Boiled egg
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2008-07-17T00:39:00Z
Work permit
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Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/70.244.182.144|70.244.182.144]] to last version by 98.199.198.192 (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]])
[[Image:Boiled eggs in saucepan by Sarah McCulloch.jpg|250px|thumb|Boiled eggs in a saucepan.]]
'''Boiled eggs''' are [[eggs (food)|eggs]] (typically [[chicken]]'s eggs) cooked by immersion in boiling water with their shells unbroken. Eggs cooked in water without their shells are known as [[poached egg]]s. '''Hard-boiled eggs''' are boiled long enough for both the [[egg yolk]] and the [[egg white]] to solidify, while a '''soft-boiled egg's''' yolk, and sometimes even the white, remains at least partially liquid. The [[egg timer]] was so-named due to its common usage in timing the boiling of eggs.
==Soft-boiled eggs==
[[Image:Eier.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Boiled eggs, increasing in boiling time from left to right.]]
'''Soft-boiled eggs''' are typically cooked by placing the eggs in a pan of boiling water and then simmering.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1616,150171-254201,00.html |title= Boiled Eggs |accessdate=2006-12-19 |work=Cooks.com }}</ref>
Soft-boiled eggs are not recommended for people who may be susceptible to [[salmonella]], such as very young children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fda.gov/FDAC/departs/1999/599_upd.html |title=Plan Under Way to Help Lessen Risks from Contaminated Eggs |accessdate=2006-12-19 |work=FDA Consumer magazine}}</ref>
===Serving===
Soft boiled eggs are commonly served in [[egg cup]]s, where the top of the egg is cut off with a knife or egg scissors, using a teaspoon to scoop the egg out. Other methods include breaking the eggshell by tapping gently around the top of the shell with a spoon,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metro.ca/recevoir-le-monde/art-de-recevoir/abc-belle-table/etiquette-table/elegance-bonnes-manieres-table.en.html#10035544 |title=Fine Manners for Fine Dining |accessdate=2006-12-19}}</ref> and even cutting the egg lengthwise as to produce two halves making it easier to scoop the egg from its shell.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} This method requires a horizontal egg cup to keep the egg from rolling around on the plate. Soft-boiled eggs can be eaten with buttered toast cut into strips, which are then dipped into the runny yolk. In the [[United Kingdom]], these strips of toast are known as [[Soldiers (food)|soldiers]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.icons.org.uk/nom/nominations/eggandsoldiers |title=Egg with Toast Soldiers |accessdate=2008-04-22}}</ref>
==Hard-boiled eggs==
[[Image:Egg sandwich.jpg|right|thumb|210px|Typical Scandinavian sandwich with hard-boiled eggs and cod roe caviar from a tube.]]
Hard-boiled eggs are boiled for longer than soft-boiled eggs, long enough for the yolk to solidify.<ref name="WhatsCooking">{{cite web |url=http://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggs/BoiledEggs.htm |title=Soft-Cooked Eggs, Medium-Cooked Eggs, and Hard-Cooked Eggs |accessdate=2008-03-20}}</ref> They can be eaten warm or cold. Cold hard-boiled eggs are often chopped up as the basis for [[egg salad]]. Hard-boiled eggs can also be eaten warm in an egg cup.
There are several theories as to the proper technique of hard-boiling an egg. One method is to bring the water to a boil, but then remove the pan from the heat and allow eggs to cook in the gradually cooling water.<ref name="eggfiles">{{cite web |url=http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/Season1/Egg/EggTranscript.htm |title=The Egg Files Transcript |accessdate=2007-05-20}}</ref> Others prescribe cooking in continually boiling water over heat for a shorter period of time.<ref name="WhatsCooking"/>
[[Image:Hard boiled egg.jpg|thumb|left|Closeup of the yolk in a hard-boiled egg.]]
Over-cooking eggs will typically result in a thin green sulfur coating on the yolk. Immersing the egg in cold water after boiling is a common method of halting the cooking process to prevent this effect.<ref name="eggfiles"/> It also causes a slight shrinking of the contents of the egg, easing the removal of the shell.
Hard-boiled eggs in their shells can be stored in the refrigerator for days to weeks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aeb.org/LearnMore/Faqs.htm |title=Learn More About Eggs |accessdate=2006-12-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bfhd.wa.gov/edu/eggucation.php |title=Egg-ucation |accessdate=2006-12-19}} - suggests boiled eggs can be stored refrigerated for one week</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://melindalee.com/hardboileggs.html |title=About Eggs |accessdate=2006-12-19}} - suggests boiled eggs can be stored refrigerated 2-3 weeks</ref> Hard-boiled eggs are also a popular addition to many [[Japanese cuisine|Japanese]] soup dishes, such as [[udon]] and [[ramen]].
==In fiction==
* [[Hardboiled]] is a type of [[crime fiction]].
* A notable fictional controversy involving boiled eggs is the "endian" dispute over which end of a boiled egg should be eaten first, which is the cause of the war between ''[[Lilliput and Blefuscu]]'' in [[Johnathan Swift]]'s ''[[Gulliver's Travels]]'' (1726). This is also the source of the term [[endianness]] in [[computing]], which describes the way numbers are stored in a system: with the "big" or the "little" end coming first.
* In the film ''[[Cool Hand Luke]]'' (1967) Luke Jackson wagers that he can eat fifty hard-boiled eggs in one hour. <ref>[http://www.filmsite.org/cool2.html Cool Hand Luke (1967)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* In [[The Marx Brothers]]' ''[[A Night at the Opera (film)|A Night at the Opera]]'', Driftwood ([[Groucho]]) orders dinner from the steward, including "two fried eggs, two poached eggs, two scrambled eggs, and two medium-boiled eggs" and repeated requests for hard-boiled eggs ("two hard-boiled eggs" and "make that three hard-boiled eggs").<ref>http://www.filmsite.org/night2.html A Night at the Opera (1935)</ref>
==See also==
*[[List of egg dishes]]
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
{{wikibooks|Cookbook:Hard Boiled Eggs}}
{{wikibooks|Cookbook:Soft Boiled Eggs}}
* [http://www.selfsufficientish.com/boiledeggs.htm How to Soft Boil and Hard Boil Eggs]
* [http://www.goodegg.com/boiledegg.html Classic Hard Boiled Egg]
* [http://www.hormel.com/templates/knowledge/knowledge.asp?catitemid=10&id=443 Boiled Eggs]
* [http://www.hintsandthings.co.uk/kitchen/eggs.htm How to Cook those Basics Perfectly and Easily]
* [http://newton.ex.ac.uk/teaching/CDHW/egg/ Boiling an Egg - Science Background]
* [http://khymos.org/eggs.php Boiling of eggs for molecular gastronomers]
* [http://startcooking.com/blog/221/ How to Boil an Egg - video]
* [http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/the-hard-boiled-egg-diet.html The Hard Boiled Egg Diet]
[[Category:Egg dishes]]
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