Boiled eggs with "gray" insides.



Wayne Boatwright wrote:

> On Thu 19 Jan 2006 06:36:07a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it P.Aitken?
>
>
>>
>>scott123 wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Eggs begin with a very tiny air pocket that grows over time. They crack
>>>because this air pocket expands when heated. The fresher the egg, the
>>>smaller the air pocket, the less tendency toward cracking. At the same
>>>time, though, the fresher the egg, the harder they are to peel.
>>>
>>
>>This is not completely accurate. Egg shells are permeable to air, so as
>>the air exmands it passes thru the shell - this is why you see bubbles
>>rising from eggs in the hot water. The main reason eggs crack while
>>being boiled is that they are already cracked - small hairline cracks
>>that are not visible initially. Knocking around in too-rapidly boiling
>>water is another reason. Temperature shock is not involved. I remember
>>seeing Julia Child take eggs from an ice water bath directly to boiling
>>water with no cracking.
>
>
> Curious... What would be the point of taking eggs from an ice water bath
> and putting them in boiling water, besides the obvious, cooking them? I
> mean, why ice beforehand?
>

To demonstrate that the temperature shock does not cause cracking,
that's all.

Peter
 
On Thu 19 Jan 2006 08:36:18a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it P.Aitken?

>
>
> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
>> On Thu 19 Jan 2006 06:36:07a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it
>> P.Aitken?
>>
>>
>>>
>>>scott123 wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>Eggs begin with a very tiny air pocket that grows over time. They
>>>>crack because this air pocket expands when heated. The fresher the
>>>>egg, the smaller the air pocket, the less tendency toward cracking. At
>>>>the same time, though, the fresher the egg, the harder they are to
>>>>peel.
>>>>
>>>
>>>This is not completely accurate. Egg shells are permeable to air, so as
>>>the air exmands it passes thru the shell - this is why you see bubbles
>>>rising from eggs in the hot water. The main reason eggs crack while
>>>being boiled is that they are already cracked - small hairline cracks
>>>that are not visible initially. Knocking around in too-rapidly boiling
>>>water is another reason. Temperature shock is not involved. I remember
>>>seeing Julia Child take eggs from an ice water bath directly to boiling
>>>water with no cracking.
>>
>>
>> Curious... What would be the point of taking eggs from an ice water
>> bath and putting them in boiling water, besides the obvious, cooking
>> them? I mean, why ice beforehand?
>>
>
> To demonstrate that the temperature shock does not cause cracking,
> that's all.

Oh, well yes, that would do it. I thought maybe Julia had a trick up her
sleeve. <g>

--
Wayne Boatwright Õ¿Õ¬
________________________________________

Okay, okay, I take it back! UnScrew you!
 
In article <[email protected]>, "P.Aitken"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Phred wrote:
>> In article <[email protected]>, "Jude"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>Phred wrote:
>>>
>>>>Recalling days of chem prac decades ago, I've sometimes wondered if
>>>>the "glass bead" principle would work with boiling eggs. Haven't
>>>>actually tried (don't have any glass beads -- and I suspect the lab
>>>>size would soon all be gone down the plug hole if I did have some :)
>>>>but maybe I will one day -- if I ever get around to buying a pack of
>>>>those cheap marbles from Coles Variety or wherever. They might be too
>>>>big relative to the size of the eggs though; could just get the whole
>>>>caboodle bouncing around!
>>>
>>>Explain the glass bead principle, please.
>>
>> We used a few glass beads in flasks/beakers when heating solutions in
>> chem prac. The idea seemed to be that the bouncing beads would
>> prevent the container jumping around when the liquid started to boil.
>> (The beads themselves performed pretty well though. :)
>
>This is not why the beads are used. Your next para explains the actual
>reason.

Yeah. I realised that when thinking more about it while dozing off
last night. The "jumping" is a consequence, not a solution. (Pun
noted, but not intended. :)

>> The correct type of bead will also prevent superheating -- and could
>> be used in more modern times to prevent superheating of liquids in
>> microwave ovens. (Though I don't know of anyone who does this. ;-)

Cheers, Phred.

--
[email protected]LID
 
scott123 wrote:

<snipped>

I read your post several times, my jaw dropping lower each time.
Everything - EVERYTHING - you say is factually wrong. Where on earth do
you get this ********? Even the most backward high school in the
backwoods of Mississippi cannot teach this tripe.

Time for the ibuprofen - the idea that human bengs can be so abysmally
stupid and ignorant gives me a headache. I pity you but I will not put
up with uour BS.

Peter
 
P.Aitken wrote:

> scott123 wrote:
>
> <snipped>
>
> I read your post several times, my jaw dropping lower each time.
> Everything - EVERYTHING - you say is factually wrong. Where on earth do
> you get this ********? Even the most backward high school in the
> backwoods of Mississippi cannot teach this tripe.
>
> Time for the ibuprofen - the idea that human bengs can be so abysmally
> stupid and ignorant gives me a headache. I pity you but I will not put
> up with uour BS.



You mean you won't give the man a dollar, Peter...???


--
Best
Greg
 
"***** charles" <[email protected]> wrote in news:yp8zf.146$2O6.30
@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com:

> Hi all,
>
> First, this is a great group, got lots of suggestions from last post.
> To continue, sometimes when I peel an egg, it has a gray coating
> on the yellow inner part. I assume that this is from boiling too
> long?
> Is there a device that keeps the yoke in the center of the egg
> while boiling so that the yoke doesn't settle next to the shell before
> hardening?
> Is there a special manual manipulation technique for accomplishing
> the same result?
> Can a microwave ever be used to make boiled eggs? I have
> heard of "exploding eggs" so I thought I would ask first.
>
> thanks,
> charles.....
>
>

There's an interesting article about this in the current (February 2006)
issue of _Discover_ titled _Cooking for Eggheads_. Basically, it says to
cook at a lower temperature than 212 F for a longer time. Like _exactly_
143, 158, or 167 F. I haven't tried it - I prefer fried eggs. And don't
have an accurate enough thermometer.



--
Untie the two knots to email me

A closed mouth gathers no foot.
 
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