It is a big mistake to consider that cooking eggs is a simple and simple matter. Take at least the question, you need to lay eggs in boiling water or cold. You can’t say for sure how to do it right. Both cooking options have a right to exist. With only one correction: only eggs of room temperature can be thrown into hot water. If they are only out of the refrigerator, the shell will burst, the protein will deform and leak.
How to cook?
A perfectly cooked egg has the following characteristics:
- firm but tender consistency;
- a whole shell that is easy to peel;
- the yolk is yellow, located in the center, its taste is delicate and not sulfuric.
To obtain such a result, it is important to observe the temperature regime and not exceed the cooking time. Harold McGee, a well-known American author of books on the science of cuisine, indicates an optimum temperature of 80ºC -85ºC and a time range of 10-15 minutes. This corresponds to hot, barely boiling water. With a strong boil of water, the testicles begin to spin, which leads to cracking of the shell. In addition, at high temperatures, a reaction between the gray protein and the yolk iron occurs faster, and the core becomes a green tint.
You can put eggs in a cooking pot at any stage of cooking - at the beginning, even in cold water, or in hot, already boiled.
Rules for boiling in boiling water
Many are wary of throwing eggs in boiling water. The main con is shell cracking. Indeed, if they are cold, only from the refrigerator, then the shell will burst due to a strong temperature difference. But if the testicles lie on the table for at least 2 hours at room temperature or 20-30 minutes in warm water, then the contrast will not be so strong. The risk of cracking will not increase.
The advantages of this method:
- High speed cooking. After 3-4 minutes, soft-boiled eggs will be ready, after 5-7 minutes - medium, after 10-15 minutes - hard-boiled.
- Protein folds immediately, abruptly, which means that the risk of it sticking to the shell decreases.
What are the rules of boiling in boiling water?
- Wait for the water to boil.
- Reduce the heat to a minimum.
- Gently place the eggs at room temperature in water on a spoon.
- Do not use the cover.
- Cook for 10-15 minutes on low heat to get hard boiled eggs.
Reducing the risk of cracking the shell helps adding 2-3 teaspoons of salt to water (per 1 liter). If the shell bursts, in salted water the protein instantly coagulates and seals the crack.
Cooking with gradual heating of water
In cold water, you can put eggs that you just got out of the refrigerator. Some housewives give them 15–20 minutes to warm up. Then put the pan on the fire and wait for the boil to begin. Only after this is the cooking time recorded: 3-4, 5-7, 10-15 minutes for soft-boiled eggs, medium and hard boiled eggs, respectively. The disadvantage of this method is the smooth folding of the protein. The process begins even before the boiling water begins. As a result, the protein sticks to the shell and can be poorly cleaned.
Fresh eggs have a low PH protein, due to which it is firmly attached to the shell during cooking. But over time, the PH level rises. For easy cleaning, it is recommended that you do not cook the testicles immediately, but hold them in the refrigerator for one week.
Unshelled cooking
This dish is called poached egg, and is borrowed from French cuisine. How to cook it, and in what water to throw eggs?
- Place a small pot of water on the fire.
- Add 3-4 teaspoons of salt or vinegar.
- When the water boils, make a funnel, stirring the water strongly with a spoon.
- Quickly beat the egg at the edge to spin it into a whirlpool.
- Get the poached egg with a slotted spoon after 3-4 minutes.
Ideal poached has an oval flattened shape, fully cooked tender protein and liquid yolk. When cut, it flows onto a plate. You can also use arable land or tie a broken egg in a bag. But the water when lowering the egg mass must always be hot.
So, is it possible to lay eggs in boiling water? Yes, you can definitely do that. However, it is important that they are not cold, otherwise the shell will crack and the protein will spread. Warm them slightly before cooking, holding in warm water. And so that the shell does not stick and is well cleaned, immediately after cooking, substitute the eggs under a stream of cold water.