 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeDiscussion GroupsGeneral TopicsLow CarbWeightWatchers WeightAdviser.com Contact UsLink To UsSearch & Site Map |
Weight Loss Forum / Low Carb / December 2006Boiled eggs: a problem...
Anyone know why it's sometimes such a terrible problem to get the shells off boiled eggs? Sometimes the shells come off easily; other times you end up ripping the eggs to shreds as you try to get them off. What is going on? Is there any discernible pattern to this? And any workable solution? Ta! R.C. > Anyone know why it's sometimes such a terrible problem to get the shells off > boiled eggs? [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > What is going on? Is there any discernible pattern to this? And any workable > solution? How are you boiling the eggs? I find that the method that you see recommended a lot now where you heat the water to boiling, turn it off, and let the eggs stand, results in much more fragile eggs than just putting them into boiling water and boiling them for 12-13 minutes which is the more traditional method. Beth >How are you boiling the eggs? I find that the method that you see >recommended a lot now where you heat the water to boiling, turn it off, >and let the eggs stand, results in much more fragile eggs than just >putting them into boiling water and boiling them for 12-13 minutes >which is the more traditional method. 12-13? Repeated typo, or you like your eggs very hard boiled? > 12-13? Repeated typo, or you like your eggs very hard boiled? Some people think that eating raw eggs is pretty disgusting. I'm one of them.  SignatureTim Ward - posting as an individual unless otherwise clear Brett Ward Limited - www.brettward.co.uk Cambridge Accommodation Notice Board - www.brettward.co.uk/canb Cambridge City Councillor >> 12-13? Repeated typo, or you like your eggs very hard boiled? > > Some people think that eating raw eggs is pretty disgusting. I'm one of > them. I was taught to bring the eggs to a boil then turn the water to medium low and cook another 15 minutes. It's always worked for me :-) -Phil > >How are you boiling the eggs? I find that the method that you see > >recommended a lot now where you heat the water to boiling, turn it off, [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > 12-13? Repeated typo, or you like your eggs very hard boiled? Yes, I was assuming 'boiled' was 'hard boiled', which was potentially wrong. I'm icked by soft-boiled eggs so I don't eat them. Here's a chart that I find helpful in remembering how long to boil eggs, which includes times for different degrees of hardness: http://www.hormel.com/templates/knowledge/knowledge.asp?catitemid=10&id=443 Beth >> >How are you boiling the eggs? I find that the method that you see >> >recommended a lot now where you heat the water to boiling, turn it off, [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >Yes, I was assuming 'boiled' was 'hard boiled', which was potentially >wrong. I'm icked by soft-boiled eggs so I don't eat them. Nor do I, but I'd only seen the "turn it off and let the stand" method for soft-boiled, and thought soft-boiled was the default for "boiled". > Nor do I, but I'd only seen the "turn it off and let the stand" method > for soft-boiled, and thought soft-boiled was the default for "boiled". Do people usually peel soft-boiled eggs? Peeling was where this thread started wasn't it? Cheers, Jon >> Nor do I, but I'd only seen the "turn it off and let the stand" method >> for soft-boiled, and thought soft-boiled was the default for "boiled". > >Do people usually peel soft-boiled eggs? Peeling was where this thread >started wasn't it? I use a steak knife to make a hole on the shell and then "saw" the top off from inside. Cooking method is boiling water for four minutes. With a large egg, this results in the white being pretty much completely solid, with a small bit of thin fluid left, and a deliciously runny yolk with which it can mix. Yummy! >> Nor do I, but I'd only seen the "turn it off and let the stand" method >> for soft-boiled, and thought soft-boiled was the default for "boiled". > >Do people usually peel soft-boiled eggs? Enough to get a spoon in, at least some of them. I suppose cutting it open and scooping out the egg might not be peeling, but the ease of separation of shell and contents is just as relevent. Take them out of the hot water and dunk them immediately in cold water for a moment - the colder the better. They should them peel easily. > Anyone know why it's sometimes such a terrible problem to get the shells off > boiled eggs? [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > R.C. I have heard that the age of the eggs has something to do with how easily the shells come off. I think I remember that the fresher the eggs are - the harder they will be to peel. I am not an encyclopedia - just trying to recall some trivia. > Take them out of the hot water and dunk them immediately in cold water for > a [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] >> >> R.C. > Take them out of the hot water and dunk them immediately in cold water for a > moment - the colder the better. They should them peel easily. No need to dunk them unless you want to eat them hot right away. I let mine sit under the 'cold' water tap/flow. They peel very nicely. -- eleaticus ee-lee-AT-i-cus eleaticus@bellsouth.net > Anyone know why it's sometimes such a terrible problem to get the shells off > boiled eggs? The largest problem is with the freshness of the eggs. The fresher they are, the less of an air bubble inside, and the harder to peel. We have chickens and I try to not hardboil eggs until they're at least 3 or 4 weeks old. This makes more difference than all the cooking and peeling tips I've ever tried. I store eggs so the freshest ones are on one side and the older on the other. I use the older eggs for hardboiling and the freshest eggs for everything else. Sort of... usually you rotate food from one side, I rotate from both sides. If I were buying eggs in the store, I'd assume they probably took a week or so to get from the chicken to the store, so would try to hold them 2-3 weeks before boiling. If the eggs are old enough, you can break all the other "rules" for peeling eggs and they come out just fine. If I have any left, I usually wait until a couple of weeks or so after the 'Sell By' date on the carton. :-) Steve >> Anyone know why it's sometimes such a terrible problem to get the shells >> off boiled eggs? [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > weeks before boiling. If the eggs are old enough, you can break all the > other "rules" for peeling eggs and they come out just fine. > Anyone know why it's sometimes such a terrible problem to get the shells off > boiled eggs? [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > What is going on? Is there any discernible pattern to this? And any workable > solution? Remove the shells before you boil the eggs. Signature"The Academy is too large and too vulgar. Whenever I have gone there, there have been either so many people that I have not been able to see the pictures, which was dreadful, or so many pictures that I have not been able to see the people, which was worse." >>Anyone know why it's sometimes such a terrible problem to get the shells off >>boiled eggs? > Remove the shells before you boil the eggs. That's a good one :)))) I somehow pictured it to double-check that it was indeed a joke. Well it is. Be warned. Huey > >>Anyone know why it's sometimes such a terrible problem to get the shells off > >>boiled eggs? [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Well it is. Be warned. 'Tis called poaching. Signature"The Academy is too large and too vulgar. Whenever I have gone there, there have been either so many people that I have not been able to see the pictures, which was dreadful, or so many pictures that I have not been able to see the people, which was worse." > > >>Anyone know why it's sometimes such a terrible problem > > >>to get the shells off boiled eggs? [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > 'Tis called poaching. Oh, I thought yoy really meant to remove just the shell (and not the membrane) before boiling. You could do this with either extreme care and patience or some acid. SignatureJón Fairbairn Jon.Fairbairn@cl.cam.ac.uk http://www.chaos.org.uk/~jf/Stuff-I-dont-want.html (updated 2006-09-13) Here is a great trick: Tap the hard boiled egg on both ends only, then put the smaller end to your mouth and blow hard. The shell comes off as one piece. It's marvellous. But my wife thinks it's gross. Try! Tim > Here is a great trick: > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Tim A lot of times - that is what you do to save shells to make cascarones. > Oh, I thought yoy really meant to remove just the shell (and > not the membrane) before boiling. You could do this with > either extreme care and patience or some acid. If you watched "Food Navel Gazing" (AKA Heston Blumenthal: In Search of Perfection) on BBC2, he was looking for the perfect Spaghetti Bolognese. He took a flight to Italy to see one of his mates boil meat for 8 hours, and while it was boiling he showed Heston 'embrione' - eggs extracted (presumably in a manner not compatible with the chicken living much longer) before the albumen and shell had been deposited. They were, in essence, egg yolks with a fragile membrane to hold it together. They were par-boiled for 15 or so seconds, had bouillon injected into them and eaten while distinctly runny - probably not something for Tim, judging by his last post. Chris Chris Lamb muttered: >> Oh, I thought yoy really meant to remove just the shell (and >> not the membrane) before boiling. You could do this with [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > distinctly runny - probably not something for Tim, judging by his last > post. I watched that too, and I don't care what they said about their deliciousness. Vile beyond belief. Ask Google -- lots of good info on solving the problem. Irv > Anyone know why it's sometimes such a terrible problem to get the shells off > boiled eggs? [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > R.C. Signature-------------------------------------- Visit my HomePage at http://members.shaw.ca/finkirv/index.html Visit my Baby Sofia website at http://members.shaw.ca/finkirv4/index.htm Visit my OLDTIMERS website at http://members.shaw.ca/finkirv5/index.htm -------------------- Irv Finkleman, Grampa/Ex-Navy/Old Fart/Ham Radio VE6BP Calgary, Alberta, Canada >Anyone know why it's sometimes such a terrible problem to get the shells off >boiled eggs? [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > >R.C. Hi, RC -- I tried all the tricks, including leaving them out to room temperature first, and vinegar which just made a stink, and still couldn't get a dozen hard cooked eggs out of a batch unless I started with 36. ;-) This seemed to get even worse after we moved to this area where the water is so terribly hard. I don't know if that had anything to do with it or not, but it's something I noticed. This is the best thing that's finally worked for me: I heat the water to boiling and then use a spaghetti scoop to put the eggs in the water, return to boil (only takes two or three minutes). Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 18 minutes for large eggs. Then run the cold water on them -- a lot of people say for five minutes, but I do longer than that. I read that putting the egg into the boiling water creates enough of a "shock" to put a space between the shell and the egg. So far, that seems to be the case. When I do peel them, I still need to run them under water to get the shell off neatly. If I try to "dry peel" them, I end up with a mess. The other upside of this method is that the yolks are lovely -- no green gunk on 'em. Hope this helps! -- BlueBrooke T2/D&E/June 2005 The things that come to those who wait will be the things left by those who got there first. I bring my water to a boil. Add the eggs (invariably large sized). When it comes to a vigorous boil again, I knock down the temp to maintain a good simmer then I set the timer for ten minutes. At ten minutes I start pouring the hot water out of the pot and move it under the cold tap water stream and fill the pot with cold water letting it flow for a minute or so. When the eggs are cool enough to handle but still quite warm, I peel them. Once peeled, I set them back in the cold water to continue cooling. Real difficult peelers are rare using this method. If some do stick a bit, I keep them wetted as much as possible while I peel. TC > Anyone know why it's sometimes such a terrible problem to get the shells off > boiled eggs? [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > R.C. Reality Chick muttered: > Anyone know why it's sometimes such a terrible problem to get the shells off > boiled eggs? [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > R.C. I put them carefully into boiling water boil for about 3 minutes, but check them every half minute, after that to see if the water clears rapidly off the shell's surface, that means you have a perfect soft boiled egg. If it's hard-boiled you're after, double the time it took to get them to that stage. I can also proudly say that I've mastered poaching them by creating a whirlpool in the pan and breaking an egg into the centre of it. Pure class! "magwitch" <magwitch@a.b.c> wrote in >> Sometimes the shells come off easily; other times you end up ripping the >> eggs to shreds as you try to get them off. I put the eggs in luke warm water. Boil 17 min for small eggs, 18 min for med-large and 19 minutes for jumbo. I rinse them for a minute in cold water and peel immediately. I feel that peeling when hot is when the peels just come right off. I also have one of those egg cookers that you plug in, holds six eggs and it works very well too. Same thing though, peel when the eggs are still hot! > If it's hard-boiled you're after I was wondering that. The majority of replies seem to assume that, even though the OP just said 'boiled', not 'hard boiled'. > I can also proudly say that I've mastered poaching them by > creating a whirlpool in the pan and breaking an egg into the centre of > it. Pure class! Heh, I've done that before too. Works like a charm, but only if you want one egg - I've not figured out how to create two seperate whirlpools in the same pan to do two eggs. It all goes horribly wrong... My grandma used to be able to cook perfect poached eggs in a pan of water, and I still don't know how she did it. They were always cooked to perfection and with no sign of the dreaded 'egg soup'. I know she used to put vinegar in the water, but whenever I've tried that it seems to make little difference. Maybe it's down to the age of the eggs again. I poach eggs in a little bit of broth, either beef or chicken and serve the broth along with the eggs. You can add veggie things like a bit of onion to it as well. I do it in the microwave, quick and easy tasty meal. || If it's hard-boiled you're after | [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] | seems to make little difference. Maybe it's down to the age of the | eggs again. >> creating a whirlpool in the pan and breaking an egg into the centre of >> it. Pure class! > > Heh, I've done that before too. Works like a charm, but only if you want > one egg - I've not figured out how to create two seperate whirlpools in > the same pan to do two eggs. It all goes horribly wrong... The last sentence pretty much describes my attempts at poached eggs. A mess every time, Ive tried old eggs, new eggs, salted water, unsalted water, with and with vinegar and with and without whirlpool and I get an unedifying mess every time...any tips on how to do em I'll try... Tim -- When playing rugby, its not the winning that counts, but the taking apart ICQ: 5178568 > The last sentence pretty much describes my attempts at poached eggs. A > mess every time, Ive tried old eggs, new eggs, salted water, unsalted > water, with and with vinegar and with and without whirlpool and I get an > unedifying mess every time...any tips on how to do em I'll try... http://www.b3ta.com/features/howtopoachanegg/ B >> The last sentence pretty much describes my attempts at poached eggs. A >> mess every time, Ive tried old eggs, new eggs, salted water, unsalted [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > B Hey thanks, I can use this. Rob I used to own a supper club. Eggs MUST be in your fridge or cooler for a bare minimum of 2 full weeks. Three weeks are a lot better. That's the ONLY prequalification to be able to peel an egg w/o problems. Just take the damn things from the 'fire' to the tap and run cold water full blast on them, even without dumping the boiling water first. -- eleaticus ee-lee-AT-i-cus eleaticus@bellsouth.net |I used to own a supper club. Eggs MUST be in your fridge or cooler for |a bare minimum of 2 full weeks. Three weeks are a lot better. That's |the ONLY prequalification to be able to peel an egg w/o problems. "Used to own" a supper club? As in: got closed down by the Health Department for serving old eggs past their expiration date? Oh, please, refrigerated eggs will keep for eons. || I used to own a supper club. Eggs MUST be in your fridge or cooler || for a bare minimum of 2 full weeks. Three weeks are a lot better. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] | "Used to own" a supper club? As in: got closed down by the Health | Department for serving old eggs past their expiration date? >|I used to own a supper club. Eggs MUST be in your fridge or cooler for >|a bare minimum of 2 full weeks. Three weeks are a lot better. That's >|the ONLY prequalification to be able to peel an egg w/o problems. > >"Used to own" a supper club? As in: got closed down by the Health >Department for serving old eggs past their expiration date? I've got a carton of eggs in my fridge that I bought last week. Best before date is January 26. Jo Anne > I've got a carton of eggs in my fridge that I bought last week. Best > before date is January 26. > > Jo Anne LOL! Just noting my comment from farther up the thread. If I have eggs AFTER the "best by" date, that's, when I say to myself, "Self, time to hard boil those eggs." Will that start an argument? :-) Do we need to talk about eggs that have the USDA stamp, such as Egglands Best, are supposedly fresh, but eggs that don't may have been sent back (after expiration date) for re-washing and re-packaging and show up again on the shelf, good a few more months? Or is that a myth? :-) And this thread is only about peeling, not storing. I store hard boiled eggs IN the shell for eons...(in the fridge of course). I just try and use any cracked ones first. Older hard boiled eggs are easier to peel as well. LOL again, Steve Tim Fitzmaurice muttered: >>> creating a whirlpool in the pan and breaking an egg into the centre of >>> it. Pure class! [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > water, with and with vinegar and with and without whirlpool and I get an > unedifying mess every time...any tips on how to do em I'll try... If at first you don't succeed... Takes several efforts ;O( but once you've learnt the trick you won't go wrong again. It helps to have the broken egg ready in a small bowl, then really get the water swirling around fast and tip it into the centre, don't be tempted to stir again until the egg white looks err. white, or you'll break it up. >>The last sentence pretty much describes my attempts at poached eggs. A >>mess every time, Ive tried old eggs, new eggs, salted water, unsalted >>water, with and with vinegar and with and without whirlpool and I get an >>unedifying mess every time...any tips on how to do em I'll try... The water has to be at a temperature of 70°C before you throw the FRESH egg in, and between 69°C and 70°C after the egg is in. That's the secret (which implies you may need buy a thermometer). If the water is too hot, the white of the egg will disperse and c.100°C the yoke will become hard, if not hot enough it will not cook. Secondly, the best way to use vinegar is as follow. Take a glass, put some vinegar at the bottom, then turn the glass quickly so there is vinegar on the walls, break the egg into the glass. the vinegar at the bottom and on the walls will cook the outside of the egg slightly, ensuring that it remains in shape when thrown into water. You can also put vinegar in the water obviously but you need to make sure the egg is in contact with the vinegar as it enters the water/vinegar mix. Thirdly, it is impossible to add vinegar if you poach your egg in milk. Then what you can do is take some milk at 70°C in a glass, throw the egg in to "precook" it without dispersion. Then throw the whole mix into the saucepan with 70°C milk. That is only useful if the egg is not fresh. If the egg is fresh and poached in milk or wine at 70°C, it will not disperse. >>>The last sentence pretty much describes my attempts at poached eggs. A >>>mess every time, Ive tried old eggs, new eggs, salted water, unsalted [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > the white of the egg will disperse and c.100°C the yoke will become hard, > if not hot enough it will not cook. "yokes" always are hard. David Ranc muttered: >>> The last sentence pretty much describes my attempts at poached eggs. A >>> mess every time, Ive tried old eggs, new eggs, salted water, unsalted [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > saucepan with 70°C milk. That is only useful if the egg is not fresh. If > the egg is fresh and poached in milk or wine at 70°C, it will not disperse. The Appliance of Science! You must subscribe to the Heston Blumenthal school of cookery. But many thanks, it explains why my efforts have been a bit hit and miss until recently. Doesn't the vinegar flavour the egg a bit though? > The water has to be at a temperature of 70°C before you throw the > FRESH egg in, and between 69°C and 70°C after the egg is in. That's between 156 and 158 degrees, for those of us in civilized countries. ;-) SignatureAaron -- 285/235/200 -- http://www.myspace.com/aaronbaugher "If you hear hoofbeats, you just go ahead and think horsies, not zebras." > >>The last sentence pretty much describes my attempts at poached eggs. A > >>mess every time, Ive tried old eggs, new eggs, salted water, unsalted [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > a thermometer). If the water is too hot, the white of the > egg will disperse What's the mechanism for that? My guess would have been the hotter the water the quicker it would cook so the less it would disperse, but once it's actually bubling that would knock it apart. So what actually happens above 70°C? SignatureJón Fairbairn Jon.Fairbairn@cl.cam.ac.uk http://www.chaos.org.uk/~jf/Stuff-I-dont-want.html (updated 2006-09-13) > What's the mechanism for that? My guess would have been the > hotter the water the quicker it would cook so the less it > would disperse, but once it's actually bubling that would > knock it apart. So what actually happens above 70°C? My understanding is that the protein which holds the white together breaks down. But I did not learn chemistry, I learnt cooking/cuisine. > Anyone know why it's sometimes such a terrible problem to get the shells off > boiled eggs? [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > R.C. The age of the egg is extremely relevant. IIRC older eggs are better. i find that the older the eggs (before hard boiling) the easier it is to shell them. SignatureMERRY! http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1XzgbndG1FGGtknViH2SjDJKwBudAV1 > Anyone know why it's sometimes such a terrible problem to get the shells > off boiled eggs? [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > R.C. > i find that the older the eggs (before hard boiling) the easier it > is to shell them. That's definitely the main thing. When I get fairly fresh eggs, I'll sometimes leave them out on the counter for a day or two to age before boiling them. They also seem to peel better if I steam them instead of boiling, for some reason. SignatureAaron -- 285/235/200 -- http://www.myspace.com/aaronbaugher I can honestly say I've never had a problem peeling eggs. When they are boiled, I first put them straight under cold water so they stop cooking, and make them easier to handle. Then, roll the egg on the work surface under the palm of your hand, pressing slightly so the shell cracks all over. Start peeling at the 'blunt' end where the air sac is, and make sure you get under the membrane that lines the shell. Then it all peels off like a dream. I really hope that helps. Naomi > Anyone know why it's sometimes such a terrible problem to get the shells off > boiled eggs? [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > R.C. >Anyone know why it's sometimes such a terrible problem to get the shells off >boiled eggs? Good question! I have wondered that myself. Amy williamson@shaklee.net Puppies for sale http://tubedog.tripod.com Nature and Science in Harmony http://www.shaklee.net/williamson/ |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2012 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.