Is there any method to boil a cracked egg without making a mess?
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If we boil an egg which already has a crack on its shell before boiling, it will break and spread into the water. In many cases if we put an egg into hot water it will crack also. So, is there any safe method to boil an egg like that, or should it be fried or cooked in another way?
eggs hard-boiled-eggs
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up vote
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If we boil an egg which already has a crack on its shell before boiling, it will break and spread into the water. In many cases if we put an egg into hot water it will crack also. So, is there any safe method to boil an egg like that, or should it be fried or cooked in another way?
eggs hard-boiled-eggs
New contributor
9
I would like to remind everybody that this question is on methods for boiling known-cracked eggs without making a mess. If you have methods for detecting cracks, please post at cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/22535. If you have methods for reducing the chance that a whole egg will crack during boiling, please post at cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/909. For theoretical explanations why an egg cracks during boiling, post at cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/63296.
– rumtscho♦
2 days ago
11
Is "safe" really the word you mean? I thought this question would be about food safety, but it seems to be more about cooking an egg without making a mess.
– nasch
2 days ago
1
This depends on how much of a crack you're talking about. I deliberately put small cracks in my eggs before hard boiling to make them easier to peel.
– barbecue
2 days ago
add a comment |
up vote
15
down vote
favorite
up vote
15
down vote
favorite
If we boil an egg which already has a crack on its shell before boiling, it will break and spread into the water. In many cases if we put an egg into hot water it will crack also. So, is there any safe method to boil an egg like that, or should it be fried or cooked in another way?
eggs hard-boiled-eggs
New contributor
If we boil an egg which already has a crack on its shell before boiling, it will break and spread into the water. In many cases if we put an egg into hot water it will crack also. So, is there any safe method to boil an egg like that, or should it be fried or cooked in another way?
eggs hard-boiled-eggs
eggs hard-boiled-eggs
New contributor
New contributor
edited yesterday
vasin1987
1654
1654
New contributor
asked 2 days ago
user29521
8615
8615
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New contributor
9
I would like to remind everybody that this question is on methods for boiling known-cracked eggs without making a mess. If you have methods for detecting cracks, please post at cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/22535. If you have methods for reducing the chance that a whole egg will crack during boiling, please post at cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/909. For theoretical explanations why an egg cracks during boiling, post at cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/63296.
– rumtscho♦
2 days ago
11
Is "safe" really the word you mean? I thought this question would be about food safety, but it seems to be more about cooking an egg without making a mess.
– nasch
2 days ago
1
This depends on how much of a crack you're talking about. I deliberately put small cracks in my eggs before hard boiling to make them easier to peel.
– barbecue
2 days ago
add a comment |
9
I would like to remind everybody that this question is on methods for boiling known-cracked eggs without making a mess. If you have methods for detecting cracks, please post at cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/22535. If you have methods for reducing the chance that a whole egg will crack during boiling, please post at cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/909. For theoretical explanations why an egg cracks during boiling, post at cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/63296.
– rumtscho♦
2 days ago
11
Is "safe" really the word you mean? I thought this question would be about food safety, but it seems to be more about cooking an egg without making a mess.
– nasch
2 days ago
1
This depends on how much of a crack you're talking about. I deliberately put small cracks in my eggs before hard boiling to make them easier to peel.
– barbecue
2 days ago
9
9
I would like to remind everybody that this question is on methods for boiling known-cracked eggs without making a mess. If you have methods for detecting cracks, please post at cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/22535. If you have methods for reducing the chance that a whole egg will crack during boiling, please post at cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/909. For theoretical explanations why an egg cracks during boiling, post at cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/63296.
– rumtscho♦
2 days ago
I would like to remind everybody that this question is on methods for boiling known-cracked eggs without making a mess. If you have methods for detecting cracks, please post at cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/22535. If you have methods for reducing the chance that a whole egg will crack during boiling, please post at cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/909. For theoretical explanations why an egg cracks during boiling, post at cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/63296.
– rumtscho♦
2 days ago
11
11
Is "safe" really the word you mean? I thought this question would be about food safety, but it seems to be more about cooking an egg without making a mess.
– nasch
2 days ago
Is "safe" really the word you mean? I thought this question would be about food safety, but it seems to be more about cooking an egg without making a mess.
– nasch
2 days ago
1
1
This depends on how much of a crack you're talking about. I deliberately put small cracks in my eggs before hard boiling to make them easier to peel.
– barbecue
2 days ago
This depends on how much of a crack you're talking about. I deliberately put small cracks in my eggs before hard boiling to make them easier to peel.
– barbecue
2 days ago
add a comment |
9 Answers
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If an egg is already cracked then it will almost certainly split open when boiled, there's no way to avoid it, it would be best to cook them using another method. Be aware that once eggs are cracked they no longer have protection against microbes, if you don't know how long they have been cracked it may be best to throw them away.
add a comment |
up vote
23
down vote
I use Egglettes™ to boil my eggs. You simply crack the egg/s into a silicone cup and place it/them into boiling water. Without wishing to seem like a crappy infomercial (see below), I find it a heck of a lot easier to crack an egg into a cup than I find it to peel eggshells off of a soft-boiled egg.
Obviously it makes no difference if the egg has already sustained a recent crack (from being dropped onto the surface, for example) since you're removing the shell prior to cooking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxVT2Q6Vt_c
For the avoidance of doubt, I am in no way affiliated to Egglettes other than being a customer
New contributor
Wow, you'd be able to poach the egg too with this method. Just add a bit of water/vinegar in? Pretty cool
– insidesin
yesterday
3
Yup. And scrambled by topping up with milk and swirling them with a chopstick for ten seconds
– Richard
yesterday
Ordering some now then I guess :P
– insidesin
yesterday
3
Could you edit a clarification/disclaimer into your answer as to whether you are affiliated in any way with this tool? It's probably not really an issue, but this network has had issues with people advertising products without properly sharing affiliation, which is spam according to our rules. It's fine to specifically mention a product you have a stake in, but you need to be clear about affiliation. meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/260638/… has more information on our spam rules.
– Nzall
yesterday
5
@Nzall - I am in no way affiliated with this product. Also, people don't generally refer to their own adverts as crappy if they work for the company
– Richard
yesterday
|
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up vote
6
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Adding salt in the water helps as well. There are multiple theories on why this works.
- Osmosis direction
- The egg white will become solid when getting in contact with the salt water and basically it will close the crack again.
- Boiling point difference
New contributor
10
It's hard to believe that the sort of quantities of salt one uses in cooking would make any significant chemical change. This sounds a lot like people claiming that you put salt in the water when you boil food because it means the water boils hotter so the food cooks faster -- in fact, the change in boiling point is of the order of tenths of a degree, so makes essentially no difference.
– David Richerby
2 days ago
4
In my experience, this is exactly the correct answer. It doesn't matter if it's because of chemical changes, boiling point difference or osmosis direction or whatever, as long as it works.
– Bass
2 days ago
My personal experience is also more salt = less cracking. I admit, I use a lot of salt when I know my eggs are cracky batch. Not quantities of salt one uses normally. I don't pretend to know or understand why it works.
– Mołot
yesterday
@Mołot OK, but this egg is already cracked.
– David Richerby
yesterday
1
The answer has been edited since my first comment so, in more detail: 1. Increased salt in the water would cause a tiny fraction more water to leave the egg; what difference would that make? 2. The egg white will already become solid when it hits the boiling water -- egg white hardens at around 80C (176F) and the boiling water is already much hotter than that. 3. As I've already said, the increase in boiling point from salting the water is negligible: even if you add 60g (2oz) of salt per litre (quart) of water, the boiling point will only go up by about 0.5C (1F).
– David Richerby
yesterday
|
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5
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You can choose to poach the egg.
The egg is cracked into a cup or bowl of any size, and then gently slid into a pan of water at approximately 75 Celsius (167 °F) and cooked until the egg white has mostly solidified, but the yolk remains soft. The "perfect" poached egg has a runny yolk, with a hardening crust and no raw white remaining.
I don't have any experience with this but I would imagine you could cook it until the yolk hardens along with the whites.
To be clear, one of the key differences is water temperature--the water should be hot but not boiling--this helps keep the egg together (or rather, boiling water makes the egg not stay together)..
– user3067860
2 days ago
1
@user3067860 Yep, I think the "75 Celcius" covers that though. At any rate, my answer addresses the "or should it be fried or cooked in another way" segment of the question.
– MonkeyZeus
2 days ago
I just never use a thermometer for cooking eggs, I go by "boiling", "simmering", etc. No idea how hot 75 C is except it's between 74 C and 76 C.
– user3067860
2 days ago
@user3067860 Thanks again. That too sounds like an option so feel free to post your own experience with non-poaching cooking techniques.
– MonkeyZeus
2 days ago
@MonkeyZeus I don't think you're answering the question here. The asker is aware that there are other ways of cooking eggs and isn't asking for suggestions of them. The question is (paraphrasing) "Can I hard boil it or am I going to have to do something else?" not "What's the best way of cooking an egg whose shell is cracked?" So the answer is either "Yes, you can hard boil it using technique XYZ" or "No, boiling it won't work so you'll have to do something else."
– David Richerby
yesterday
|
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2
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You can boil cracked egg safely just use 2 table spoons of white vinegar. Put White vinegar in boiling water and then gently put the egg in the water and let it boil. Egg will not come out of its shell.
You can also make egg poach.Click here to understand about egg poach
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1
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It's possible to boil an egg with steam. This usually requires an additional device. The eggs are put upright and won't split open since they are not exposed directly to the hot water.
New contributor
4
Does this work for eggs that are already cracked? And why would being exposed to hot water make an egg more likely to split?
– David Richerby
2 days ago
I have two devices like this and the directions specifically say you need to pierce the top of the egg with a needle (that is included). Sometimes if the hole is a little big or if the hole is cracked, there is a considerable amount of egg white material ejected from the egg. It still makes a good hardboiled egg, but it's not as pretty. A cracked egg would certainly expand into a weird shape (again, would probably taste fine).
– JPhi1618
2 days ago
1
When doing hardboiled eggs in a commercial steamer i have seen the same issue with eggs coming apart as with boiling water.
– bruglesco
2 days ago
add a comment |
up vote
1
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Believe it or not, you can put some Duct Tape (like gaffer tape - heavy tape) over the crack, and away you go.
(I'm not sure why anyone would bother with this - boiled eggs which have some white "poking out" are fine - but there you have it.)
8
Is duct tape food safe though?
– wjandrea
2 days ago
4
@wjandrea It's safe to bet is not. This advice is only useful for people cooking for show. But there are people who needs perfectly boiled eggs for photos etc, so maybe someone will benefit from this answer.
– Mołot
yesterday
5
The duct tape will leach who-knows-what into the water and the egg. Unless you have information to the contrary, you should assume that duct tape is not food-safe, and boiled duct tape doubly so.
– David Richerby
yesterday
Although duct tape is indeed certainly not food safe, I personally would risk it. Decent duct tape isn't water soluble (though I'm less sure about boiling water soluble). I'm actually pretty sure I've had duct tape in contact with foodstuff I later ate, and no ill effects. And anyways eggs generally don't absorb much of whatever is in the water. But yeah, I'd rather not recommend this for anybody else.
– leftaroundabout
yesterday
1
@leftaroundabout It's pretty likely that at least some components of the glue will start floating around in the water, even if they're not formally "dissolved".
– David Richerby
yesterday
|
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up vote
0
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If the egg's been cracked for a while, just throw it out. Even though the boiling process should kill anything growing in it, good sense says it's not worth the risk. If the egg gets small cracks when you put it in the water or while cooking, it's perfectly fine. In my experience, the heat will quickly make the outer layer of white solidify as it cooks, which will lock everything else inside, crack or no. The worst I've ever seen happen from cooking an egg that cracked early on is that little bits of white escape and get cooked in the water, giving it a cloudy look. I've eaten many eggs that cracked while cooking and never had any problems.
New contributor
I wouldn't trust boiling the egg to sterilize it. The outer parts will get up to 100C but the inner parts won't -- the yolk can completely set at about 70C.
– David Richerby
yesterday
@David Richerby I agree. Better to get a fresh one.
– CMB
yesterday
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0
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You can "steam" the egg instead. use a separator/sieve to suspend the egg above the boiling water in the pan. It will take longer than boiling to completely cook the egg.
New contributor
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9 Answers
9
active
oldest
votes
9 Answers
9
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
25
down vote
If an egg is already cracked then it will almost certainly split open when boiled, there's no way to avoid it, it would be best to cook them using another method. Be aware that once eggs are cracked they no longer have protection against microbes, if you don't know how long they have been cracked it may be best to throw them away.
add a comment |
up vote
25
down vote
If an egg is already cracked then it will almost certainly split open when boiled, there's no way to avoid it, it would be best to cook them using another method. Be aware that once eggs are cracked they no longer have protection against microbes, if you don't know how long they have been cracked it may be best to throw them away.
add a comment |
up vote
25
down vote
up vote
25
down vote
If an egg is already cracked then it will almost certainly split open when boiled, there's no way to avoid it, it would be best to cook them using another method. Be aware that once eggs are cracked they no longer have protection against microbes, if you don't know how long they have been cracked it may be best to throw them away.
If an egg is already cracked then it will almost certainly split open when boiled, there's no way to avoid it, it would be best to cook them using another method. Be aware that once eggs are cracked they no longer have protection against microbes, if you don't know how long they have been cracked it may be best to throw them away.
edited 2 days ago
rumtscho♦
77.6k27184337
77.6k27184337
answered 2 days ago
GdD
37.7k152105
37.7k152105
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
23
down vote
I use Egglettes™ to boil my eggs. You simply crack the egg/s into a silicone cup and place it/them into boiling water. Without wishing to seem like a crappy infomercial (see below), I find it a heck of a lot easier to crack an egg into a cup than I find it to peel eggshells off of a soft-boiled egg.
Obviously it makes no difference if the egg has already sustained a recent crack (from being dropped onto the surface, for example) since you're removing the shell prior to cooking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxVT2Q6Vt_c
For the avoidance of doubt, I am in no way affiliated to Egglettes other than being a customer
New contributor
Wow, you'd be able to poach the egg too with this method. Just add a bit of water/vinegar in? Pretty cool
– insidesin
yesterday
3
Yup. And scrambled by topping up with milk and swirling them with a chopstick for ten seconds
– Richard
yesterday
Ordering some now then I guess :P
– insidesin
yesterday
3
Could you edit a clarification/disclaimer into your answer as to whether you are affiliated in any way with this tool? It's probably not really an issue, but this network has had issues with people advertising products without properly sharing affiliation, which is spam according to our rules. It's fine to specifically mention a product you have a stake in, but you need to be clear about affiliation. meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/260638/… has more information on our spam rules.
– Nzall
yesterday
5
@Nzall - I am in no way affiliated with this product. Also, people don't generally refer to their own adverts as crappy if they work for the company
– Richard
yesterday
|
show 7 more comments
up vote
23
down vote
I use Egglettes™ to boil my eggs. You simply crack the egg/s into a silicone cup and place it/them into boiling water. Without wishing to seem like a crappy infomercial (see below), I find it a heck of a lot easier to crack an egg into a cup than I find it to peel eggshells off of a soft-boiled egg.
Obviously it makes no difference if the egg has already sustained a recent crack (from being dropped onto the surface, for example) since you're removing the shell prior to cooking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxVT2Q6Vt_c
For the avoidance of doubt, I am in no way affiliated to Egglettes other than being a customer
New contributor
Wow, you'd be able to poach the egg too with this method. Just add a bit of water/vinegar in? Pretty cool
– insidesin
yesterday
3
Yup. And scrambled by topping up with milk and swirling them with a chopstick for ten seconds
– Richard
yesterday
Ordering some now then I guess :P
– insidesin
yesterday
3
Could you edit a clarification/disclaimer into your answer as to whether you are affiliated in any way with this tool? It's probably not really an issue, but this network has had issues with people advertising products without properly sharing affiliation, which is spam according to our rules. It's fine to specifically mention a product you have a stake in, but you need to be clear about affiliation. meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/260638/… has more information on our spam rules.
– Nzall
yesterday
5
@Nzall - I am in no way affiliated with this product. Also, people don't generally refer to their own adverts as crappy if they work for the company
– Richard
yesterday
|
show 7 more comments
up vote
23
down vote
up vote
23
down vote
I use Egglettes™ to boil my eggs. You simply crack the egg/s into a silicone cup and place it/them into boiling water. Without wishing to seem like a crappy infomercial (see below), I find it a heck of a lot easier to crack an egg into a cup than I find it to peel eggshells off of a soft-boiled egg.
Obviously it makes no difference if the egg has already sustained a recent crack (from being dropped onto the surface, for example) since you're removing the shell prior to cooking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxVT2Q6Vt_c
For the avoidance of doubt, I am in no way affiliated to Egglettes other than being a customer
New contributor
I use Egglettes™ to boil my eggs. You simply crack the egg/s into a silicone cup and place it/them into boiling water. Without wishing to seem like a crappy infomercial (see below), I find it a heck of a lot easier to crack an egg into a cup than I find it to peel eggshells off of a soft-boiled egg.
Obviously it makes no difference if the egg has already sustained a recent crack (from being dropped onto the surface, for example) since you're removing the shell prior to cooking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxVT2Q6Vt_c
For the avoidance of doubt, I am in no way affiliated to Egglettes other than being a customer
New contributor
edited yesterday
David Richerby
2,6081526
2,6081526
New contributor
answered 2 days ago
Richard
33116
33116
New contributor
New contributor
Wow, you'd be able to poach the egg too with this method. Just add a bit of water/vinegar in? Pretty cool
– insidesin
yesterday
3
Yup. And scrambled by topping up with milk and swirling them with a chopstick for ten seconds
– Richard
yesterday
Ordering some now then I guess :P
– insidesin
yesterday
3
Could you edit a clarification/disclaimer into your answer as to whether you are affiliated in any way with this tool? It's probably not really an issue, but this network has had issues with people advertising products without properly sharing affiliation, which is spam according to our rules. It's fine to specifically mention a product you have a stake in, but you need to be clear about affiliation. meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/260638/… has more information on our spam rules.
– Nzall
yesterday
5
@Nzall - I am in no way affiliated with this product. Also, people don't generally refer to their own adverts as crappy if they work for the company
– Richard
yesterday
|
show 7 more comments
Wow, you'd be able to poach the egg too with this method. Just add a bit of water/vinegar in? Pretty cool
– insidesin
yesterday
3
Yup. And scrambled by topping up with milk and swirling them with a chopstick for ten seconds
– Richard
yesterday
Ordering some now then I guess :P
– insidesin
yesterday
3
Could you edit a clarification/disclaimer into your answer as to whether you are affiliated in any way with this tool? It's probably not really an issue, but this network has had issues with people advertising products without properly sharing affiliation, which is spam according to our rules. It's fine to specifically mention a product you have a stake in, but you need to be clear about affiliation. meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/260638/… has more information on our spam rules.
– Nzall
yesterday
5
@Nzall - I am in no way affiliated with this product. Also, people don't generally refer to their own adverts as crappy if they work for the company
– Richard
yesterday
Wow, you'd be able to poach the egg too with this method. Just add a bit of water/vinegar in? Pretty cool
– insidesin
yesterday
Wow, you'd be able to poach the egg too with this method. Just add a bit of water/vinegar in? Pretty cool
– insidesin
yesterday
3
3
Yup. And scrambled by topping up with milk and swirling them with a chopstick for ten seconds
– Richard
yesterday
Yup. And scrambled by topping up with milk and swirling them with a chopstick for ten seconds
– Richard
yesterday
Ordering some now then I guess :P
– insidesin
yesterday
Ordering some now then I guess :P
– insidesin
yesterday
3
3
Could you edit a clarification/disclaimer into your answer as to whether you are affiliated in any way with this tool? It's probably not really an issue, but this network has had issues with people advertising products without properly sharing affiliation, which is spam according to our rules. It's fine to specifically mention a product you have a stake in, but you need to be clear about affiliation. meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/260638/… has more information on our spam rules.
– Nzall
yesterday
Could you edit a clarification/disclaimer into your answer as to whether you are affiliated in any way with this tool? It's probably not really an issue, but this network has had issues with people advertising products without properly sharing affiliation, which is spam according to our rules. It's fine to specifically mention a product you have a stake in, but you need to be clear about affiliation. meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/260638/… has more information on our spam rules.
– Nzall
yesterday
5
5
@Nzall - I am in no way affiliated with this product. Also, people don't generally refer to their own adverts as crappy if they work for the company
– Richard
yesterday
@Nzall - I am in no way affiliated with this product. Also, people don't generally refer to their own adverts as crappy if they work for the company
– Richard
yesterday
|
show 7 more comments
up vote
6
down vote
Adding salt in the water helps as well. There are multiple theories on why this works.
- Osmosis direction
- The egg white will become solid when getting in contact with the salt water and basically it will close the crack again.
- Boiling point difference
New contributor
10
It's hard to believe that the sort of quantities of salt one uses in cooking would make any significant chemical change. This sounds a lot like people claiming that you put salt in the water when you boil food because it means the water boils hotter so the food cooks faster -- in fact, the change in boiling point is of the order of tenths of a degree, so makes essentially no difference.
– David Richerby
2 days ago
4
In my experience, this is exactly the correct answer. It doesn't matter if it's because of chemical changes, boiling point difference or osmosis direction or whatever, as long as it works.
– Bass
2 days ago
My personal experience is also more salt = less cracking. I admit, I use a lot of salt when I know my eggs are cracky batch. Not quantities of salt one uses normally. I don't pretend to know or understand why it works.
– Mołot
yesterday
@Mołot OK, but this egg is already cracked.
– David Richerby
yesterday
1
The answer has been edited since my first comment so, in more detail: 1. Increased salt in the water would cause a tiny fraction more water to leave the egg; what difference would that make? 2. The egg white will already become solid when it hits the boiling water -- egg white hardens at around 80C (176F) and the boiling water is already much hotter than that. 3. As I've already said, the increase in boiling point from salting the water is negligible: even if you add 60g (2oz) of salt per litre (quart) of water, the boiling point will only go up by about 0.5C (1F).
– David Richerby
yesterday
|
show 2 more comments
up vote
6
down vote
Adding salt in the water helps as well. There are multiple theories on why this works.
- Osmosis direction
- The egg white will become solid when getting in contact with the salt water and basically it will close the crack again.
- Boiling point difference
New contributor
10
It's hard to believe that the sort of quantities of salt one uses in cooking would make any significant chemical change. This sounds a lot like people claiming that you put salt in the water when you boil food because it means the water boils hotter so the food cooks faster -- in fact, the change in boiling point is of the order of tenths of a degree, so makes essentially no difference.
– David Richerby
2 days ago
4
In my experience, this is exactly the correct answer. It doesn't matter if it's because of chemical changes, boiling point difference or osmosis direction or whatever, as long as it works.
– Bass
2 days ago
My personal experience is also more salt = less cracking. I admit, I use a lot of salt when I know my eggs are cracky batch. Not quantities of salt one uses normally. I don't pretend to know or understand why it works.
– Mołot
yesterday
@Mołot OK, but this egg is already cracked.
– David Richerby
yesterday
1
The answer has been edited since my first comment so, in more detail: 1. Increased salt in the water would cause a tiny fraction more water to leave the egg; what difference would that make? 2. The egg white will already become solid when it hits the boiling water -- egg white hardens at around 80C (176F) and the boiling water is already much hotter than that. 3. As I've already said, the increase in boiling point from salting the water is negligible: even if you add 60g (2oz) of salt per litre (quart) of water, the boiling point will only go up by about 0.5C (1F).
– David Richerby
yesterday
|
show 2 more comments
up vote
6
down vote
up vote
6
down vote
Adding salt in the water helps as well. There are multiple theories on why this works.
- Osmosis direction
- The egg white will become solid when getting in contact with the salt water and basically it will close the crack again.
- Boiling point difference
New contributor
Adding salt in the water helps as well. There are multiple theories on why this works.
- Osmosis direction
- The egg white will become solid when getting in contact with the salt water and basically it will close the crack again.
- Boiling point difference
New contributor
edited yesterday
New contributor
answered 2 days ago
StefanJanssen
693
693
New contributor
New contributor
10
It's hard to believe that the sort of quantities of salt one uses in cooking would make any significant chemical change. This sounds a lot like people claiming that you put salt in the water when you boil food because it means the water boils hotter so the food cooks faster -- in fact, the change in boiling point is of the order of tenths of a degree, so makes essentially no difference.
– David Richerby
2 days ago
4
In my experience, this is exactly the correct answer. It doesn't matter if it's because of chemical changes, boiling point difference or osmosis direction or whatever, as long as it works.
– Bass
2 days ago
My personal experience is also more salt = less cracking. I admit, I use a lot of salt when I know my eggs are cracky batch. Not quantities of salt one uses normally. I don't pretend to know or understand why it works.
– Mołot
yesterday
@Mołot OK, but this egg is already cracked.
– David Richerby
yesterday
1
The answer has been edited since my first comment so, in more detail: 1. Increased salt in the water would cause a tiny fraction more water to leave the egg; what difference would that make? 2. The egg white will already become solid when it hits the boiling water -- egg white hardens at around 80C (176F) and the boiling water is already much hotter than that. 3. As I've already said, the increase in boiling point from salting the water is negligible: even if you add 60g (2oz) of salt per litre (quart) of water, the boiling point will only go up by about 0.5C (1F).
– David Richerby
yesterday
|
show 2 more comments
10
It's hard to believe that the sort of quantities of salt one uses in cooking would make any significant chemical change. This sounds a lot like people claiming that you put salt in the water when you boil food because it means the water boils hotter so the food cooks faster -- in fact, the change in boiling point is of the order of tenths of a degree, so makes essentially no difference.
– David Richerby
2 days ago
4
In my experience, this is exactly the correct answer. It doesn't matter if it's because of chemical changes, boiling point difference or osmosis direction or whatever, as long as it works.
– Bass
2 days ago
My personal experience is also more salt = less cracking. I admit, I use a lot of salt when I know my eggs are cracky batch. Not quantities of salt one uses normally. I don't pretend to know or understand why it works.
– Mołot
yesterday
@Mołot OK, but this egg is already cracked.
– David Richerby
yesterday
1
The answer has been edited since my first comment so, in more detail: 1. Increased salt in the water would cause a tiny fraction more water to leave the egg; what difference would that make? 2. The egg white will already become solid when it hits the boiling water -- egg white hardens at around 80C (176F) and the boiling water is already much hotter than that. 3. As I've already said, the increase in boiling point from salting the water is negligible: even if you add 60g (2oz) of salt per litre (quart) of water, the boiling point will only go up by about 0.5C (1F).
– David Richerby
yesterday
10
10
It's hard to believe that the sort of quantities of salt one uses in cooking would make any significant chemical change. This sounds a lot like people claiming that you put salt in the water when you boil food because it means the water boils hotter so the food cooks faster -- in fact, the change in boiling point is of the order of tenths of a degree, so makes essentially no difference.
– David Richerby
2 days ago
It's hard to believe that the sort of quantities of salt one uses in cooking would make any significant chemical change. This sounds a lot like people claiming that you put salt in the water when you boil food because it means the water boils hotter so the food cooks faster -- in fact, the change in boiling point is of the order of tenths of a degree, so makes essentially no difference.
– David Richerby
2 days ago
4
4
In my experience, this is exactly the correct answer. It doesn't matter if it's because of chemical changes, boiling point difference or osmosis direction or whatever, as long as it works.
– Bass
2 days ago
In my experience, this is exactly the correct answer. It doesn't matter if it's because of chemical changes, boiling point difference or osmosis direction or whatever, as long as it works.
– Bass
2 days ago
My personal experience is also more salt = less cracking. I admit, I use a lot of salt when I know my eggs are cracky batch. Not quantities of salt one uses normally. I don't pretend to know or understand why it works.
– Mołot
yesterday
My personal experience is also more salt = less cracking. I admit, I use a lot of salt when I know my eggs are cracky batch. Not quantities of salt one uses normally. I don't pretend to know or understand why it works.
– Mołot
yesterday
@Mołot OK, but this egg is already cracked.
– David Richerby
yesterday
@Mołot OK, but this egg is already cracked.
– David Richerby
yesterday
1
1
The answer has been edited since my first comment so, in more detail: 1. Increased salt in the water would cause a tiny fraction more water to leave the egg; what difference would that make? 2. The egg white will already become solid when it hits the boiling water -- egg white hardens at around 80C (176F) and the boiling water is already much hotter than that. 3. As I've already said, the increase in boiling point from salting the water is negligible: even if you add 60g (2oz) of salt per litre (quart) of water, the boiling point will only go up by about 0.5C (1F).
– David Richerby
yesterday
The answer has been edited since my first comment so, in more detail: 1. Increased salt in the water would cause a tiny fraction more water to leave the egg; what difference would that make? 2. The egg white will already become solid when it hits the boiling water -- egg white hardens at around 80C (176F) and the boiling water is already much hotter than that. 3. As I've already said, the increase in boiling point from salting the water is negligible: even if you add 60g (2oz) of salt per litre (quart) of water, the boiling point will only go up by about 0.5C (1F).
– David Richerby
yesterday
|
show 2 more comments
up vote
5
down vote
You can choose to poach the egg.
The egg is cracked into a cup or bowl of any size, and then gently slid into a pan of water at approximately 75 Celsius (167 °F) and cooked until the egg white has mostly solidified, but the yolk remains soft. The "perfect" poached egg has a runny yolk, with a hardening crust and no raw white remaining.
I don't have any experience with this but I would imagine you could cook it until the yolk hardens along with the whites.
To be clear, one of the key differences is water temperature--the water should be hot but not boiling--this helps keep the egg together (or rather, boiling water makes the egg not stay together)..
– user3067860
2 days ago
1
@user3067860 Yep, I think the "75 Celcius" covers that though. At any rate, my answer addresses the "or should it be fried or cooked in another way" segment of the question.
– MonkeyZeus
2 days ago
I just never use a thermometer for cooking eggs, I go by "boiling", "simmering", etc. No idea how hot 75 C is except it's between 74 C and 76 C.
– user3067860
2 days ago
@user3067860 Thanks again. That too sounds like an option so feel free to post your own experience with non-poaching cooking techniques.
– MonkeyZeus
2 days ago
@MonkeyZeus I don't think you're answering the question here. The asker is aware that there are other ways of cooking eggs and isn't asking for suggestions of them. The question is (paraphrasing) "Can I hard boil it or am I going to have to do something else?" not "What's the best way of cooking an egg whose shell is cracked?" So the answer is either "Yes, you can hard boil it using technique XYZ" or "No, boiling it won't work so you'll have to do something else."
– David Richerby
yesterday
|
show 2 more comments
up vote
5
down vote
You can choose to poach the egg.
The egg is cracked into a cup or bowl of any size, and then gently slid into a pan of water at approximately 75 Celsius (167 °F) and cooked until the egg white has mostly solidified, but the yolk remains soft. The "perfect" poached egg has a runny yolk, with a hardening crust and no raw white remaining.
I don't have any experience with this but I would imagine you could cook it until the yolk hardens along with the whites.
To be clear, one of the key differences is water temperature--the water should be hot but not boiling--this helps keep the egg together (or rather, boiling water makes the egg not stay together)..
– user3067860
2 days ago
1
@user3067860 Yep, I think the "75 Celcius" covers that though. At any rate, my answer addresses the "or should it be fried or cooked in another way" segment of the question.
– MonkeyZeus
2 days ago
I just never use a thermometer for cooking eggs, I go by "boiling", "simmering", etc. No idea how hot 75 C is except it's between 74 C and 76 C.
– user3067860
2 days ago
@user3067860 Thanks again. That too sounds like an option so feel free to post your own experience with non-poaching cooking techniques.
– MonkeyZeus
2 days ago
@MonkeyZeus I don't think you're answering the question here. The asker is aware that there are other ways of cooking eggs and isn't asking for suggestions of them. The question is (paraphrasing) "Can I hard boil it or am I going to have to do something else?" not "What's the best way of cooking an egg whose shell is cracked?" So the answer is either "Yes, you can hard boil it using technique XYZ" or "No, boiling it won't work so you'll have to do something else."
– David Richerby
yesterday
|
show 2 more comments
up vote
5
down vote
up vote
5
down vote
You can choose to poach the egg.
The egg is cracked into a cup or bowl of any size, and then gently slid into a pan of water at approximately 75 Celsius (167 °F) and cooked until the egg white has mostly solidified, but the yolk remains soft. The "perfect" poached egg has a runny yolk, with a hardening crust and no raw white remaining.
I don't have any experience with this but I would imagine you could cook it until the yolk hardens along with the whites.
You can choose to poach the egg.
The egg is cracked into a cup or bowl of any size, and then gently slid into a pan of water at approximately 75 Celsius (167 °F) and cooked until the egg white has mostly solidified, but the yolk remains soft. The "perfect" poached egg has a runny yolk, with a hardening crust and no raw white remaining.
I don't have any experience with this but I would imagine you could cook it until the yolk hardens along with the whites.
answered 2 days ago
MonkeyZeus
19914
19914
To be clear, one of the key differences is water temperature--the water should be hot but not boiling--this helps keep the egg together (or rather, boiling water makes the egg not stay together)..
– user3067860
2 days ago
1
@user3067860 Yep, I think the "75 Celcius" covers that though. At any rate, my answer addresses the "or should it be fried or cooked in another way" segment of the question.
– MonkeyZeus
2 days ago
I just never use a thermometer for cooking eggs, I go by "boiling", "simmering", etc. No idea how hot 75 C is except it's between 74 C and 76 C.
– user3067860
2 days ago
@user3067860 Thanks again. That too sounds like an option so feel free to post your own experience with non-poaching cooking techniques.
– MonkeyZeus
2 days ago
@MonkeyZeus I don't think you're answering the question here. The asker is aware that there are other ways of cooking eggs and isn't asking for suggestions of them. The question is (paraphrasing) "Can I hard boil it or am I going to have to do something else?" not "What's the best way of cooking an egg whose shell is cracked?" So the answer is either "Yes, you can hard boil it using technique XYZ" or "No, boiling it won't work so you'll have to do something else."
– David Richerby
yesterday
|
show 2 more comments
To be clear, one of the key differences is water temperature--the water should be hot but not boiling--this helps keep the egg together (or rather, boiling water makes the egg not stay together)..
– user3067860
2 days ago
1
@user3067860 Yep, I think the "75 Celcius" covers that though. At any rate, my answer addresses the "or should it be fried or cooked in another way" segment of the question.
– MonkeyZeus
2 days ago
I just never use a thermometer for cooking eggs, I go by "boiling", "simmering", etc. No idea how hot 75 C is except it's between 74 C and 76 C.
– user3067860
2 days ago
@user3067860 Thanks again. That too sounds like an option so feel free to post your own experience with non-poaching cooking techniques.
– MonkeyZeus
2 days ago
@MonkeyZeus I don't think you're answering the question here. The asker is aware that there are other ways of cooking eggs and isn't asking for suggestions of them. The question is (paraphrasing) "Can I hard boil it or am I going to have to do something else?" not "What's the best way of cooking an egg whose shell is cracked?" So the answer is either "Yes, you can hard boil it using technique XYZ" or "No, boiling it won't work so you'll have to do something else."
– David Richerby
yesterday
To be clear, one of the key differences is water temperature--the water should be hot but not boiling--this helps keep the egg together (or rather, boiling water makes the egg not stay together)..
– user3067860
2 days ago
To be clear, one of the key differences is water temperature--the water should be hot but not boiling--this helps keep the egg together (or rather, boiling water makes the egg not stay together)..
– user3067860
2 days ago
1
1
@user3067860 Yep, I think the "75 Celcius" covers that though. At any rate, my answer addresses the "or should it be fried or cooked in another way" segment of the question.
– MonkeyZeus
2 days ago
@user3067860 Yep, I think the "75 Celcius" covers that though. At any rate, my answer addresses the "or should it be fried or cooked in another way" segment of the question.
– MonkeyZeus
2 days ago
I just never use a thermometer for cooking eggs, I go by "boiling", "simmering", etc. No idea how hot 75 C is except it's between 74 C and 76 C.
– user3067860
2 days ago
I just never use a thermometer for cooking eggs, I go by "boiling", "simmering", etc. No idea how hot 75 C is except it's between 74 C and 76 C.
– user3067860
2 days ago
@user3067860 Thanks again. That too sounds like an option so feel free to post your own experience with non-poaching cooking techniques.
– MonkeyZeus
2 days ago
@user3067860 Thanks again. That too sounds like an option so feel free to post your own experience with non-poaching cooking techniques.
– MonkeyZeus
2 days ago
@MonkeyZeus I don't think you're answering the question here. The asker is aware that there are other ways of cooking eggs and isn't asking for suggestions of them. The question is (paraphrasing) "Can I hard boil it or am I going to have to do something else?" not "What's the best way of cooking an egg whose shell is cracked?" So the answer is either "Yes, you can hard boil it using technique XYZ" or "No, boiling it won't work so you'll have to do something else."
– David Richerby
yesterday
@MonkeyZeus I don't think you're answering the question here. The asker is aware that there are other ways of cooking eggs and isn't asking for suggestions of them. The question is (paraphrasing) "Can I hard boil it or am I going to have to do something else?" not "What's the best way of cooking an egg whose shell is cracked?" So the answer is either "Yes, you can hard boil it using technique XYZ" or "No, boiling it won't work so you'll have to do something else."
– David Richerby
yesterday
|
show 2 more comments
up vote
2
down vote
You can boil cracked egg safely just use 2 table spoons of white vinegar. Put White vinegar in boiling water and then gently put the egg in the water and let it boil. Egg will not come out of its shell.
You can also make egg poach.Click here to understand about egg poach
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
You can boil cracked egg safely just use 2 table spoons of white vinegar. Put White vinegar in boiling water and then gently put the egg in the water and let it boil. Egg will not come out of its shell.
You can also make egg poach.Click here to understand about egg poach
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
up vote
2
down vote
You can boil cracked egg safely just use 2 table spoons of white vinegar. Put White vinegar in boiling water and then gently put the egg in the water and let it boil. Egg will not come out of its shell.
You can also make egg poach.Click here to understand about egg poach
You can boil cracked egg safely just use 2 table spoons of white vinegar. Put White vinegar in boiling water and then gently put the egg in the water and let it boil. Egg will not come out of its shell.
You can also make egg poach.Click here to understand about egg poach
answered yesterday
user227201
685
685
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
It's possible to boil an egg with steam. This usually requires an additional device. The eggs are put upright and won't split open since they are not exposed directly to the hot water.
New contributor
4
Does this work for eggs that are already cracked? And why would being exposed to hot water make an egg more likely to split?
– David Richerby
2 days ago
I have two devices like this and the directions specifically say you need to pierce the top of the egg with a needle (that is included). Sometimes if the hole is a little big or if the hole is cracked, there is a considerable amount of egg white material ejected from the egg. It still makes a good hardboiled egg, but it's not as pretty. A cracked egg would certainly expand into a weird shape (again, would probably taste fine).
– JPhi1618
2 days ago
1
When doing hardboiled eggs in a commercial steamer i have seen the same issue with eggs coming apart as with boiling water.
– bruglesco
2 days ago
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
It's possible to boil an egg with steam. This usually requires an additional device. The eggs are put upright and won't split open since they are not exposed directly to the hot water.
New contributor
4
Does this work for eggs that are already cracked? And why would being exposed to hot water make an egg more likely to split?
– David Richerby
2 days ago
I have two devices like this and the directions specifically say you need to pierce the top of the egg with a needle (that is included). Sometimes if the hole is a little big or if the hole is cracked, there is a considerable amount of egg white material ejected from the egg. It still makes a good hardboiled egg, but it's not as pretty. A cracked egg would certainly expand into a weird shape (again, would probably taste fine).
– JPhi1618
2 days ago
1
When doing hardboiled eggs in a commercial steamer i have seen the same issue with eggs coming apart as with boiling water.
– bruglesco
2 days ago
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
It's possible to boil an egg with steam. This usually requires an additional device. The eggs are put upright and won't split open since they are not exposed directly to the hot water.
New contributor
It's possible to boil an egg with steam. This usually requires an additional device. The eggs are put upright and won't split open since they are not exposed directly to the hot water.
New contributor
edited 2 days ago
New contributor
answered 2 days ago
fiscblog
1272
1272
New contributor
New contributor
4
Does this work for eggs that are already cracked? And why would being exposed to hot water make an egg more likely to split?
– David Richerby
2 days ago
I have two devices like this and the directions specifically say you need to pierce the top of the egg with a needle (that is included). Sometimes if the hole is a little big or if the hole is cracked, there is a considerable amount of egg white material ejected from the egg. It still makes a good hardboiled egg, but it's not as pretty. A cracked egg would certainly expand into a weird shape (again, would probably taste fine).
– JPhi1618
2 days ago
1
When doing hardboiled eggs in a commercial steamer i have seen the same issue with eggs coming apart as with boiling water.
– bruglesco
2 days ago
add a comment |
4
Does this work for eggs that are already cracked? And why would being exposed to hot water make an egg more likely to split?
– David Richerby
2 days ago
I have two devices like this and the directions specifically say you need to pierce the top of the egg with a needle (that is included). Sometimes if the hole is a little big or if the hole is cracked, there is a considerable amount of egg white material ejected from the egg. It still makes a good hardboiled egg, but it's not as pretty. A cracked egg would certainly expand into a weird shape (again, would probably taste fine).
– JPhi1618
2 days ago
1
When doing hardboiled eggs in a commercial steamer i have seen the same issue with eggs coming apart as with boiling water.
– bruglesco
2 days ago
4
4
Does this work for eggs that are already cracked? And why would being exposed to hot water make an egg more likely to split?
– David Richerby
2 days ago
Does this work for eggs that are already cracked? And why would being exposed to hot water make an egg more likely to split?
– David Richerby
2 days ago
I have two devices like this and the directions specifically say you need to pierce the top of the egg with a needle (that is included). Sometimes if the hole is a little big or if the hole is cracked, there is a considerable amount of egg white material ejected from the egg. It still makes a good hardboiled egg, but it's not as pretty. A cracked egg would certainly expand into a weird shape (again, would probably taste fine).
– JPhi1618
2 days ago
I have two devices like this and the directions specifically say you need to pierce the top of the egg with a needle (that is included). Sometimes if the hole is a little big or if the hole is cracked, there is a considerable amount of egg white material ejected from the egg. It still makes a good hardboiled egg, but it's not as pretty. A cracked egg would certainly expand into a weird shape (again, would probably taste fine).
– JPhi1618
2 days ago
1
1
When doing hardboiled eggs in a commercial steamer i have seen the same issue with eggs coming apart as with boiling water.
– bruglesco
2 days ago
When doing hardboiled eggs in a commercial steamer i have seen the same issue with eggs coming apart as with boiling water.
– bruglesco
2 days ago
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
Believe it or not, you can put some Duct Tape (like gaffer tape - heavy tape) over the crack, and away you go.
(I'm not sure why anyone would bother with this - boiled eggs which have some white "poking out" are fine - but there you have it.)
8
Is duct tape food safe though?
– wjandrea
2 days ago
4
@wjandrea It's safe to bet is not. This advice is only useful for people cooking for show. But there are people who needs perfectly boiled eggs for photos etc, so maybe someone will benefit from this answer.
– Mołot
yesterday
5
The duct tape will leach who-knows-what into the water and the egg. Unless you have information to the contrary, you should assume that duct tape is not food-safe, and boiled duct tape doubly so.
– David Richerby
yesterday
Although duct tape is indeed certainly not food safe, I personally would risk it. Decent duct tape isn't water soluble (though I'm less sure about boiling water soluble). I'm actually pretty sure I've had duct tape in contact with foodstuff I later ate, and no ill effects. And anyways eggs generally don't absorb much of whatever is in the water. But yeah, I'd rather not recommend this for anybody else.
– leftaroundabout
yesterday
1
@leftaroundabout It's pretty likely that at least some components of the glue will start floating around in the water, even if they're not formally "dissolved".
– David Richerby
yesterday
|
show 2 more comments
up vote
1
down vote
Believe it or not, you can put some Duct Tape (like gaffer tape - heavy tape) over the crack, and away you go.
(I'm not sure why anyone would bother with this - boiled eggs which have some white "poking out" are fine - but there you have it.)
8
Is duct tape food safe though?
– wjandrea
2 days ago
4
@wjandrea It's safe to bet is not. This advice is only useful for people cooking for show. But there are people who needs perfectly boiled eggs for photos etc, so maybe someone will benefit from this answer.
– Mołot
yesterday
5
The duct tape will leach who-knows-what into the water and the egg. Unless you have information to the contrary, you should assume that duct tape is not food-safe, and boiled duct tape doubly so.
– David Richerby
yesterday
Although duct tape is indeed certainly not food safe, I personally would risk it. Decent duct tape isn't water soluble (though I'm less sure about boiling water soluble). I'm actually pretty sure I've had duct tape in contact with foodstuff I later ate, and no ill effects. And anyways eggs generally don't absorb much of whatever is in the water. But yeah, I'd rather not recommend this for anybody else.
– leftaroundabout
yesterday
1
@leftaroundabout It's pretty likely that at least some components of the glue will start floating around in the water, even if they're not formally "dissolved".
– David Richerby
yesterday
|
show 2 more comments
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
Believe it or not, you can put some Duct Tape (like gaffer tape - heavy tape) over the crack, and away you go.
(I'm not sure why anyone would bother with this - boiled eggs which have some white "poking out" are fine - but there you have it.)
Believe it or not, you can put some Duct Tape (like gaffer tape - heavy tape) over the crack, and away you go.
(I'm not sure why anyone would bother with this - boiled eggs which have some white "poking out" are fine - but there you have it.)
answered 2 days ago
Fattie
187116
187116
8
Is duct tape food safe though?
– wjandrea
2 days ago
4
@wjandrea It's safe to bet is not. This advice is only useful for people cooking for show. But there are people who needs perfectly boiled eggs for photos etc, so maybe someone will benefit from this answer.
– Mołot
yesterday
5
The duct tape will leach who-knows-what into the water and the egg. Unless you have information to the contrary, you should assume that duct tape is not food-safe, and boiled duct tape doubly so.
– David Richerby
yesterday
Although duct tape is indeed certainly not food safe, I personally would risk it. Decent duct tape isn't water soluble (though I'm less sure about boiling water soluble). I'm actually pretty sure I've had duct tape in contact with foodstuff I later ate, and no ill effects. And anyways eggs generally don't absorb much of whatever is in the water. But yeah, I'd rather not recommend this for anybody else.
– leftaroundabout
yesterday
1
@leftaroundabout It's pretty likely that at least some components of the glue will start floating around in the water, even if they're not formally "dissolved".
– David Richerby
yesterday
|
show 2 more comments
8
Is duct tape food safe though?
– wjandrea
2 days ago
4
@wjandrea It's safe to bet is not. This advice is only useful for people cooking for show. But there are people who needs perfectly boiled eggs for photos etc, so maybe someone will benefit from this answer.
– Mołot
yesterday
5
The duct tape will leach who-knows-what into the water and the egg. Unless you have information to the contrary, you should assume that duct tape is not food-safe, and boiled duct tape doubly so.
– David Richerby
yesterday
Although duct tape is indeed certainly not food safe, I personally would risk it. Decent duct tape isn't water soluble (though I'm less sure about boiling water soluble). I'm actually pretty sure I've had duct tape in contact with foodstuff I later ate, and no ill effects. And anyways eggs generally don't absorb much of whatever is in the water. But yeah, I'd rather not recommend this for anybody else.
– leftaroundabout
yesterday
1
@leftaroundabout It's pretty likely that at least some components of the glue will start floating around in the water, even if they're not formally "dissolved".
– David Richerby
yesterday
8
8
Is duct tape food safe though?
– wjandrea
2 days ago
Is duct tape food safe though?
– wjandrea
2 days ago
4
4
@wjandrea It's safe to bet is not. This advice is only useful for people cooking for show. But there are people who needs perfectly boiled eggs for photos etc, so maybe someone will benefit from this answer.
– Mołot
yesterday
@wjandrea It's safe to bet is not. This advice is only useful for people cooking for show. But there are people who needs perfectly boiled eggs for photos etc, so maybe someone will benefit from this answer.
– Mołot
yesterday
5
5
The duct tape will leach who-knows-what into the water and the egg. Unless you have information to the contrary, you should assume that duct tape is not food-safe, and boiled duct tape doubly so.
– David Richerby
yesterday
The duct tape will leach who-knows-what into the water and the egg. Unless you have information to the contrary, you should assume that duct tape is not food-safe, and boiled duct tape doubly so.
– David Richerby
yesterday
Although duct tape is indeed certainly not food safe, I personally would risk it. Decent duct tape isn't water soluble (though I'm less sure about boiling water soluble). I'm actually pretty sure I've had duct tape in contact with foodstuff I later ate, and no ill effects. And anyways eggs generally don't absorb much of whatever is in the water. But yeah, I'd rather not recommend this for anybody else.
– leftaroundabout
yesterday
Although duct tape is indeed certainly not food safe, I personally would risk it. Decent duct tape isn't water soluble (though I'm less sure about boiling water soluble). I'm actually pretty sure I've had duct tape in contact with foodstuff I later ate, and no ill effects. And anyways eggs generally don't absorb much of whatever is in the water. But yeah, I'd rather not recommend this for anybody else.
– leftaroundabout
yesterday
1
1
@leftaroundabout It's pretty likely that at least some components of the glue will start floating around in the water, even if they're not formally "dissolved".
– David Richerby
yesterday
@leftaroundabout It's pretty likely that at least some components of the glue will start floating around in the water, even if they're not formally "dissolved".
– David Richerby
yesterday
|
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up vote
0
down vote
If the egg's been cracked for a while, just throw it out. Even though the boiling process should kill anything growing in it, good sense says it's not worth the risk. If the egg gets small cracks when you put it in the water or while cooking, it's perfectly fine. In my experience, the heat will quickly make the outer layer of white solidify as it cooks, which will lock everything else inside, crack or no. The worst I've ever seen happen from cooking an egg that cracked early on is that little bits of white escape and get cooked in the water, giving it a cloudy look. I've eaten many eggs that cracked while cooking and never had any problems.
New contributor
I wouldn't trust boiling the egg to sterilize it. The outer parts will get up to 100C but the inner parts won't -- the yolk can completely set at about 70C.
– David Richerby
yesterday
@David Richerby I agree. Better to get a fresh one.
– CMB
yesterday
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
If the egg's been cracked for a while, just throw it out. Even though the boiling process should kill anything growing in it, good sense says it's not worth the risk. If the egg gets small cracks when you put it in the water or while cooking, it's perfectly fine. In my experience, the heat will quickly make the outer layer of white solidify as it cooks, which will lock everything else inside, crack or no. The worst I've ever seen happen from cooking an egg that cracked early on is that little bits of white escape and get cooked in the water, giving it a cloudy look. I've eaten many eggs that cracked while cooking and never had any problems.
New contributor
I wouldn't trust boiling the egg to sterilize it. The outer parts will get up to 100C but the inner parts won't -- the yolk can completely set at about 70C.
– David Richerby
yesterday
@David Richerby I agree. Better to get a fresh one.
– CMB
yesterday
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
If the egg's been cracked for a while, just throw it out. Even though the boiling process should kill anything growing in it, good sense says it's not worth the risk. If the egg gets small cracks when you put it in the water or while cooking, it's perfectly fine. In my experience, the heat will quickly make the outer layer of white solidify as it cooks, which will lock everything else inside, crack or no. The worst I've ever seen happen from cooking an egg that cracked early on is that little bits of white escape and get cooked in the water, giving it a cloudy look. I've eaten many eggs that cracked while cooking and never had any problems.
New contributor
If the egg's been cracked for a while, just throw it out. Even though the boiling process should kill anything growing in it, good sense says it's not worth the risk. If the egg gets small cracks when you put it in the water or while cooking, it's perfectly fine. In my experience, the heat will quickly make the outer layer of white solidify as it cooks, which will lock everything else inside, crack or no. The worst I've ever seen happen from cooking an egg that cracked early on is that little bits of white escape and get cooked in the water, giving it a cloudy look. I've eaten many eggs that cracked while cooking and never had any problems.
New contributor
New contributor
answered 2 days ago
CMB
1
1
New contributor
New contributor
I wouldn't trust boiling the egg to sterilize it. The outer parts will get up to 100C but the inner parts won't -- the yolk can completely set at about 70C.
– David Richerby
yesterday
@David Richerby I agree. Better to get a fresh one.
– CMB
yesterday
add a comment |
I wouldn't trust boiling the egg to sterilize it. The outer parts will get up to 100C but the inner parts won't -- the yolk can completely set at about 70C.
– David Richerby
yesterday
@David Richerby I agree. Better to get a fresh one.
– CMB
yesterday
I wouldn't trust boiling the egg to sterilize it. The outer parts will get up to 100C but the inner parts won't -- the yolk can completely set at about 70C.
– David Richerby
yesterday
I wouldn't trust boiling the egg to sterilize it. The outer parts will get up to 100C but the inner parts won't -- the yolk can completely set at about 70C.
– David Richerby
yesterday
@David Richerby I agree. Better to get a fresh one.
– CMB
yesterday
@David Richerby I agree. Better to get a fresh one.
– CMB
yesterday
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
You can "steam" the egg instead. use a separator/sieve to suspend the egg above the boiling water in the pan. It will take longer than boiling to completely cook the egg.
New contributor
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
You can "steam" the egg instead. use a separator/sieve to suspend the egg above the boiling water in the pan. It will take longer than boiling to completely cook the egg.
New contributor
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
You can "steam" the egg instead. use a separator/sieve to suspend the egg above the boiling water in the pan. It will take longer than boiling to completely cook the egg.
New contributor
You can "steam" the egg instead. use a separator/sieve to suspend the egg above the boiling water in the pan. It will take longer than boiling to completely cook the egg.
New contributor
New contributor
answered 19 hours ago
aquarian47
11
11
New contributor
New contributor
add a comment |
add a comment |
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I would like to remind everybody that this question is on methods for boiling known-cracked eggs without making a mess. If you have methods for detecting cracks, please post at cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/22535. If you have methods for reducing the chance that a whole egg will crack during boiling, please post at cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/909. For theoretical explanations why an egg cracks during boiling, post at cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/63296.
– rumtscho♦
2 days ago
11
Is "safe" really the word you mean? I thought this question would be about food safety, but it seems to be more about cooking an egg without making a mess.
– nasch
2 days ago
1
This depends on how much of a crack you're talking about. I deliberately put small cracks in my eggs before hard boiling to make them easier to peel.
– barbecue
2 days ago