How To Boil Healthy Eggs Without Cracking Any

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Many would agree that cooking eggs without cracking it's not easy. Exposure to cold eggs in warm or hot water can cause cracks. In addition, the shells may crack if the eggs come into contact with each other and with the bottom of the dish. To prevent cracking of the shells, handle the eggs very carefully, cook them over low heat and carefully monitor the temperature regime or rather the temperature difference between the eggs and the water.

Preparing the eggs for cooking

Remove the eggs from the refrigerator before cooking to warm them to room temperature. If you store eggs in the refrigerator, it is important to take them out before cooking so that they are not cold. As the egg warms up, the air in the air sac expands and begins to press on the shell, trying to find a way out. The shell contains pores that provide gas exchange between the embryo and the environment.

In the event of a sharp drop in temperature, this safety valve does not perform its duties, the pressure inside the egg increases significantly and the shell cracks. So wait for the eggs to warm to room temperature.

If you can't wait for the eggs to reach room temperature naturally, soak them in hot water for a few minutes before cooking.

Use eggs that are not too fresh, if possible. Two membranes cover the inside of the shell, they are called the inner and outer membrane of the shell. The outer membrane sticks to the eggshell and the inner membrane sticks to the egg white. They are closely interconnected and over time adhere tightly to the hard shell.

Make a small puncture with a needle or plunger to let the air out. Before dipping the egg in the water, pierce the blunt end of the egg with a needle or pinch to release the air. If you make a hole with the needle on the blunt end of the egg, you will see a stream of air blowing out of the hole.

Thanks to this, the shell will not crack when heated.

Arrange the eggs and place them in a bowl or saucepan. Be careful with the eggs very carefully to avoid cracking. Don't overdo it do not boil too many eggs at once. If you boil a lot of eggs, pay attention to the fact that they must all lie on the bottom of the pan in one layer.

If you are going to boil a large number of eggs, be prepared for some of them to crack under the weight of other eggs.

Check the freshness of the eggs by placing them in a bowl of salted water. If the egg sinks to the bottom, it is fresh. If an egg comes to the surface, it should probably no longer be eaten.

Place the folded cheesecloth on the bottom of the pan. This makes it less likely the eggs to crack.

Cover the eggs with cold water. Carefully fill the pot with water at least 3 cm above the level of the eggs. Pour the water in such a way that the spray does not hit the eggs. If you can't pour water this way, support the eggs with your hand to prevent slipping or cracking.

Add half a teaspoon of salt to the water. This makes the shell less likely to crack. It will also make it easier for you to peel the eggshell. In salt water, protein coagulates faster. Therefore, to avoid protein leakage when the shell cracks, the water must be salted.

Never put eggs in a pot of hot water. The shell may crack, as a result of which the contents of the egg will drain into the water (you will eventually get a poached egg). Placing cold eggs in warm or hot water shocks them with a sudden drop in temperature, which leads to cracks. In addition, dipping eggs in cold water is less likely to be overcooked.

Add vinegar to the water. Use one teaspoon of vinegar for each egg. Pour vinegar into the water before turning on the stove to boil the eggs. Vinegar promotes faster clotting of the protein, which will clog the crack opening before it can leak. This is a common problem, especially if you boil very cold eggs.

You can also add vinegar if you see a crack in the eggshell. You may notice a white liquid dripping from the cracked egg. Act as quickly as possible. If you add vinegar to the water as soon as you notice a crack, the protein will not leak out.

If you don't add vinegar in time, don't worry. You will be able to boil the egg, but be prepared for it not to look its best.

Don't overdo it! If you add too much vinegar, your eggs will taste and smell like vinegar.

Boiling eggs

Bring the water to a moderate boil over medium heat. Make sure that there is no strong bubbling of water, as this can lead to cracks due to sudden changes in temperature. Cover the pot with a lid. The water will boil a little faster if the lid is on the pot. However, if you want to keep an eye eggs, you can boil themwithout covering the pot.

Turn off the stove when the water boils. After the water boils, turn off the stove and leave the eggs in the hot water. Do not remove the lid from the pan. The temperature of the water and the heat from the hob will create the necessary environment for further cooking. Leave the eggs in the pan for another 3-15 minutes, depending on what consistency you want the eggs to be.

If you like soft-boiled eggs, take them out of the water after 3 minutes. The ideal soft-boiled egg should have a hard egg white and a liquid yolk. Be very careful when removing the eggs from the water. Use a spoon to remove each egg to avoid cracking.

If you like well-boiled eggs, remove them from the water after 5-7 minutes. A well-boiled egg is one in which the yolk is partially liquid in the center and harder at the edges, and the egg white is completely hard.

If you like hard-boiled eggs, soak them in hot water for 9-12 minutes. The yolk must be completely firm. You don't have to worry about the egg cracking. If you want the yolk to be bright yellow and soft, leave the eggs in the water for 9-10 minutes. If you want the yolk to be hard and pale yellow, leave the eggs in the water for 11-12 minutes.

Watch the weather to avoid overcooking the eggs. After 12 minutes the yolk will turn gray-green. The greenish color of the yolk does not affect the taste of the egg and does not mean that it is spoiled. However, many believe it looks less appetizing. Consider buying an indicator for boiling eggs. The indicator is placed in the bowl where the eggs are boiled and signals the degree of their readiness by changing color.

Find out when you can safely to eat a cracked egg. If an egg cracks in water during cooking, you can eat it safely; you can boil an egg if the crack is not too big. If the egg is cracked before cooking, do not boil the egg. Bacteria penetrate the protective membrane, after which the contents become infected and dangerous to health and life.

Cooling, cleaning and storage

Prepare a bowl of ice water. While the eggs are in hot water, fill a large bowl with cold water. Dissolve 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt in water, then add ice to keep the water cold enough. When the eggs are ready, carefully transfer them to the bowl of cold water to stop cooking.

Once the eggs are in the hot water for the required time, carefully pour the hot water out of the pan. Carefully transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs one by one and avoid cracking the shell. Dip the eggs gently in a bowl of ice water to reduce the temperature. Allow them to cool for 2-5 minutes.

Put the eggs in the refrigerator or serve immediately. Once the eggs have cooled enough (to hold in your hand), place them in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes for better cleaning (peeling) later. If you do not worry about the appearance of eggs after removing the shell or if you like to eat eggs warm, do not put them in the refrigerator. Peel the egg as soon as it cools.

Make sure the eggs are cooked - place the egg on the table and start turning it. If the egg stops quickly and oscillates as it spins, it is not fully cooked. If the egg rotates long and evenly, this is done.

Peel an egg when you want to eat it. Break each egg on a clean, flat surface, then roll by hand to crack the shell. Start peeling the egg from the blunt end where the air space is. This will allow you to peel the egg quickly.

Wash the eggs under cold water after cleaning. This will help remove dirty particles that may be on the surface of the protein.

Eggs with cracked shells usually easier to clean - put the eggs back in the pan with a lid. Shake the pan to create cracks in the shell before peeling the eggs. You may need to do this several times to crack all the eggs.

Use a teaspoon to gently peel the egg. Touch the wide end of the egg shell to destroy the air pocket. Place a spoon between the shell and the egg itself, turn it over and you will quickly peel the egg.

Store eggs in the refrigerator for no more than five days. Eat your eggs as soon as you peel them. Store leftover eggs in a closed container with a damp paper towel. Change the paper towel every day so that the eggs do not dry out. Eat your eggs within four to five days.

You can also store eggs in cold water. Change the water daily so that the eggs do not dry out.

You can store hard-boiled eggs for a few days before peeling them. Keep in mind, however, that over time the eggs will become dry and hard. Therefore, it is better to store peeled eggs in the refrigerator in water than to leave them in their shells.

Advices

Large eggs take longer to cook than small ones. Add another three minutes to your total cooking time, depending on the size of the egg. For example, a large egg should be boiled for about 15 minutes if you want to make hard-boiled eggs.

If you use white eggs, add a little onion peel (dried brown onion peels) to the water while boiling. Onion peels will color the water and eggshells, and you can easily distinguish between boiled and raw eggs. This can be especially useful, if you store boiled eggs along with raw.

Once you have learned how to cook healthy eggs, take a look at some of our suggestions to inspire you to enter the kitchen and make a delicious salad with boiled eggs, pizza with boiled eggs, appetizer with boiled eggs or anything else of your choice.