2 ques about eggs
aem
> Hello,
> !. I use a glass saucepan to hard boil my eggs. Just about everytime I do
> boil the eggs a couple of the egg shells crack while boiling and sometimes
> some egg white slips out. Anyone know why this happens?
>
> 2. Just curious - when I buy a doz hens eggs the egg shells tend to vary
> from very light to dark. Does it make any difference re the quality of the
> egg when the egg shell is light or is dark?
>
> thanks very much! Answers would be appreciated so I can stop wracking my
> poor ol' head about these 2!
> cheers Margaret
1. If you start the eggs in cold water this will seldom happen. You can also
use a needle or pin to prick a tiny hole in the end of the shell.
2. Congratulations! You must be getting local eggs from someplace other than
the massive egg factories. Odds are they're better than the ones that all look
identical. As to the color itself, it doesn't have anything to do with how
good the eggs are....
Siobhan Perricone
>
>Hello,
>!. I use a glass saucepan to hard boil my eggs. Just about everytime I do
>boil the eggs a couple of the egg shells crack while boiling and sometimes
>some egg white slips out. Anyone know why this happens?
You should start with *cold* water and put the eggs in at the beginning.
Then generously salt the water and turn the heat on. That should
significantly reduce the cracking so soon problem. The usual cause of this
is putting cool or cold eggs into warm or hot water. The sudden change in
temperature causes the shell to expand too quickly and it cracks. Because
the egg inside hasn't had time to cook, some leaks out.
If you start with cold water then the shells have time to heat up along
with the water, so there is no sudden temperature change, and it also tends
to cook the white a little bit for the few times the shells do crack
anyway. The salt helps keep any white that might spill out from getting
too far, I've been told it helps solidify the white sooner, so you get
smaller globs coming out of the cracks. But ever since I started using
cold water to start, I've not had any cracking problems.
>2. Just curious - when I buy a doz hens eggs the egg shells tend to vary
>from very light to dark. Does it make any difference re the quality of the
>egg when the egg shell is light or is dark?
Some people swear by brown eggs, claiming that they have a superior
flavour. I've never been able to tell the difference between them, so I
buy whatever's the best bargain. However, it's possible that you might be
able to tell the difference. All I can suggest here is that you do a taste
test. :)
--
Siobhan Perricone
"You know, I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair; then I
thought, 'Wouldn't it be much worse if life *were* fair, and all the
terrible things that happened to us come because we actually deserved
them?' So now I take great comfort in the general hostility and
unfairness of the universe."
- Marcus, Babylon 5, "A Late Delivery from Avalon"
ecriva
Hello,
!. I use a glass saucepan to hard boil my eggs. Just about everytime I do
boil the eggs a couple of the egg shells crack while boiling and sometimes
some egg white slips out. Anyone know why this happens?
2. Just curious - when I buy a doz hens eggs the egg shells tend to vary
from very light to dark. Does it make any difference re the quality of the
egg when the egg shell is light or is dark?
thanks very much! Answers would be appreciated so I can stop wracking my
PRHD
does the trick too, but havent tried it. I use vinegar everytime I boil eggs,
and they never ooze anymore
PENMART10
writes:
>Hello,
>!. I use a glass saucepan to hard boil my eggs. Just about everytime I do
>boil the eggs a couple of the egg shells crack while boiling and sometimes
>some egg white slips out. Anyone know why this happens?
There are numerous reasons why, but the most common reason why eggs crack from
boiling is, believe it or not, from boiling, boiling too rapidly. Turn your
heat down to a low simmer or cover the pot and shut the heat off altogether.
You might also consider switching pots, glass pots are more rigid and are not
as forgiving to bouncing eggs as thin-walled metal pots.
>2. Just curious - when I buy a doz hens eggs the egg shells tend to vary
>from very light to dark. Does it make any difference re the quality of the
>egg when the egg shell is light or is dark?
Eggshell color makes absoultely no difference to the egg's nutritional value
one way or the other. Eggshell color is a direct result of the breed (genetic
make-up) of the chicken, and no other reason. Sometimes there are slight color
variations in the shell due to slight differences in chicken hybridization.
Next time you examine a brown eggshell notice that only the extreme outer
surface is brown. When you say "hens" I'll assume you mean chicken eggs, but
regardless of bird species only the hens lay eggs... just thought you'd like to
know that. hehe
http://www.aeb.org
"American Egg Board"
COLOR
Egg shell and yolk color may vary, but color has nothing to do with egg
quality, flavor, nutritive value, cooking characteristics or shell thickness.
Shell:
The color comes from pigments in the outer layer of the shell and may range in
various breeds from white to deep brown. The breed of hen determines the color
of the shell. Breeds with white feathers and ear lobes lay white eggs; breeds
with red feathers and ear lobes lay brown eggs. White eggs are most in demand
among American buyers. In some parts of the country, however, particularly in
New England, brown shells are preferred. The Rhode Island Red, New Hampshire
and Plymouth Rock are breeds that lay brown eggs. Since brown-egg layers are
slightly larger birds and require more food, brown eggs are usually more
expensive than white.
White:
Egg albumen in raw eggs is opalescent and does not appear white until it is
beaten or cooked. A yellow or greenish cast in raw white may indicate the
presence of riboflavin. Cloudiness of the raw white is due to the presence of
carbon dioxide which has not had time to escape through the shell and thus
indicates a very fresh egg.
On very rare occasions, a hard-cooked egg white may darken to a caramel shade
due to a high amount of iron in the cooking water or to a carbonylamine-type
reaction. Using fresh eggs and cooling them quickly after cooking helps to
prevent this darkening.
Yolk:
Yolk color depends on the diet of the hen. If she gets plenty of yellow-orange
plant pigments known as xanthophylls, they will be deposited in the yolk. Hens
fed mashes containing yellow corn and alfalfa meal lay eggs with medium yellow
yolks, while those eating wheat or barley yield lighter-colored yolks. A
colorless diet, such as white cornmeal produces almost colorless yolks. Natural
yellow-orange substances such as marigold petals may be added to light-colored
feeds to enhance yolk color. Artificial color additives are not permitted. Gold
or lemon-colored yolks are preferred by most buyers in this country. Yolk
pigments are relatively stable and are not lost or changed in cooking.
Sometimes there is a greenish ring around hard-cooked egg yolks. It is the
result of sulfur and iron compounds in the egg reacting at the surface of the
yolk. It may occur when eggs are overcooked or when there is a high amount of
iron in the cooking water. Although the color may be a bit unappealing, the
eggs are still wholesome and nutritious and their flavor is unaffected.
Greenish yolks can best be avoided by using the proper cooking time and
temperature and by rapidly cooling the cooked eggs.
Occasionally several concentric green rings may be seen in hard-cooked egg
yolks. A yolk develops within the hen in rings. Iron in the hen's feed or water
as the rings are formed may cause this coloring.
Sometimes a large batch of scrambled eggs may turn green. Although not pretty,
the color change is harmless.
It is due to a chemical change brought on by heat and occurs when eggs are
cooked at too high a temperature, held for too long or both. Using stainless
steel equipment and low cooking temperature, cooking in small batches and
serving as soon as possible after cooking will help to prevent this. If it is
necessary to hold scrambled eggs for a short time before serving, it helps to
avoid direct heat. Place a pan of hot water between the pan of eggs and the
heat source.
------
Sheldon
````````````
On a recent Night Court rerun, Judge Harry Stone had a wonderful line:
"I try to keep an open mind, but not so open that my brains fall out."
Harry A. Demidavicius
>
>Hello,
>!. I use a glass saucepan to hard boil my eggs. Just about everytime I do
>boil the eggs a couple of the egg shells crack while boiling and sometimes
>some egg white slips out. Anyone know why this happens?
Drive a pinhole into the shell at one end.
>2. Just curious - when I buy a doz hens eggs the egg shells tend to vary
>from very light to dark. Does it make any difference re the quality of the
>egg when the egg shell is light or is dark?
No
J6505
If you are boiling eggs for deviled eggs, always use eggs that were purchased
at leasst one week before you intend to boil and peel them. One trick to keep
them from cracking is to use a fine needle and poke a hole in the larger end of
the egg --this lets air to escape.
Second--the color of the shell should not make any difference--regardless of
how you are fixing your eggs. I have used both white shelled and brown shelled
for my catering, and if I were blind-folded, I would never be able to taste the
difference. I've been cooking eggs for 30 years and other than cost, I can't
taste any difference.
Finally, I have a few of Corning glass ware, and I always turn the heat down
low after coming to a slight boil. Cooking in glass is definately not a
favorite of mine. As a matter of fact, I hate the damn things. Things, even
eggs in water, get scorched in glass pot ware. Another solution is to bring
your eggs to a boil for a few minutes. Then remove from the burner and let
them sit for about ten minutes before cooling down in cold water. This
alternative requires practice to see if you can acquire a time schedule here.
And another finally----if your eggs don't turn out just right, make egg salad
or something else. I had the misfortune of undercooking a dozen eggs that were
to be for deviled eggs, but I chopped them, made Knorr's Bernaise suace to
which I added Medaira wine and served it over parsleyed egg noodles. The bunch
I was catering was a success.
J6505
LenS
>
> Hello,
> !. I use a glass saucepan to hard boil my eggs. Just about everytime I do
> boil the eggs a couple of the egg shells crack while boiling and sometimes
> some egg white slips out. Anyone know why this happens?
>
> from very light to dark. Does it make any difference re the quality of the
> egg when the egg shell is light or is dark?
I doubt that the glass saucepan has anything to do with the eggs
cracking. My experience has been that when there's a big difference
between the temperature of the eggs and the temperature of the water,
the eggs are more likely to crack.
I hard cook eggs by placing them in cold water. Since the eggs are
usually colder than the water, I let them sit in the water for 5 minutes
or so to equalize the temperature of the eggs and water. Then I turn on
the heat and bring the water to a boil. When it's boiling, I turn the
heat down to produce just a simmer and let the eggs cook for 10 minutes.
As for the color of the shells, the information I've seen is that the
shell color has little, if any, relation to the quality or nutrition of
the eggs. Unfortunately I can't remember where I read this.
-Len
Mr. Bill
>
>Hello,
>!. I use a glass saucepan to hard boil my eggs. Just about everytime I do
>boil the eggs a couple of the egg shells crack while boiling and sometimes
>some egg white slips out. Anyone know why this happens?
A tablespoon of vinegar will help prevent this!
Visualize Financial Peace!
PENMART10
>
>Hello,
>!. I use a glass saucepan to hard boil my eggs. Just about everytime I do
>boil the eggs a couple of the egg shells crack while boiling and sometimes
>some egg white slips out. Anyone know why this happens?
More than likely because you <U>hard boil</U> your eggs... the proper term is
"hard cooked", not hard boiled. Do NOT *hard boil* eggs.
http://www.aeb.org
American Egg Board
EGGS COOKED IN SHELL
• Eggs
• Water
Place eggs in single layer in saucepan. Add enough tap water to come at least 1
inch above eggs. Cover and quickly bring just to boiling. Turn off heat. If
necessary, remove pan from burner to prevent further boiling.
HARD-COOKED: Let eggs stand, covered, in the hot water about 15 minutes for
Large eggs. (Adjust time up or down by about 3 minutes for each size larger or
smaller.) Immediately run cold water over eggs or place them in ice water until
completely cooled.
To remove shell, crackle it by tapping gently all over. Roll egg between hands
to loosen shell, then peel, starting at large end. Hold egg under running cold
water or dip in bowl of water to help ease off shell.
SOFT-COOKED: Let eggs stand, covered, in the hot water, about 4 to 5 minutes,
depending on desired doneness. Immediately run cold water over eggs or place
them in ice water until cool enough to handle.
Sheryl Rosen
the water to a boil, then covering and turning off the heat. Actually
BOILING eggs can cause them to crack in the pot. Let them sit for about
10-15 minutes in the boiled water, then gently place in a bowlful of ice
water to chill quickly. This will help avoid the darkness around the
yolk that develops when the eggs are cooled slowly.
Sheryl
***update....update...update....update***
www.geocities.com/Paris/Parc/5284
Gary O.
>
>Hello,
>!. I use a glass saucepan to hard boil my eggs. Just about everytime I do
>boil the eggs a couple of the egg shells crack while boiling and sometimes
>some egg white slips out. Anyone know why this happens?
>
Glass cookware is difficult, although I'm not sure that is to blame.
I always let my eggs sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes
before cooking.
The technique of turning the heat off after bringing the water to a
boil works well, but I often don't, since I'm impatient.
You can use a fine needle to prick a hole in the large end of the egg.
>2. Just curious - when I buy a doz hens eggs the egg shells tend to vary
>from very light to dark. Does it make any difference re the quality of the
>egg when the egg shell is light or is dark?
>
Some people swear by brown eggs. I can't taste the difference in
casual testing, so I don't bother with the added expense. I rarely
feel that the eggs are the culprit in any of my recipes, so I've never
bothered with identifying exotic sources of great tasting eggs.
Gary O.
trac...@pacbell.net
HELEN PEAGRAM
small pin, make a tiny hole in the large end of the egg.
Colour makes no difference to the egg itself. Martha Stewart has blue
eggs from her chickens.
--
In His Name
Helen Peagram
mo...@globalserve.net
helenp...@hotmail.com
ecriva wrote in message <01bf2e3c$d21a07e0$6c67868b@default>...
:
:Hello,
:!. I use a glass saucepan to hard boil my eggs. Just about everytime
I do
:boil the eggs a couple of the egg shells crack while boiling and
sometimes
:some egg white slips out. Anyone know why this happens?
:
:2. Just curious - when I buy a doz hens eggs the egg shells tend to
vary
:from very light to dark. Does it make any difference re the quality
of the
:egg when the egg shell is light or is dark?
:
:thanks very much! Answers would be appreciated so I can stop wracking
Gary O.
>
>Hello,
>!. I use a glass saucepan to hard boil my eggs. Just about everytime I do
>boil the eggs a couple of the egg shells crack while boiling and sometimes
>some egg white slips out. Anyone know why this happens?
>
>2. Just curious - when I buy a doz hens eggs the egg shells tend to vary
>from very light to dark. Does it make any difference re the quality of the
>egg when the egg shell is light or is dark?
>
>thanks very much! Answers would be appreciated so I can stop wracking my
>poor ol' head about these 2!
>cheers Margaret
Here are more ideas for boiling eggs.
The New Joy of Cooking.
...eggs should never be boiled---they should be cooked gently at no
more than a bare simmer.
...boiling water bashes the eggs around, often cracking the shells...
Soft boiled.
Bring to a boil in a saucepan over high heat,
2 to 4 quarts water, enough to cover a single layer of eggs by 1 inch.
Gently lower (unshelled eggs) into the water with a slotted spoon or
in a colander or fry basket.
Return the water to a bo8il and immediately reduce the heat to a
simmer. Start timing, allowing 4 minutes for large eggs, 3-1/2
minutes for small and medium eggs, and 4-1/2 minutes for extra-large
and jumbo eggs. Serve immediately.
Hard Boiled.
Prepare as for Sfot-Boiled Eggs, above, allowing 14 minutes for large
eggs, 12 minutes for small and medium eggs, and 15 minutes for
extra-large and jumbo eggs. Plunge hard-boiled eggs into cold water
to prevent further cooking.
James Beard's American Cookery.
(note the apparent contradiction beween mehods 1 and 2)
There are three ways to boil eggs:
1) Place the eggs in cold water. Boil the water. Remove from heat
and allow to stand 30 seconds for very soft eggs and 1 minute for
firmer eggs. For hard eggs, let them boil for 3 minutes. Remove from
heat and allow to stand for 20 minutes. Plunge into cold water at
once. If you stir the eggs about, it sometimes helps keep the yolks
centered.
2). Put the eggs in cold water and bring to a real rolling boil.
Reduce to a simmer and let them cook 3 minutes for very soft eggs and
4 for a firmer egg. For hard boiled eggs, let them cook for 10 to 12
minutes. Plunge into cold water at once.
3) Use and electric egg cooker, which is the latest development in the
field. It works with a minimum of trouble and gives extremely good
results.
Gary O.
trac...@pacbell.net
Nexis
1. Start with cold water, and put the eggs in it, and *then* put it on the
heat. This way the shells won't break because they will warm up with the
water. Time once the water comes to a low boil. You can salt the water or
add a touch of vinegar to it, and that should help as well, but the most
important thing is to start with cold water and add the eggs *before*
heating.
2. The shell color makes absolutely no difference. There are some people who
prefer brown shells, some the more common white. But it really doesn't make
a difference in the eggs. We had chickens who produced both colors, and a
few shares in between.
kimberly
ecriva <ecr...@bigpond.com> wrote in message
news:01bf2e3c$d21a07e0$6c67868b@default...
rkirs...@my-deja.com
I use Emeril's "Lucky 13 Rule" for perfect Boiled eggs, which goes as
follows:
1. Put the water in the pot.
2. Put the eggs in the pot.
3. Bring to Boil and Boil for 2 Minutes
4. Let stand 11 Minutes.
5. Remove eggs from hot water, placing them in cold water.
Hope this helps,
Rhonda Kirschmann
In article <01bf2e3c$d21a07e0$6c67868b@default>,
"ecriva" <ecr...@bigpond.com> wrote:
>
> Hello,
> !. I use a glass saucepan to hard boil my eggs. Just about everytime I
do
> boil the eggs a couple of the egg shells crack while boiling and
sometimes
> some egg white slips out. Anyone know why this happens?
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Peter Aitken
for 20 minutes, then cool. Only one timer to mind.
As for shells cracking, no less an authority than Julia Child claims that
this is caused by the shells being cracked already - an invisible crack that
opens up when the egg heats. If you boil too rapidly, of course, then the
eggs knocking around in the pan may cause new cracks.
Peter G. Aitken
<rkirs...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:80p15u$v74$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
Mary Flint
of eggs doesn"t change the taste of eggs, the color change is in what
grains the chickens are fed.
Deborah F. Ryan
them into cold water. it helps in removing the shell. at least most of the
time ;^)
peace...
debbie
ask...@webtv.net
boil them they will not crack.They are
very hard to find but keep looking.
God helps them that helps themselves but
God help them who get caught helping
themselves
MARION BOOMER
heat. let the eggs stay in the water for 20 minutes. If you do it like
this , you will never have that dark ring around the yolk. June
MARION BOOMER
the carton and at that time open it and check each egg for a crack.
Its OK to do this. After all I might want a dozen perfect eggs.
June
Sprucedale
always start with the eggs in the pot in warm-ish tap water. Cover & bring
to a boil, remove from heat and let stand 15-20 minutes; peel them under
cold, running water - no cracked or broken shells, no dark rings around the
yokes, no bother.
Sprucedale
MARION BOOMER wrote in message
<26761-38...@storefull-274.iap.bryant.webtv.net>...
I bring the water to a boil, put the eggs in then cover. turn off the heat.
Peter Aitken
Sprucedale <wo...@work.com> wrote in message
news:3UZY3.110709$jF3.8...@quark.idirect.com...
> Don't cold or room temp. eggs break when placed in already-boiling water?
I
> always start with the eggs in the pot in warm-ish tap water. Cover &
bring
> to a boil, remove from heat and let stand 15-20 minutes; peel them under
> cold, running water - no cracked or broken shells, no dark rings around
the
> yokes, no bother.
> Sprucedale
>
Nope - unless they are cracked already or you handle them roughly. However
your method seems to work perfectly well so why change?
Peter G. Aitken