The perfect boiled egg is actually steamed

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ShadowsDad
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Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2011 1:13 am
Location: Central Maine

The perfect boiled egg is actually steamed

Post by ShadowsDad »

ATK put this over the air within the last 2 weeks and I just had to try it. It's foolproof!

If your idea of a perfect boiled egg is a fully set white and a runny yolk (Yumm!) this is the way to make them. It also makes as many as you want at once; just adjust the size of the lidded saucepan. The key is the steam and a high burner heat output.

You start with XL eggs, yes, size makes a difference. The time I'm going to give is for an XL egg. You're on your own with other sizes, but smaller eggs will require less time and larger more time. You'll also need a saucepan with a lid and a timer. Timing is critical.

Put no more than 1/2" of water in the saucepan and bring it to a vigorous boil. Put the number of eggs you want into the pan (single layer), gently! I use a spoon. Maintain the vigorous boil through out. Time 6 1/2 minutes (critical). At the end of the time put the pan under cold running water for 30 seconds. However you wish to eat them, they're ready at this point. They can be placed in egg cups, or as I use them, I open the shell and put them on toasted and buttered English muffins. Then I cut into them and allow the creamy yolk to run onto the buttered, toasted bread. Just a fantastic way to start the day.

OK, we have our own hens and we get at least 2 XL eggs out of the 8 eggs we get from the ladies every day. The eggs I eat are no more than 1 day old with yolks just as orange... anyway, they're simply delicious hen fruit! Thanks ladies! I almost feel guilty when I eat Birchermeusli for breakfast, almost.

You can fine tune the timing to suit your eggs and what you consider to be the perfect egg.

This works because the steam is a constant and is packed with heat, far more than boiling water which cools off as the eggs are added. Too, the whites, in order to set require a lot of heat, which the steam provides. The timing is critical so as not to allow the heat to enter too far into the egg and set the yolk, which actually sets at a lower temperature than the white. Hence a huge amount of heat for a timed period to do what needs to be done, then a cool off.

I've been enjoying these perfect eggs for the past 2 weeks. Just be sure to have the timer ready and to start it after "dropping" the eggs (my big downfall). Enjoy!
Brian

Maker of Kramperts Finest Bay Rum and Frostbite
Or find it here: Italian Barber, West Coast Shaving, Barclay Crocker, The Old Town Shaving Company at Stats, Maggard Razors; Leavitt & Peirce, Harvard Square
brothers
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Re: The perfect boiled egg is actually steamed

Post by brothers »

Brian, this will be an easy one to try out. Personally, I used to enjoy my egg yolks runny, but the US Army serving them with the yolks and even part of the egg whites runny and still cold from the refrigerator permanently destroyed my taste for anything less than very solid yolks and whites. I think if I try this steam-ing method, I'll give them about 7 minutes or more. I do enjoy boiled eggs though, just not runny ones.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
ShadowsDad
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Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2011 1:13 am
Location: Central Maine

Re: The perfect boiled egg is actually steamed

Post by ShadowsDad »

For a fully cooked boiled egg there is another method that's easier but slightly more time consuming. It's especially valuable if you want to peel the eggs. We've never gotten a dark colored yolk with this method and we boil A LOT of eggs. Eggs are one of our dogs major protein sources. It's also the way we cook industrial quantities of eggs for pickled eggs.

Put your eggs into the pot and add cold water, enough to cover the eggs by 2 inches, put a lid on it. Bring to a boil, then shut off and time 10 minutes. Take it to the sink and drain what you can without getting all anal about it or taking the chance of cracking shells. Rinse under running water for up to 10 minutes. Of course the longer cold rinse (the water doesn't need to be blasting once the pot is full) will result in a cooler egg. FWIW, after the pot is full of cold water we just set the pot in the sink so that the water enters one side and runs out the other side for full circulation. The water, after the pot is full, doesn't need to be a strong stream. It just needs to be enough to carry away the heat from the eggs. Too, if the pot is large enough one can cook dozens of eggs at one time, as long as the eggs are covered by the 2" of water.

The result is a perfectly cooked hard boiled egg with almost no work.
Brian

Maker of Kramperts Finest Bay Rum and Frostbite
Or find it here: Italian Barber, West Coast Shaving, Barclay Crocker, The Old Town Shaving Company at Stats, Maggard Razors; Leavitt & Peirce, Harvard Square
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fallingwickets
Clive the Thumb
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Re: The perfect boiled egg is actually steamed

Post by fallingwickets »

I can second the boil, rest for 10 minute method.

Cooks illustrated ran the 'steam' method on one of their issues last year, but I never did try it because the boil/10 was perfect for me and why mess with a good thing?!! Anyhoooo, will have to give the steam method a try.

clive

p.s. in the C I instructions, I dont remember there being any mention of cold running water but they might have tweaked the method a bit since then
de gustibus non est disputandum
ShadowsDad
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Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2011 1:13 am
Location: Central Maine

Re: The perfect boiled egg is actually steamed

Post by ShadowsDad »

Clive, the 2 methods will produce different results. Or at least can. The steam method socks the heat right to the egg to cook the white before the yolk ever feels the heat much. That's why the cold water. If allowed to stay in the egg it will continue to cook the yolk (or at least that's my take on it.). As in steaming vegetables when the cooking is complete the vegetables are cooled rapidly to stop the cooking right at that point.

Back to steaming. Of course it will hard cook an egg, but with all that heat one might get green yolks. They won't hurt you, but it isn't very appetizing.

If you and Gary would come back and let us know how it works for hard boiling it would be appreciated.
Brian

Maker of Kramperts Finest Bay Rum and Frostbite
Or find it here: Italian Barber, West Coast Shaving, Barclay Crocker, The Old Town Shaving Company at Stats, Maggard Razors; Leavitt & Peirce, Harvard Square
rsp1202
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Location: Los Angeles

Re: The perfect boiled egg is actually steamed

Post by rsp1202 »

I've been following the second method (boil, sit for 10 minutes, cool water) and get good hb eggs. I'll try your first suggested method, but never see XL/jumbo eggs at the local market, so usually get large. I'll try timing at 6 minutes, then less if that doesn't work.
Ron
ShadowsDad
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Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2011 1:13 am
Location: Central Maine

Re: The perfect boiled egg is actually steamed

Post by ShadowsDad »

Ron, when you get the time right the yolk will be nicely warm with the whites fully set. I've actually been able to open the egg up, split the white by hand, and pour out an unset yolk still in the invisible membrane and have the white completely set. It's spooky to see that.

Please let us know what you get for the required time.
Brian

Maker of Kramperts Finest Bay Rum and Frostbite
Or find it here: Italian Barber, West Coast Shaving, Barclay Crocker, The Old Town Shaving Company at Stats, Maggard Razors; Leavitt & Peirce, Harvard Square
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