- Scientists from Italy have developed an innovative, although time-consuming, method of soft-boiling eggs.
- Thanks to this method, we obtain a perfectly creamy yolk and soft white.
- Check out how scientists changed their approach to cooking eggs and discover their secret!
How to soft-boil an egg? Scientists’ approach
Cooking may seem like no philosophy, but to cook a perfect soft-boiled egg, you have to put in some effort. How many times did it turn out that instead of a creamy, runny yolk, the inside of the egg had a compact consistency, or both the yolk and the white were liquid? The issue of a perfectly soft-boiled egg also bothered scientists from the University of Naples. Frederick II. Under the supervision of a polymer processing technology specialist, Ernesto Di Maio, they developed an innovative method of cooking eggs. It is time-consuming, but it allows you to cook the egg so that the yolk is creamy and the white is soft but compact. Cooking a perfect soft-boiled egg is extremely difficult because the white sets at a lower temperature than the yolk. And although according to culinary art, a soft-boiled egg should be boiled for three and a half minutes, very often, even after applying this rule, it turns out that the yolk is liquid, but the white instead of a solid consistency resembles gelatinous slimes. That’s why researchers from Italy tested many cooking methods until they finally found the perfect one. They called the method “periodic cooking”. It involves cooking eggs once in boiling water, once at 30 degrees C. The eggs are placed in a basket and moved from one vessel to another every two minutes. The operation is repeated 8 times, i.e. soft-boiling eggs takes 32 minutes. Then we proceed as in regular cooking, i.e. cool the egg under cold running water. Thanks to this preparation, the yolk is perfectly creamy, and the white has a solid but soft consistency. According to the BBC, Italian scientists also analyzed the nutritional values of eggs cooked this way and they turned out to be much higher than those prepared using the traditional method.
Cooking soft-boiled eggs in a simple and home-made way
If you don’t have time to soft-boil eggs using a new and time-consuming method, you can always prepare eggs traditionally. Remove the eggs from the refrigerator about 10-15 minutes before cooking to allow them to come to room temperature. This will prevent the shell from cracking during cooking. Fill the pot with water, enough to cover the eggs completely. Boil water, then use a spoon to gently place them in the boiling water. Reduce the heat so that the water is bubbling gently. Set the timer for 3:30 – 4:30 minutes, depending on your preference for the consistency of the yolk (3:30 minutes: very soft yolk, 4 minutes: slightly set yolk, 4:30 the yolk is not yet hard, but not soft either). After the allotted time has passed, immediately remove the eggs from the boiling water and place them in a bowl of ice water. Let them cool for about 1-2 minutes. You can also place the pot under cold running water. This will stop the cooking process and make the eggs easier to peel.
How to hard boil an egg?
A green rim on the yolk most often appears as a result of cooking it for too long or keeping it in hot water. When an egg is cooked for a long time, the iron in the yolk reacts with the sulfur in the egg white to form iron sulfide, which has a greenish color. Perfectly hard-boiled eggs have set whites and yolks without a green rim.
Remove the eggs from the refrigerator about 10-15 minutes before cooking to allow them to come to room temperature. Fill the pot with water, enough to cover the eggs completely. Bring the water to a boil. Use a spoon to gently place the eggs into the boiling water to avoid cracking the shell. Reduce the heat so that the water is bubbling gently. Set the timer for 8-10 minutes, depending on your preference for yolk consistency (8 minutes: yolk slightly moist in the center, 10 minutes: yolk fully set). After the allotted time has passed, immediately remove the eggs from the boiling water and place them in a bowl of ice water. Let them cool for about 1-2 minutes. You can also place the pot under cold running water. This will stop the cooking process and make the eggs easier to peel.
Recommended article:
