Talk:Boiled egg

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This article was nominated for deletion on January 14, 2006. The result of the discussion was speedy keep.

I know all this is obvious to Westerners. I wrote the article partly for people from a non-western background who may be interested to know how Westerners cook eggs.Barbara Shack 14:47, 14 January 2006 (UTC)

I think this article should be at the singular "boiled egg" as per Wikipedia standards. Andries 21:53, 17 January 2006 (UTC)

I agree. I'd do it myself, but it's a redirect with (trivial) history. NickelShoe 05:25, 7 February 2006 (UTC)

Contents 1 Cooking time: soft boiled eggs 2 Cooking Method, Hard-Boiled, versus ALTITUDE 3 Soft boiled eggs? 4 Egg Boiling Pans

[edit] Cooking time: soft boiled eggs

Adding eggs to boiling water: "In this case, three to four minutes should be added to the cooking time."

Really? That would make seven or more minutes. I think this should read "The cooking time should then be three to four minutes" or similar. I have just eaten two medium-large soft-boiled eggs which I put straight into a pan of boiling water for 3m 40s and they were (almost) just right.

On a broader level, the entire article is currently suffering from a serious lack of citations, making it hard for anyone to verify the various information being presented. 24.19.184.243 04:20, 29 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Cooking Method, Hard-Boiled, versus ALTITUDE

This is a very important point if one wants the egg to peel easily and the white to be firm, not "mushy".

We live at 5,000 Ft in Arizona. Water in an open pan up here boils at about 204 to 205-oF. That is NOT hot enough for a peelable egg.

For a dozen eggs in a pan to just fit, we cover them with water and add about 1/2-cup of rock salt -- about as much as will dissolve. That raises the boiling temperature to just under 212-oF, the boiling point at sea level. Now we have the necessary temperature, but still low atmospheric pressure and the water inside the egg has not been treated -- so one needs to pierce the egg on one end to allow steam to escape. Failing to do this produces a real mess of busted eggs. The cooking time is to your taste for the consistency of the final product -- we do 15-min.

[edit] Soft boiled eggs?

I think we need an expert to give us a more accurate figure as to how long a soft boiled egg is generally cooked. --Jonathan Drain 14:23, 3 November 2006 (UTC)

There is not really an "accurate" figure, as people's preference differ. Some prefer very runny, some more creamy, others in between. And then there is the matter of how long the water takes to boil (depends on volume), initial egg temperature (fridge or room temp?), and also the egg size. For soft boiled eggs, difference of a minute could be a big deal. Here is my way of getting consistent "doneness":

• Take the eggs out of the fridge, and submerge in some cold water from the tap.
  • this minimizes cooking time variation and prevents cracking of cold eggs dropped in hot water.
• Fill a pan with tap water, enough to cover eggs by 1 inch.
• Bring the water to full boil.
• Take eggs out of the cold water and carefully place into the boiling water. Use a spoon.
• Turn off the heat. Cover.
• Let eggs cook for 9-13 minutes, depending on preference/egg size. 15 minutes for hard boiled. Experiment!
• Remove and run under cold water from tap.

Now you can get consistent soft boiled eggs every time. --128.3.63.191 21:16, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Egg Boiling Pans

Is it necessary to have a special pan for boiling eggs - that is, does boiling eggs in pans used for other food somehow taint the pan and make it unsuitable for other foods?

I've never heard of someone using a separate pot for boiling eggs. I suppose if you live on a farm and gather the eggs yourself they might be dirty on the outside, but washing the shells before boiling them and washing the pot afterward would be plenty. Most germs are killed by boiling, anyway. 138.89.122.55 04:31, 20 November 2006 (UTC)

It's interesting to consider.. How much calcium comes out of the shells while boiling? I bet if you used the same pan over and over and never washed it (thinking "well all I did was boil water in them") you might notice a buildup of lime.