How to Make Perfect Boiled Eggs According to Science
Boiled eggs are an excellent food. On the one hand, they’re a very good source of high-quality protein. On the other hand, they contain necessary fatty acids and a good amount of vitamin D.
For many years their consumption was limited for fear of an increase in serum cholesterol, but today these restrictions have been lifted. Egg consumption doesn’t increase plasma cholesterol levels, as stated in an article published in the journal Nutrients. They should also be included frequently in a healthy diet.
There are different methods of preparing eggs and, among all of them, frying is the worst and you should be avoid it at all costs. A very useful method is boiling. You can add boiled eggs to many preparations and are a mainstay in the diet of many athletes.
However, boiling an egg perfectly is no easy task. Here are the steps to follow to achieve perfect boiled eggs.
Recommendations for making perfect boiled eggs
Choosing the egg
The first step before starting to cook the product is to choose the type of egg we want to cook. In the supermarket, we can find eggs of different sizes classified by letters. Normally, and contrary to what one might think, the ones with the best organoleptic quality are the small ones.
This is because a small egg has the most concentrated flavor. However, it’s common for the larger egg to be more highly prized as a product. This is probably due to the higher price of large eggs compared to small eggs. The production of XL eggs is lower, so producers are forced to increase their value.
Keep reading: The Risks of Adhering to a High-Protein Diet
The boiling temperature for perfect boiled eggs
One of the difficulties in boiling an egg well lies in cooking the two parts of the egg. The white and the yolk are composed of different elements, so the temperature required to boil them may be slightly different.
The correct temperature for cooking an egg as a whole is 180°F (82°C). At this temperature, we ensure that the protein in the white reaches a suitable cooking point, while the yolk doesn’t dry out excessively.
It’s essential to introduce the eggs already in the boiling water to prevent subsequent peeling from being too difficult. The appropriate cooking time is 11 minutes and we have to add salt to the water from the beginning.
However, it is a good idea to take a break in the cooking process once the egg is ready. To do this, prepare a container filled with ice water and introduce the eggs directly after removing them from the pot.
After about 30 seconds, you can remove the eggs from the cold water and start peeling them.
An ideal complement to the perfect boiled egg
The boiled egg is an essential ingredient for a large number of culinary preparations. It’s an essential element of many salads, you can use it as the main protein source or as an element to improve the flavor of dishes.
Likewise, you can consume it either hot or cold and keeps very well in the refrigerator. Although many people discard the yolk of eggs to consume only the white, the egg as a whole provides a more than interesting amount of nutrients to preserve proper health.
Thus, doctors recommend eating eggs as one of the main protein sources. We’re facing a practically perfect protein in terms of quality, according to a study published in 2018. It contains all the essential amino acids for humans, with high digestibility.
Current trends place fish and eggs as the first protein options, leaving meat consumption in second place.
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Cook eggs perfectly and improve your diet
Preparing boiled eggs is a more complicated process than it may seem at first glance. It’s not easy to ensure the properties of the egg are maintained and it’s easy to peel.
Therefore, you need to take into account the temperature of the water and its subsequent immersion in cold water. Y
ou should note that the cooking time will always depend on the size of the egg. Larger eggs will take about one minute longer to be ready than smaller ones.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Blesso CN., Fernández ML., Dietary colesterol, serum lipids, and hearth disease: are eggs working for or against you? Nutrients, 2018.
- Liao W., Jahandideh F., Fan H., Son M., Wu J., Egg protein derived bioactive peptides: preparation, efficacy and absortion. Adv Food Nutr Res, 2018. 85: 1-58.
