Posted on 02/06/2025 4:27:29 PM PST by Red Badger
Scientists have developed an innovative cooking technique that perfects the balance between a firm egg white and a soft, rich yolk.
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Boiling eggs just got a scientific upgrade. By alternating an egg between boiling and cool water, researchers have found a way to cook both the yolk and white optimally — leading to better texture and higher nutritional content than traditional methods.
A newly developed cooking method called periodic cooking offers a way to perfectly cook both the yolk and white of a boiled egg, according to a study published today (February 6) in Communications Engineering. This technique produces an evenly cooked egg with a better nutritional profile than traditional boiling or sous vide methods.
Cooking an egg evenly is a challenge because the yolk and white solidify at different temperatures — the white (albumen) at 85°C (185°F) and the yolk at 65°C (149°F). Traditional boiling at 100°C (212°F) fully sets the yolk but can overcook the white, while sous vide cooking at 60-70°C (140-158°F) for an hour leaves the white undercooked.
Periodic Cooking: A Game-Changing Technique
To solve this, Pellegrino Musto and his team used computational fluid dynamics simulations to design an improved cooking process. Their method involves repeatedly moving an egg between boiling water (100°C / 212°F) and cooler water (30°C /86°F) every two minutes for a total of 32 minutes.
This process, dubbed periodic cooking, was tested in real-life experiments alongside traditional hard-boiled, soft-boiled, and sous vide eggs. The results were analyzed for texture, taste, and chemical composition using advanced techniques such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry.
Texture, Taste, and Nutritional Perks
Periodically-cooked eggs had a soft yolk similar to that of a sous vide egg, while the consistency of the white was somewhere between that of sous vide and soft-boiled. Temperatures in the periodically-cooked egg white ranged between 35 and 100 degrees Celsius during cooking, while the yolk remained at a consistent temperature of 67 degrees Celsius. Chemical analysis suggested that the periodically-cooked egg yolks also contained more polyphenols — micronutrients which have been explored for their health benefits.
The authors believe their approach could also have applications in the curing and crystallization of other materials.
Reference:
“Periodic cooking of eggs”
February 2025, Communications Engineering.
DOI: 10.1038/s44172-024-00334-w
I steam mine about 18 minutes. Then run under cold water about 1 minute. They come out perfect - shells peel off easy & clean.
What’s next, from these moronic dimwits?
Better ways to jack off?
Don’t know where their funding came from, but if it is American taxpayers, shut them down with prejudice...
Just be sure not to place them on the “As” block.
Here it is, Freep folks. A culmination of researching everyone’s “perfect’’ boiled egg recipes and much trial and error. This is the simplest successful recipe I came up with.
1.) Add 3 inches of water to a 2 1/2 quart saucepan.
2.) Bring to a boil.
3.) Carefully add 7 large eggs directly from the refrigerator.
4.) Boil for 11 minutes.
5.) Dump out the hot water and set the pan under a stream of cold water.
6.) Swirl the pan around, jostling the eggs until they are all cracked all over. You may need to dump some of the water out to get enough jostling.
7.) Shell the eggs immediately under a stream of cold water, which gets under the egg membranes and facilitates a nice clean end product.
The amount of water and the heaviness of the boil should be the same every time. The only variable is the timing. If they come out too soft for your taste, next time boil them 12 minutes. If they are too hard, next time cook them for 10 minutes. Play with the timing until you get them the way you like. Personally, I like the yokes a tiny by moist, but when I make them for a salad, I cook them longer.
And that’s it. Ignore any other advise you get. This recipe works better than any other I’ve tried, and I’ve tried them all.
Oh, and fresher eggs are more difficult to shell than older eggs.
my 8 minute eggs have a bright yellow yolk
i like that
gonna try
thanks
Interval training...
I buy them already boiled.
What does that do? I can't seem to peel an egg to save my life. Does this help me do that?
I went back to the post you responded to and take it that the vinegar does something to help the egg peel. Does it soften the shell?
50 minutes????????????????????
Yes, the shell is primarily calcium and the vinegar is 5% acetic acid, which dissolves a little of the shell making it weaker............
But, do they know that tapping trick to make it peel easily?
Back in the day, girls were required to take Home Ec. Boys were not allowed to take the class.
Many things my spouse does drives me crazy but she cooks perfect boiled eggs for years. Cold water to start, bring to a rolling boil, let sit in covered saucepan until cool, chill. Didn’t get any Government Funding .
I’ll stick with my method, works fine.
Yep, 12-14 minutes, cool immediately and peel or refrigerate.
That's the standard cook book process, I use it and it works fine.
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