People often ask me: AP, do you know how to cook anything? My answer? Eggs, of course, everyday. But after hearing from a quantum physicist, turns out I might be missing out on some crucial steps when it comes to making hard-boiled eggs.
Milos Panfil from the University of Warsaw, an expert in Quantum Physics, Theoretical Physics and Mathematical Physics, is part of the team behind the Omni Calculator Project, a tool used to help people make better decisions whenever face a problem that’s computable. Fortunately, he has lent us a few tips on nailing the perfect hard boiled eggs.
First and foremost, you need to check the temperature of the egg itself before you chuck them in hot water.
“If the eggs are straight out of the fridge they will cook longer,” explains Panfil. “If they’re already in the room temperature, the process will be faster.”
Make sure that while the water in the pot should reach boiling point, you don’t leave it at that state too long before inserting the egg.
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“It should be boiling, not too long though,” he continues. “If it keeps boiling for long time it might evaporate.”
There are a few other steps to remember before you boil eggs.
“Thing to remember is that once the time passes, you should rinse the eggs with cold water. This stops the eggs from overcooking,” Panfil adds.
“Another factor is salt. Some people like to add salt to the water when boiling eggs. This slightly increases the boiling temperature what makes the cooking time a bit shorter.”
Time, of course, depends on whether you’re after soft-boiled eggs or hard-boiled eggs. For hard-boiled eggs, you want to aim for around seven minutes. For soft-boiled, you’re looking at around the four-five minute mark to get slightly running yolk. If you’re working with large eggs, expect to add a couple minutes to the process.
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Here are some other steps to consider in making the perfect eggs:
- Adding half a teaspoon of table salt and using eggs that aren’t taken straight out of the fridge will also help prevent the eggs from cracking.
- Rinse the eggs with ice water straight away to stop the boiling process. This will prevent the outer layer from overheating, so the internal layers maintain their consistency.
- When you put the eggs in the boiling water, gently stir them to prevent the yolk from moving away from the middle.
Tips and tricks for peeling
- Put the egg in a container filled with water, close it and shake well. The peel should come off on its own.
- Crack the egg and roll it on a bench top for a few seconds. While under cold water, go ahead and peel it.
- Instead of peeling, you can put them in a jar filled with cold water, tighten the lid and shake for six seconds. The broken shell should fall off promptly.
- Otherwise, crack the shell, insert a spoon between the shell and egg white, then rotate the egg 360 degrees.
