The Conservative Cave
Current Events => The DUmpster => Topic started by: franksolich on October 16, 2009, 04:50:44 PM
-
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6792387
Oh my.
The crooked tale primitive:
The Straight Story (1000+ posts) Fri Oct-16-09 01:42 PM
Original message
Why Eggs Could Be Getting Harder to Peel
Consider the farm-fresh egg, the pristine symbol of the simple days of pre-industrial farming.
People love them, but there’s a problem: They seem to be getting harder to peel. And though I’ve messily discovered this on my own, there’s some science to back this idea up.
Here in food-crazed San Francisco, fresh eggs are everywhere. After purchasing some of these just-collected treasures for hard boiling, I found it nearly impossible to peel off their shells without pockmarking them. My once-beautiful eggs ended up with more craters than the moon.
It couldn’t be my fault, I told myself. I’d been hard-boiling eggs for decades, most intensively during a six-month egg salad kick in ninth grade. I got my technique down and everything.
What happened, then?
As an egg ages, it loses some carbon dioxide through tiny pores in the shell, making the egg white more basic. At the same time, it loses moisture, which increases the size of the “air cell†at the bottom of the shell, between the inner and outer membranes. The dynamics of this process are, in the words of a University of California, Davis agriculture publication, “not completely understood,†but the combination of these changes makes an old egg a lot easier to peel than a one that is fresh out of the bird.
“The best guarantee of easy peeling is to use old eggs!†wrote Harold McGee, in his monster 800 page tome, On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. “Difficult peeling is characteristic of fresh eggs with a relatively low albumen pH, which somehow causes the albumen to adhere to the inner shell membrane more strongly than it coheres to itself.â€
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/10/eggs-hard-to-...
I dunno why this is in General Discussion instead of in the cooking and baking forum, unless the crooked tale primitive is an attention whore.
ejpoeta (1000+ posts) Fri Oct-16-09 01:45 PM
Response to Original message
1. i knew that it was easier if you hard boiled eggs that aren't as fresh.
i try to avoid hard boiling fresh eggs. though we still have troubles with the pock marks sometimes... but peel them when they are still warm and it's a bit easier. kids will eat them no matter.
tridim (1000+ posts) Fri Oct-16-09 01:49 PM
Response to Original message
2. Yea, I've noticed you now have to peel the inner membrane from the white..
after cracking the shell or else your hard/soft boiled eggs will fall apart. Start peeling at the air space.
I have about a 90% success rate after some practice.
INdemo (1000+ posts) Fri Oct-16-09 01:52 PM
Response to Original message
3. No...you just didn't boil them long enough,
Especially farm fresh eggs are difficult to peel... if you want a soft boiled egg then yes you will have problems..
Lars39 (1000+ posts) Fri Oct-16-09 01:56 PM
Response to Original message
4. I plunge mine into ice water to cool them off quickly.
I haven't been having any problems with them.
theoldman (1000+ posts) Fri Oct-16-09 02:02 PM
Response to Reply #4
8. Please note my response below.
Cool water is good enough on a hot egg.
theoldman (1000+ posts) Fri Oct-16-09 02:00 PM
Response to Original message
5. My wife has another answer to this problem.
She said that you have to cool the egg slightly after boiling them. The cool shell can then be peeled off the hot egg. Now all of us should boil an egg to verify her theory.
FlaGranny (1000+ posts) Fri Oct-16-09 02:05 PM
Response to Reply #5
10. I do that too. An egg seems to peel easier when still hot. Running water over them as you peel seems to help quite a bit too but wastes a lot of water. A cold egg out of the fridge is a lot harder to peel than a warm one.
Matariki (1000+ posts) Fri Oct-16-09 02:19 PM
Response to Reply #5
19. The secret to hard boiled eggs
Bring the water to a boil with eggs in the pot. When the water starts boiling, turn off the heat and cover. Let sit for 15 - 20 minutes. Remove eggs and run under cold water.
Should be easy to peel and the whites not tough and over-cooked. I have seen it said to use eggs 3-5 days old.
kestrel91316 (1000+ posts) Fri Oct-16-09 02:01 PM
Response to Original message
7. This is basically true. I habitually keep eggs in the fridge a couple of weeks, lol, before using them. When I do this, they always peel nicely.
Gramie said it was because they were pullet eggs (from young hens) but I think this is disproven. Besides, there are NO OLD HENS ANYMORE - they get "retired" after one season.
Oh geezuz. franksolich has kept eggs--from the grocery store, not directly from farmers--in the refrigerator for as long as nearly a year, and has never noticed any deterioration in quality.
theoldman (1000+ posts) Fri Oct-16-09 02:05 PM
Response to Reply #7
12. I thought a pullet was a virgin hen too young to lay eggs.
This is getting so complicated.
pansypoo53219 (1000+ posts) Fri Oct-16-09 02:30 PM
Response to Reply #7
20. pullet eggs are tiny.
i just don't eat eggs. no problems peeling.
The Straight Story (1000+ posts) Fri Oct-16-09 02:06 PM
Response to Reply #11
14. Made some deviled eggs the other day and had that problem
Thought maybe dad cooked them too long or something, mom's were rarely hard to peel.
jus_the_facts (1000+ posts) Fri Oct-16-09 02:14 PM
Response to Reply #14
18. Yep .... I thought maybe they should have been peeled while they were still hot...
...that the membrane would come off easier then...it's a tedious task to peel them perfectly and lately it's been impossible to do so!
Neecy (1000+ posts) Fri Oct-16-09 02:06 PM
Response to Original message
13. I've given up on boiling them
The people who live behind me have chickens - she sells me fresh eggs over the fence for a buck a dozen.
They're terrific in every way except boiling. I've tried the plunge into cold water, refrigerating, simmering instead of boiling, etc etc. They're impossible to peel.
So, when I need hard boiled eggs for a salad, I just buy a dozen eggs from the grocery store. Much less trouble.
Matariki (1000+ posts) Fri Oct-16-09 02:10 PM
Response to Original message
16. "Here in food-crazed San Francisco, fresh eggs are everywhere."
That's just a weird sentence. 'food-crazed' San Francisco? Fresh eggs everywhere like that's a symptom of 'crazed'? Weird.
other than that, interesting facts in the article.
Paper Roses (177 posts) Fri Oct-16-09 02:11 PM
Response to Original message
17. One of the things I can do is boil an egg. To peel easily, quickly place your cooked eggs in cold water for a couple of minutes. If the water heats up, change it. Not only will the eggs be easier to peel, this will keep the edges of the yolks from turning that unattractive greenish color.
Ms. Toad (1000+ posts) Fri Oct-16-09 02:33 PM
Response to Original message
21. I've known this for 40+ years.
Sad that we are so far removed from the land that it is new news to so many.
Hmmm. The spinster frog primitive must not hang around Skins's island much.
The primitives are so far removed from reality that it's frightening we allow them outdoors.
Jane Austin (1000+ posts) Fri Oct-16-09 02:43 PM
Response to Original message
23. Looks like I was watching when my Mother boiled eggs.
Another thing she did was put salt in the water you boil them in to keep the shells from cracking and having some of the whites ooze out.
MissB (1000+ posts) Fri Oct-16-09 02:58 PM
Response to Original message
24. Yep, summertime means chunked eggs around here
Our hens produce so many eggs that I'm usually begging folks to take them off my hands. Fresh eggs are all we have.
Most of my flock has molted, so they look like plucked hens. No eggs right now- just the icky pale one from the store that create beautiful hard boiled eggs.
postulater (1000+ posts) Fri Oct-16-09 03:15 PM
Response to Original message
26. If you want the yolks exactly centered in the white
just stir the eggs gently while they cook.
Perfect every time.
ellenfl (1000+ posts) Fri Oct-16-09 04:39 PM
Response to Original message
27. i punch a hole in the big end of the egg with a straight pin to keep them from cracking. i always thought that made them easier to peel, as well.
-
The older the egg the easier they are to peel.
Living in the South, where deviled eggs are almost a religion.....one knows to not buy the eggs the day you need them.
If I forget to buy them 3 or 4 days before I need them, I look for the ones that have the soonest expiration date....and bitch the whole time I'm peeling them :banghead:
Tough to explain to a dummie that those free range organic super fresh eggs that they paid a fortune for won't peel worth a flip.... :evillaugh:
-
How tragic. I feel so bad for their loss.
Not they ever had a grip on sanity in the first place.
-
The Straight Story (1000+ posts) Fri Oct-16-09 01:42 PM
Original message
Why Eggs Could Be Getting Harder to Peel
The things you find to complain about when you don't have a job to occupy your time. :whatever: Does it mention that those pristine white eggs you buy are really brown ones that have been bleached?
It was probably an old Alton Brown episode, but someone out there has a trick for fixing hard-boiled eggs to the point where all you have do to is crack the top and squeeze and they slide right out of the shell. Been a while since I saw that show, thought it's probably on YouTube by now.
-
I have to say that this past summer was buying free range brown eggs from a co worker.
The shells were harder then heck but the yokes were a deep yellow and lots of flavor.
Store bought ones just can`t compare.
-
I have to say that this past summer was buying free range brown eggs from a co worker.
The shells were harder then heck but the yokes were a deep yellow and lots of flavor.
Store bought ones just can`t compare.
Probably not...but I bet you weren't paying store prices either.
-
IT'S ALL BUSH'S FAULT!!!!
-
IT'S ALL BUSH'S FAULT!!!!
Was waiting to see that in the DUmmy thread. :cheersmate:
"Food-crazed San Francisco"??? :wtf2:
-
An "organic egg" has gotta be one of the weirdest moonbat inventions yet.
Wait until the DUmmies find out that we'll soon have genetically-modified chickens that lay hard-boiled eggs. Once that's accomplished, it should be a short step to eliminating the shell altogether.
-
Probably not...but I bet you weren't paying store prices either.
No but was only about .50 more and worth it.
When I was growing up we had Guernsey cows here on the farm and of course drank the milk raw.
In school all they had for white milk was the little cardboard cartons and I would almost gag trying to drink that pasteurized stuff.
Thank God for chocolate milk. :p
-
No but was only about .50 more and worth it.
When I was growing up we had Guernsey cows here on the farm and of course drank the milk raw.
In school all they had for white milk was the little cardboard cartons and I would almost gag trying to drink that pasteurized stuff.
Thank God for chocolate milk. :p
I was just the opposite.
I would go to visit my grandmother in central IL and she got her milk from the lady across the road. I was pretty young the first time I had milk that was still warm from the cow.
I got in big trouble for being rude to Miss Mary. :o We were sitting at her dinner table. :(
As much as I like chocolate ....I hated chocolate milk. Now it's the only way I will drink milk.
-
I like milk, but anything heavier than 2% gets used for cooking. I like skim milk on hot days... its better than water.
-
I like milk, but anything heavier than 2% gets used for cooking. I like skim milk on hot days... its better than water.
The other half drinks a lot of milk. If I buy it...I buy 2%. If he does....it's either 1 or 2% - I think it's cause he can't read the labels without his glasses... :uhsure: And I use it in cooking. I can buy chocolate milk that 2%.
If I'm making potato soup or cream of cauliflower or broccoli...I use half and half.
-
The other half drinks a lot of milk. If I buy it...I buy 2%. If he does....it's either 1 or 2% - I think it's cause he can't read the labels without his glasses... :uhsure: And I use it in cooking. I can buy chocolate milk that 2%.
If I'm making potato soup or cream of cauliflower or broccoli...I use half and half.
2% or skim is only good for choco milk.
-
The labels at most of the stores I go to are color-coded now. Pink=skim, green=1%, blue=2%. I don't know what whole milk is... maybe red.
-
The labels at most of the stores I go to are color-coded now. Pink=skim, green=1%, blue=2%. I don't know what whole milk is... maybe red.
Same color coding as used out here in the Sandhills.
-
The labels at most of the stores I go to are color-coded now. Pink=skim, green=1%, blue=2%. I don't know what whole milk is... maybe red.
It's red
-
The secret to peeling home grown eggs is to use a fork and gently crack the egg around the largest circumfrence. If you try the normal way of smacking both ends and "rolling" them they will do what the OP is describing.
As I eat nothing but home growns, it took me a while to figure this out. Since then, I have been able to peel them without damage to the egg.
-
The labels at most of the stores I go to are color-coded now. Pink=skim, green=1%, blue=2%. I don't know what whole milk is... maybe red.
They are color-coded here, too.
I was being sarcastic when I said he couldn't read the labels. I really don't know why he isn't consistent with which one he picks up. I'm sure there is some logic to him....
-
They are color-coded here, too.
I was being sarcastic when I said he couldn't read the labels. I really don't know why he isn't consistent with which one he picks up. I'm sure there is some logic to him....
Maybe he's one of those "milk is milk" people. I'm that way with some items, but there are other things I buy that HAVE to be one brand that I'm used to. That way, I know what to expect when I'm done cooking. When it comes to milk, I buy what costs least. I have a slight preference when it comes to white sandwich bread (Bunny), but that's something that doesn't matter.
-
Maybe he's one of those "milk is milk" people. I'm that way with some items, but there are other things I buy that HAVE to be one brand that I'm used to. That way, I know what to expect when I'm done cooking. When it comes to milk, I buy what costs least.
I'm like you Chris...there's some things that I just won't deviate from the brand.
I think you may be right about the "milk is milk" ... and if he's picking it up at the Pilot, I don't think they have as many choices as at the grocery.
-
Yeah, I don't think Pilot has a wide range of items to choose from. :lmao:
I did have a roomate that worked at some gas station or another... they had awesome chili.
-
I'm like you Chris...there's some things that I just won't deviate from the brand.
I think you may be right about the "milk is milk" ... and if he's picking it up at the Pilot, I don't think they have as many choices as at the grocery.
I refuse to eat anything except JIFF, Kraft sliced cheese, (and not that single packaged crap either), Rosarita brand Mexican foods, Paste picante sauce, Tilamook cheese by the lb., and grain fed Ribeyes! I'm also with Coach on Betty Crocker brownies. Lol!
There's many more, but you get the idea. Guess I'm just set in my ways. Drives "Toots" nutz sometimes when I refuse to buy what's on "sale"!
-
Just boil the damn things and peel them.
****ing pussies!
-
I think you may be right about the "milk is milk" ...
He's a guy.
Milk is milk.
-
He's a guy.
Milk is milk.
Unless it is breast skim milk, then it's nasty.
-
I refuse to eat anything except JIFF, Kraft sliced cheese, (and not that single packaged crap either), Rosarita brand Mexican foods, Paste picante sauce, Tilamook cheese by the lb., and grain fed Ribeyes! I'm also with Coach on Betty Crocker brownies. Lol!
There's many more, but you get the idea. Guess I'm just set in my ways. Drives "Toots" nutz sometimes when I refuse to buy what's on "sale"!
Do you know my other half? :lmao: It must be Skippy Smooth, Velveeta slices, Oscar Meyer all beef thick sliced bologna, hot dogs have to be all beef jumbos (do you know how hard those are to find in the south?), premade biscuits have to be Pillsbury, ice cream has to be either the local dairy brand or Breyer's, ketchup has to be Heinz and it must be Kraft Miracle Whip.
I can't give him grief though, because it can only be Starkist albacore packed in water, Kraft Mayonnaise, RealLemon lemon juice, Duncan Hine's cake or brownie mixes, Eagle Brand condensed milk and Carnation evaporated, Fleischman's Yeast - not even the rapid rise stuff. I'm really picky on ingredients that I bake with.
-
Unless it is breast skim milk, then it's nasty.
I would never drink skim, without a lot of hersheys or nestles chocolate.... breast milk? I am so pathetic I'd have to buy it at Kroger.
-
Do you know my other half? :lmao: It must be Skippy Smooth, Velveeta slices, Oscar Meyer all beef thick sliced bologna, hot dogs have to be all beef jumbos (do you know how hard those are to find in the south?), premade biscuits have to be Pillsbury, ice cream has to be either the local dairy brand or Breyer's, ketchup has to be Heinz and it must be Kraft Miracle Whip.
I can't give him grief though, because it can only be Starkist albacore packed in water, Kraft Mayonnaise, RealLemon lemon juice, Duncan Hine's cake or brownie mixes, Eagle Brand condensed milk and Carnation evaporated, Fleischman's Yeast - not even the rapid rise stuff. I'm really picky on ingredients that I bake with.
Heh, heh, heh! The single biggest argument me and "Toots" got in when we were first married (35 years ago), was over Miracle Whip and Kraft Mayonaise! I was brought up on Miracle Whip and she can't stand the stuff! I was born in Kansas and she in West "By God" Virginia! (she always described it that way, and still does, BTW)! Needless to say, we always have BOTH! It's still fightin' words after all these years! Hahahahahahaha!
-
Heh, heh, heh! The single biggest argument me and "Toots" got in when we were first married (35 years ago), was over Miracle Whip and Kraft Mayonaise! I was brought up on Miracle Whip and she can't stand the stuff! I was born in Kansas and she in West "By God" Virginia! (she always described it that way, and still does, BTW)! Needless to say, we always have BOTH! It's still fightin' words after all these years! Hahahahahahaha!
We have both too. If I cook with the mayonnaise he's ok with it, but he wants Miracle Whip on a sandwich. I grew up with Miracle Whip....but I could eat Kraft Mayonnaise with a spoon. Love it on french fries. :-)
Hey....tell "Toots" she can't be from West "By God" Virginia.....cause I live in East "By God" Tennessee. :tongue: