Science Says I Made the Perfect Boiled Egg
Everyone has an opinion on how to prepare a perfectly boiled egg: is it cold-boiled, hot-boiled, steamed, pressure-cooked, or sous vide? This argument will heat up even more when batch cooking comes into play. According to science, batch cooking produces the perfect boiled egg. The test required two pans of water at different temperatures, a two-minute timer, a notepad and 32 minutes of continuous concentration. I have to admit, the results were fantastic, but I will never do it again.
The peculiarity of eggs is that they consist of two substances: egg white and egg yolk, one of which encapsulates the other. As this study elaborates , since the two components have different compositions, they require different cooking temperatures to achieve perfection. But unless you literally cook them separately, how can you cook each part at a different temperature without overcooking the protein? Of course, with a batch cooking method.
What is batch cooking?
Batch-cooking poached eggs is a process in which the cooking temperature is varied, in this case from boiling water (212°F) to warm water (86°F), over a period of 32 minutes until the whites of the white and yolk are cooked to their individual state of perfection. No overcooked, rubbery whites or dusty yolks. Instead, a yolk that has just gelled all over and a white that has set but is not sticky.
The team of scientists who carried out this experiment had at their disposal a controlled environment, spectroscopy and expert tasters to select the egg with the most ideal texture. Then they wrote instructions on how to carry out the batch cooking method at home. So of course I tried it.
How to cook the perfect boiled egg
Place two pots of water. Bring the lower one to a boil. This pan will boil the entire time. Fill a second, larger saucepan about halfway with warm water.
Once these pans have reached the desired temperature, place the egg in boiling water for two minutes, then remove it with a slotted spoon and place it in warm water for two minutes. You will complete this cycle eight times in total for a total of 32 minutes.
If you want to try this method at home, here are some helpful tips:
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You will need a thermometer. Probe thermometer (I used Thermapen One ) or low temperature clip-on thermometer. In my opinion, 86°F water feels pleasantly warm to those with cold hands.
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Use a large saucepan for warm water. When a hot egg is dipped into water several times, it does not change the temperature of a large pool of water as much as it does a small one. However, keep a cup of cold water handy if you need to cool it down, and take the temperature every time you add a hot egg.
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Keep a kettle of hot water nearby . Since you will have to boil water in a small saucepan for half an hour, be prepared for the water level to drop. If you see the egg sticking above the surface, add boiling water while the egg is in a pan of warm water.
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Keep a notepad. Eight moves back and forth is a trap: you’ll likely forget what round you’re in if you don’t keep track. I made a mark each time I placed the egg in warm water, signaling the completion of one cycle.
Is the perfect boiled egg worth it?
As much as I’d love to try this method of cooking eggs, no, it’s not worth it. Considering the setup, the amount of space required, the attention required, and the length of time, the end result didn’t rock my world. And since I usually squash my boiled eggs on my toast, the subtle differences are lost.
I cooked three eggs so I could try them all at once. It’s important to note that the Science News instructions don’t specify whether the egg should be chilled to the refrigerator or room temperature, so I did both. As a control, I steamed the egg as usual to set the yolk.
A cold egg and a room temperature egg gave the same results, which I think is good news if you want to make this at home. A refrigerator-cold egg had a noticeable, barely set white ring around the yolk, whereas a room-temperature egg did not. Based on the results, I’d say the Science News article wants us to use room temperature eggs.
The yolk of the batch-cooked egg was noticeably different from other boiled egg yolks I’ve eaten. So if you’re a big yolk connoisseur, you might like this. It is velvety and has a smooth texture. When cooked using the traditional method, egg yolks have a less cooked middle and become more cooked closer to the white.
The white was tender and easy to bite through, but I don’t think boiling makes whites very rubbery anyway, so the difference is pretty minor. I only noticed this because I tried the eggs nearby. Since “perfection” is in the belly of the beholder, I’ll likely stick to my usual fry-and-omelet cuisine.