it takes a certain amount of heat penetrating at some rate from the outside to the inside of an egg to “make perfect” - a highly subjective state of cooked egg…
the temp of the water - or steam -
the star temp of the egg -
(some diff for size of egg - peewee to jumbo…)
I totally disagree with K-J’s “finding” than a post cook ice shock makes for bad or worser peeling.
can’t really say anything more about it - my personal 50 years+ experience contradicts.
I’m gonna’ stick with what works… out of the fridge, into boiling water for M minutes and S seconds - they make timers for that . . .
the timing depends on (a) the egg temp in the fridge and (b) personal preference.
e.g. my soft boil is 4:45 - but DW is happier at 6:00.
we got a new fridge - the old timings were ‘off’ - adjust time - works as before…
I agree however, a prelim boiling dip followed by a simmer . . . utter nonsense. somebody got off on a side track…
If you have dialed in your own HBE prep to your satisfaction, then by all means stick with it. As this thread demonstrates, however, a lot of people don’t. That wide dissatisfaction* is on display here, and was undoubtedly the reason Kenji did his testing and wrote his articles. If his findings (e.g., the short, rapid boil) help people avoid a bugaboo (in this case, attain easy peeling) in their own cooking, then that’s a good thing. Yes? People who say Kenji doesn’t know his stuff are on pretty thin ice.
Back into the weeds… IMO, Kenji’s method is a refinement of the established HBE variant that has the cook bring the eggs to a boil and then shut off the heat, letting them soak for X minutes as the temp drops. Is this also “utter nonsense”? The refinement is quickly ending the boil (via ice cubes or transfer), and an instant and precise change of heat for the rest of the cooking. You could do that with 2 pans rather than SV, but the second water pan would need to be preheated to the desired temp; a SV circulator makes this effortless, with no thermal cycling in the bath.
BTW, I’m no great fan of SV, mostly because the method adds time, steps, and trouble. But here, having the circulator attain and maintain the desired temp is faster than adjusting a hob. And the whole egg obviates the need for all the work bagging, vacuum sealing and unbagging.
Well, if you’re referring to countdown timers, you have to know what time(s) to set. Or are you referring to the immersible timers–basically a clear faux egg–that give visual signs of the degree of doneness? I have an “Eggsact Eggtimer” which works OK, but your overall result doesn’t help peeling or offer much beyond crude cooking of the yolks.
boil/turn off heat - yes, it’s utter nonsense. you know enough about thermodynamics - the amount of water, the shape of the pot (i.e. surface area), pot material, etc etc all raise havoc with that theory. I believe K-J did show how the amount of water affects the cooking.
yes, of course you have to know what the set the timer for. and yes the individual must experiment with how long to leave the egg in boiling water - to meet their own personal definition of ‘good egg.’
on another forum this topic came up, doesn’t it always… - and one “experienced home cook” could not consistently get the results he wanted. he also stated words to the effect he did not have the patience to experiment with timing, he just wanted it to work. not much of a cook, methinks…
starting with a consistent raw egg temperature, into already boiling water, kept at the boil, removes (just about ) all the variables except for how long to boil it.
Not really. There’s water volume, altitude, egg size, egg age, egg number, refrigerator differences, pan choice, hob choice, added salt (and/or vinegar) whether a trivet, basket or rack is used, many cooling choices, etc. Not all home cooks (even at home) can eliminate these variables every time.
It’s also an open question whether simply boiling for X minutes yields optimal results. It may come down to a “good” versus an ideal one. You appear to be in the minority in believing this method makes for easy peeling.
They have those loooooooong eggs here, I’ve seen them in commercial kitchens.
I’ve been tempted to buy already cooked eggs, but cheapness and stubbornness then intervene and I can’t bring myself to buy them.
I wish I could teleport to Japan, for so many reasons!
Between Harold McGee and Kenji Lopez-Alt, and my own “lazy man” approach to things, this is what I do – it works pretty well, and it’s easy.
First, the green ring is due to sulfur in the egg, and to avoid it you have only to crack the shell ASAP to let the bad stuff out
Second, steaming gives a better result than boiling.
Did I mention this approach is EASY
So I:
put cold eggs in a pot, one layer only
partially cover with tap water only to about 1/2 to 2/3’s the way up the side of the eggs
put pot on heat, and when the water boils set the timer for 10-11 min. (this effectively steams them with no additional hardware) (l like mine a bit undercooked in middle) (medium boil is best)
take them off flame and run tap water in the pot to cool them (ice is not necessary)
after a few seconds drain them and shake the pot to break the shells some
refill the pot with tap water, wait a few minutes, then drain again (now they are cool enough to peel)
peel ASAP. Peel by breaking shell at wider end first. Slip thumb under shell and shimmy shell off
I should add that, if you buy eggs that are grown locally, might be a long time before they’re ready for boiling. Those brown cackleberries can take some time. I buy the boring store bought white eggs and wait a week. Then, I puncture the thin end with a nut pick and boil. Maybe I’ll steam next time. I’m still hit-or-miss with the green yolk thing.
For how long does one steam? Sorry if someone already said. I must have missed it.
“Cover pan and cook eggs, adjusting the burner to maintain a vigorous boil, 6 minutes for a warm liquid yolk and firm whites, 8 1/2 minutes for a translucent, fudgy yolk or 11 minutes for a yolk that is just barely firm all the way through.”
I actually tried this last night, 8 1/2 minutes, with the ice bath, but haven’t tried peeling them. Eggs from a CSA at leat two weeks ago; maybe almost four. I’ve got too many eggs.
I don’t know if one can have too many eggs. I always find a use. Right now (my wife and I are all that’s left in the house) I pay $5 for 36 brown ones from just a few miles away. Takes a month before I’d even consider boiling/steaming them. Ms. Badger LIVES for different varieties of deviled eggs.
