Why cant I boil an egg properly?

Question

What am I doing wrong for gods sake?!

Answer 1

Your not really marriage material, are you?

Answer 2

You're not alone. Many people can't cook or even boil an egg! Simply putting an egg that you got directly from the frig into a pan of water that you then quickly heat will most likely cause the egg to crack and the egg white to spill out!
Here's my method. First, if the egg is cold (just out of the refrigerator) let it warm up to room temperature. You can do this quickly by letting it sit in the pot with slightly warm water for five to ten minutes before you place it on the heat! If the egg is an "extra large" or "jumbo" size it is even more prone to crack! The shells of the larger eggs have natural defects that you may not pick up on (I won’t go into how to detect these defects here). While warming the egg, add a teaspoon of salt for every 2 quarts of water you use. This will help keep the egg(s) from breaking.

After the egg has been bought to room temperature by sitting in warm salty water, put this pot of eggs (salty water and all) on low to medium heat and bring to a boil--slowly. When the water has started to boil, “hard” boiled eggs will another five to ten minutes to thoroughly cook depending on the egg size. Use a timer is you're like me--over cooked eggs with green or burned yolks don't make the best devilled eggs! You may have to do a little experimenting to find out the best timing for the eggs you use.

After the boiling is done take the eggs off of the heat immediately or they will continue to cook in the hot water. To make the shells easily removable, poor off the hot salty water and replace it with cool water. Let the egg soak in cool plain water for ten to twenty minutes-- just enough so that they are cool to touch and easy to handle without burning yourself! The egg shell should peel right off! If the egg shell doesn't peel off easily then it has been overcooked. The thin membrane between the shell and the egg white has become a hard resin (glue) that won't let the egg peel from its shell!

I could go into the science behind boiling an egg, but this would be even more tedious than what I've already written! If this method doesn't work for you--invest in an automated egg steamer! The only drawback with these devices is that they only work with eggs of a certain size and grade. The eggshell can't have any defects! Also it is sometimes hard to get the egg yolk to the consistency you want.

Happy cooking!

Answer 3

Think it depends on a lot of things - the size/ material of your pan, temperature of the egg (was it in the fridge or the cupboard?), size of egg. You need to time it very carefully, as 15-30 seconds either way can make all the difference. You just need to experiment with your own set up, and find out what timing works best for you.

The timing of most people so far seems a bit short. I drop mine into boiling water and leave them on the heat for 5 - 5 1/2 minutes. Keep the water just boiling, but don't boil vigorously because the eggs will bounce up and down off the bottom of the pan and crack. Then take them out and let them stand for a minute or two, you'll find they continue to cook in the middle and you don't get a sloppy white. When I do it, the whites are cooked, but the yolk's still a bit runny, good for dipping!

Tip: If you put a good splash of any vinegar into the water, if the shell cracks, the white won't gloop out all over your pan

Just get in there, fill your boots and do a few test runs!

Answer 4

I don't know you have been doing wrong, but here is how I do it and my eggs come out fine.
1. place your egg submerged in cold water. Put it on the stove, keep an eye on it till it starts boiling.

2.When the water starts to boil, time for 4-6 minutes.. depending on how you like your eggs and thats that... Not exactly rocket science

Be carefull of: Placing your egg in water that already very hot or boiling, it will crack.

Answer 5

i don't know what you are doing wrong coz i don't know what uve done but how to boil an egg is easy, put some water into a pan and let it boil (bubble) and then put the egg into the pan but try not to crack it. Then let the egg boil for 5 minutes and be careful when you get it out it WILL be hot.

Answer 6

Place eggs in pan and cover with cold water, just enough to cover. Bring eggs to a boil. For soft cooked eggs boil for 4 to 6 minutes over medium heat. For hard cooked eggs boil for 15 minutes on medium heat. As soon as timer goes off run cold water over eggs and when cool enough peel. I always cook mine 15 minutes and they come out perfect every time.

Answer 7

Here is what I do.
Put eggs in pan...enough water to just cover the egg.
Bring to a boil. Let cook for 5 minutes. Shut off burner.
Let egg sit in water for 15 minutes.
Then drain and run cold water on pan for 3 minutes.
wait 5-10 minutes and then shell! Peels usually come off
nice in one peice and egg is Well done.

Answer 8

Here is an almost foolproof method:
Take a medium sized hens egg.
Put into already boiling water and boil rapidly for 1 minute.
Then take pan off heat and put lid on it and leave for:
6minutes for a soft consistency
7minutes for a medium consistency
or 8 minutes for a harder (but not hard boiled!) consistency.
This usually works for me.
Good Luck

Answer 9

Let the water come to a boil. Then REMOVE it from the heat. Now place egg in the water for 4 MINUTES. Done. Trust me. Common mistake is leaving the pot on the heat.

Answer 10

Just fill the pan up put the egg in and boil for a few mins maybe a few extra if you like it cooked all the way through like i do. Dont worry just practice

Answer 11

Depends how you want it soft or hard? he he

Soft = Put the egg in the pan bring to the boil and when it starts boiling leave it for around 2.45 - 3 minutes boiling away.

If you like it hard leave it in for an extra 1.5 minutes, simple.

Hope it helps