Tuesday, November 29, 2011

how to boil an egg

i know. it sounds terribly dumb because who doesn't know how to boil an egg? 
guess what? i didn't! i could figure out the hot boiling water part and the throw an egg in part
but i was doing it wrong the whole time!! 


in our experiment, we were working with little quails eggs. it was a well-executed and very precise process but it took us exactly 120 seconds to achieve soft gooey centered quail eggs with firm white! 

here are some legendary tips we picked up::
| do not boil it in salt water |
i always did that because in my many years of failed science education, i learnt that salt raises the boiling temperature of water, hence boiling things faster.. but so wrong! the temperature of the water needs to be constant and as the water evaporates, the salt content increases hence the temperature changes. plus boiling eggs in higher temperature makes the whites rubbery! egg fail.

| stir up a storm |
no seriously! in the first 20 seconds after slipping the egg into the pot, stir it in one direction to create a whirlpool. the centrifugal force of the water would spin the egg and thru the magic of god, the egg yolk would sit perfectly in the middle of the egg when boiled. 

| the shock factor |
after scooping the egg out of the hot water, shock it! immediately place it in iced water or run it under cold tap water. it makes it easier to peel as well. 

| truffle infused |
our little quail eggs were kept in an airtight container with yummy truffles and they turned out with the oh-so-yummy truffley scent! that's it! :) i also read that you can infuse your eggs with paprika, sage, soy and even tea!

| if you want a perfect egg |
at the round tip of the egg, you can gently poke a small hole to burst the air bubble. when its boiling, it would expand to fill the air space and form a perfect egg.

hope this changes your (egg-boiling) life! :)
thanks, chef! you're our inspiration!

xx

13 comments:

  1. i've been experimenting with different boiling times for the best KOPITIAM soft-boiled eggs but alas... still unsuccessful! gah.

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  2. @trinacheyenne

    i've been trying too! have not had much success!! when i find a magic time, i'll yell! xx

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  3. ooo this is so interesting! things to remember for next time: infusing, whirlpool, and poke the top of the egg. wow! did all of this come from daniel???

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  4. awesome.
    maybe now i can cook better eggs. ha..

    question though... infusing with truffles...is that post or pre boiling?

    and how do u gently poke a hole in the egg? i think the caveman in me will break the egg instead.

    sorry for the silly questions..as you can tell. i am not much of a cook! :P

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  5. @ohmyomiyage

    yes!! amazing huh? he has so many tips on how to make things better! kitchen mysteries solved!!

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  6. @Janice

    infusing is pre boiling! he did it for the whole night i think! :) but it smelt glorious!

    i've never tried poking the hole actually! but i think with a sharp needle!! i'll ask him tonight!

    xx

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  7. And i learnt a very handy trick from the japanses variety show to peel eggs, put the eggs in a tiny bit of water in a container, shake it well and the skins slips off the egg instantly!

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  8. Thanks for the tips. I always thought you just boil an egg for a certain amount of time (1 min for a soft one, and 3--hard)... Turned out: it's much more complex :-))

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  9. @kennytricia

    how super cool is that trick! I'll try it next time! :)

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  10. @OksanaB

    me too! i was so baffled by the complexities of boiling an egg!! :)

    x

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  11. exactly nine minutes! and you put the egg in the water before it boils. and when you're doing a poached egg, whirlpool with vinegar gives the egg a proper shape!

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  12. @Janice

    janice, i got an answer from the chef!! :)

    The proper procedure for egg poking is:

    1) Wrap the lower part of the egg in a cloth

    2) Hold it like an ice cream cone

    3) With a pin gently press against the shell while twisting it right and left (the same way you turn a key)

    4) Keep the pressure constant until you feel the shell give

    5) Cook immediately, do not store poked eggs because there is a risk of bacterial growth and subsequent food poisoning

    xx

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