h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: The perfect boiled egg - A837074
Author: BATWING1 - U203878

Hopefully this will be a talking point for those who claim to make the perfect boiled egg.Ihope so.
BATWING1

Marvellous.

Now, we need to start at the beginning.

1. Define your perfect boiled egg. Some like it runny. I like the white pretty much rock solid but the yolk to have the consistency of freshly mixed araldite (a compound epoxy adhesive). Edwina Curry (a wanna-be UK politician in the 1980s) preferred 'shoot now ask questions later' hard-boiled on account of Salmonella risk.

Where does your perfect egg stand?

2. You should, I suppose (for the complete simpleton), mention that the timings are for the amount of time that the egg should spend in boiling, i.e., 100 deg C potable water. No account of altitude is taken.

One question here ... do you immerse the egg in cold water and bring to the boil, or do you put it in the hot?

DMT

Hi BATWING1! First of all, welcome to h2g2, I hope you'll have fun here.

Now- the bad news- although this is great idea for an entry, and well thought out, there's already an edited entry on Boiled eggs here: A592481

It's always a good idea to use the search engine at the top of the screen to check there isn't an entry on a subject before you start on one. Don't be put off though- I'm sure there are plenty of other subject you could cover

Look forward to seeing more entries from you

Bummer.

But we concede I think that A592481 is nicely done.

BATWING1, I'm sorry. Anyway, at least so your wisdom isn't lost to humanity for ever, post it as a part of a discussion to the end of A592481 ... maybe someone will update A592481 one day and include your techinal info.

Alternatively!

Yes, read through A592481 and see if it gives the detail you provide. I don't hink it does. Maybe you can retitle "How much time to boil and egg for".

DMT

You're right DMT, it doesn't. A retitling and a bit of info. on hard/soft would probably do it

I'd love to see something like this in the Edited Guide, because these are the entries that make it something special. Some many articles can be found easily on the Internet, too.

I use eggs that come directly out of the fridge. How does it change it?

Important Note: This Entry IS a part of the Guide - it is just not Edited. So no information is LOST!!! When somebody searches for egges he will find the Edited Entry and a long list of other entries including this one.

Folks, don't forget that.

HELL

immerse in cold water timings are from a rolling boil,for the simpleton that is when the water starts to bubble lively,if you like the consistency of 3 day old ready brek boil slightly longer
BTW

"for the simpleton"

Yeah, that's me. Thanks.

Trout!

So, where's this one going then?

Caper Plip

it changes the cold egg by bringing it to the ambient temperature gradually from whence it will begin to cook from within.the timings are for a runny egg,and eggs shouldnt be stored in a fridge.
BTW

The sands of time are running out.

Hi BATWING1

If the timings are from putting the egg in the pan with cold water and then bringing to a boil (per Delia Smith), then the entry needs to say this clearly.

Delia says that for a perfect hard-boiled egg, you should put it in cold water and once it's at the rolling boil stage, boil for seven minutes. I always do mine that way and they're perfect.

And Delia's from Norwich which is dead flat and at sea-level so there's no room for arguments over altitude.

Trout.

Come on BATWING1, let's see some these suggestions implimented, a link to the other EG entry on bioling eggs, and get it edited!

*Watches the tumbleweed rolling by*

so, move it to the Update HQ?

Batwing seems to have Elvised - I'd say that's a good idea