Boiling eggs: How to make the perfect breakfast egg

Cooking the perfect breakfast egg isn't as easy as it might sound. Even scientists have studied the question of how to cook the perfect egg. However, they discovered impractical mathematical formulas for cooking time, which are far beyond the scope of a relaxed breakfast. But a boiled egg isn't magic. With a few simple tips, you'll succeed, whether you prefer soft-boiled, soft-roasted, or hard-boiled.

Most people in Germany prefer their breakfast eggs soft-boiled , meaning they have a firm egg white and a runny yolk. This takes about five to eight minutes to cook. A soft-boiled egg requires just three to five minutes , while hard-boiled eggs need at least nine minutes in boiling water.

However, the perfect cooking time varies depending on the size and temperature of the egg. Large or XL eggs should be cooked 30 to 50 seconds longer to avoid overcooking. Conversely, smaller eggs (S) need 30 to 45 seconds less cooking time to avoid overcooking.

It's also important to note that freshly cooked eggs need a few seconds longer in the boiling water due to the lower temperature to prevent them from becoming overcooked. Ideally, you'll want to take them out beforehand to allow them to come to room temperature .

Altitude can also affect the perfect cooking time for your breakfast egg. At sea level, water boils at 100°C, but this temperature drops by one degree Celsius for every 300 meters of elevation. Thus, at an altitude of 3,000 meters, water boils at 90 degrees Celsius, which increases the cooking time.

Does it make sense to put the eggs in the water right from the start ? The problem is: The more eggs you put in the pot, the slower the water heats up, making it even more difficult to determine the optimal time for your favorite soft-boiled egg. It's recommended to add the eggs to the pot only when the water is already bubbling . This ensures that the recommended cooking times will result in the desired consistency.

If an egg is boiled for too long, it not only becomes hard, it also discolors . This creates the typical gray-green discoloration on the outer edge of the yolk. This doesn't look very appetizing to many people, but skepticism about the egg's freshness is unfounded. This discoloration is actually a completely natural chemical reaction . Inside the egg, the iron from the yolk combines with the sulfur from the egg white. This creates iron sulfide, which is gray-green. So the egg isn't rotten, but much more likely completely cooked. If you don't like discolored eggs, you should keep this in mind when cooking it.

To determine whether an egg is still fresh, all you need is a bowl full of water . Place the egg in it. If the egg stays at the bottom, it's most likely still fresh. However, if it floats in the middle or even floats to the surface, it should be discarded.

To prevent an eggshell from bursting when boiling , you simply pierce it with an egg piercer or a needle. That is a widespread but false theory . It was assumed that when boiling, the air bubble inside an egg expands as the temperature increases and thus damages the shell. However, the air bubble is too small to have any influence on the tension of the eggshell. This was proven by an experiment on the WDR science show "Quarks & Co." with 3,000 eggs, half of which were pierced before boiling and the other half left untouched. No significant difference could be found; in both test groups, about one in ten eggs burst .

However, there are two good home remedies that will prevent the egg white from spreading throughout the pot, even if the shell is broken. Adding a dash of vinegar or a pinch of salt to the cooking water will help the egg white coagulate faster and prevent the egg from spilling.

Another misconception: Rinsing eggs after cooking makes them easier to peel. However, cold water on a hot egg doesn't achieve the desired effect—at most, it makes them easier to handle. Rather, the ease of peeling depends on the age of the egg . With longer storage time, the air pocket between the egg's interior and the eggshell grows larger—and the larger this pocket, the easier it is to peel the breakfast egg. In other words: the fresher the egg, the more difficult it is to peel.

Yes, you can cook eggs in a kettle . However, it's a bit tricky to achieve the desired, perfect result with this method. It's important to make sure the kettle's heating element isn't exposed. The egg could be damaged and burst if it comes into contact with the hot elements. And no one wants that mess.

It is also important that there is enough water in the kettle so that the egg can be completely submerged. Once the water has boiled, place the egg in and after about ten to twelve minutes you will have a soft-boiled egg . Hard-boiled eggs need about 15 minutes in the kettle. If you have already placed the eggs in the kettle with cold water before boiling, boiling once and leaving it for a short time is enough for a soft-boiled egg. For a hard-boiled egg, simply wait two minutes after the first boil and switch the kettle back on. Repeat this process two or three times and your hard-boiled breakfast egg from the kettle is ready.