In a kitchen steam appliance designed for boiling eggs, why does it require LESS water to boil MORE eggs?

Question

My friend has a domestic kitchen appliance where you putn some water in the bottom and the eggs stand over the top not touching teh water on a rack - the vessel is then sealed and switched on the eggs are boiled perfectly. You ened less water in teh bottom to boil more eggs - why is this so? eg. http://www.tchibo.co.uk/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/uk/-/GBP/TdUkDisplayProductInformation-Start;sid=frgnIF9_bjgnIBrFUGQtRFzqNEXKvPIeZtE=?ProductSKU=0000629

Answer 1

Because it is less work. When you boil eggs on a stove in a pot of water, you are heating the water to a boil THEN heating the shell, THEN cooking the egg. Steam works a bit different. Egg shells and all things really, have microscopic pores in them, steam (superheated water/air mix) can easily pass through the egg shell and cook the egg from the inside. This is one reason why cooking with steam is healthier as all the nutrition is not boiled out into the water.

Answer 2

Typing errors making it difficult to quite understand but the eggs are not boiled in water as usual in a saucepan. The eggs are boiled in steam which is at the same temperature as boiling water and the steam I assume condenses back into water so the water level does not significantly fall. I suspect that one must be careful that at some point that the vessel does not boil dry. As long as there is water then the steam will be made and it condenses and recycles itself. ie water-steam-water-steam-water.

Answer 3

They are steamed.