served in egg cups, where the top of the egg is cut off with a knife, spoon or egg scissors, using a teaspoon to scoop the egg out. Other methods include breaking the eggshell by tapping gently around the top of the shell with a spoon.[2] Soft-boiled eggs can be eaten with buttered toast cut into strips, which are then dipped into the runny yolk. In the United Kingdom, these strips of toast are known as 'soldiers'.[3]
Hard-boiled eggs
Hard-boiled eggs are boiled for longer than soft-boiled eggs, long enough for the yolk to solidify.[4] They can be eaten warm or cold. Hard-boiled eggs are the basis for many dishes, such as egg salad, Cobb salad and Scotch eggs.
There are several theories as to the proper technique of hard-boiling an egg. One method is to bring water to a boil and cook for eight minutes. Another method is to bring the water to a boil, but then remove the pan from the heat and allow eggs to cook in the gradually cooling water.[5] Others prescribe cooking in continually boiling water over heat for a shorter period of time.[4]
Over-cooking eggs will typically result in a thin green sulfur coating on the yolk. Immersing the egg in cold water after boiling is a common method of halting the cooking process to prevent this effect.[5] It also causes a slight shrinking of the contents of the egg, easing the removal of the shell.
Hard-boiled eggs in their shells can be stored in the refrigerator for days to weeks.[6][7][8]
Peeling
Hard-boiled eggs can vary widely in how easy it is to peel away the shells. In general, the fresher an egg before boiling, the more difficult it is to separate the shell cleanly from the egg white. As a fresh egg ages after being processed for human consumption, it gradually loses both moisture and carbon dioxide through pores in the shell; as a consequence, the contents of the egg shrink and the pH of the albumen becomes more basic. Albumen with higher pH (more basic) is less likely to stick to the egg shell, while pockets of air develop in eggs that have lost significant amounts of moisture, also making eggs easier to peel.[9] Adding baking soda to the boiling water can help make it easier to peel the eggs.
See also
References
- ^ "Plan Under Way to Help Lessen Risks from Contaminated Eggs". FDA Consumer magazine. http://www.fda.gov/FDAC/departs/1999/599_upd.html. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
- ^ "Fine Manners for Fine Dining". http://www.metro.ca/recevoir-le-monde/art-de-recevoir/abc-belle-table/etiquette-table/elegance-bonnes-manieres-table.en.html#10035544. Retrieved 2006-12-19..
- ^ "Egg with Toast Soldiers". http://www.icons.org.uk/nom/nominations/eggandsoldiers. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
- ^ a b "Soft-Cooked Eggs, Medium-Cooked Eggs, and Hard-Cooked Eggs". http://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggs/BoiledEggs.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
- ^ a b "The Egg Files Transcript". http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/Season1/Egg/EggTranscript.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
- ^ "Learn More About Eggs". http://www.aeb.org/LearnMore/Faqs.htm. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
- ^ "Egg-ucation". http://www.bfhd.wa.gov/edu/eggucation.php. Retrieved 2006-12-19. - suggests boiled eggs can be stored refrigerated for one week
- ^ "About Eggs". http://melindalee.com/hardboileggs.html. Retrieved 2006-12-19. - suggests boiled eggs can be stored refrigerated 2-3 weeks
- ^ Alexis Madrigal, "Why Eggs Could Be Getting Harder to Peel", Wired, 2009-10-16. Accessed 2009-10-18.
External links
 |
Wikibooks has a book on the topic of |
|
Wikibooks has a book on the topic of |
- Boiling an Egg - Science Background
- Boiling of eggs for molecular gastronomers
- wiki articles on how to boil an egg, poach an egg, and soft boil an egg. An overview of all processes for boiling eggs.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
