The Tricky Business of Boiling Eggs
Boiling eggs to perfection may become quite tricky. Difficulty comes with the fact that an egg’s white and yolk will have different cooking temperatures. It can be quite frustrating when you get eggs that are too dry, rubbery, too tender, or overcooked.
The procedure on how to boil eggs right is a bit more complicated than what you’d suspect. The steps you’ll find below will aid you on how to boil eggs to perfection. We’ll also go over several different kinds of boiled eggs you can come up with.
Choosing Your Eggs
It may not seem obvious but you still have to consider what eggs you’ll use. This is an important factor on how to boil eggs to your desired state. Take note that fresh eggs will have a lesser tendency to crack. These eggs will often appear to be sealed tight when boiled. The only drawback to using fresh eggs is the fact that the shell will be a lot more difficult to peel. Eggs that have been in your fridge for several days will have a tendency to crack, however these will be a lot easier to peel compared to fresh eggs.
Useful Tips on How to Boil Eggs: Instead of keeping your fresh eggs in the fridge for days, add one teaspoon of baking soda to each quart of water you use to boil making them peel easier. However, it may make your eggs taste a bit more sulfuric. Another thing you can do is to boil fresh eggs a bit longer than usual. Remember that the fresher eggs will have a more centered yolk.
Getting Things Set Up
Setting things up will be simple. A good sized pot will work just right. A good technique on how to boil eggs is to add a little salt or vinegar to your water to avoid cracks. Salt or vinegar helps the egg white coagulate much faster so the shell gets sealed a lot quicker thus avoiding cracks.
You then cover the eggs with about an inch of water. If you use hot water, you risk overcooking your eggs but cold water would equate to a longer cooking time. The general idea is to bring the water to a boil then turn off the fire. Keep the lid on the pot and leave the eggs in the water to cook.
The Results
Depending on how you want your eggs to come out, you’ll leave the eggs in the pot for several minutes until it cooks. If you want to get an oeuf a la coque then leave your eggs in the pot for two to three minutes. The eggs will be in a semi-liquid state when you open them.
If you want soft-boiled eggs then leave them in the pot for three to five minutes. You’ll get an outer egg white that’s barely solid with a milky inner white and a warm yolk. If you want Mollet eggs then these will have to stay in the pot for five to six minutes. These will have a semi-liquid yolk with a firm white. Hard boiled eggs take 10 to 15 minutes in the pot.
These are our practical tips on how to boil eggs. Choosing the type of eggs to boil and the amount of time you cook them will determine what type of boiled egg you’ll get.
Additional Methods To Cook Eggs
