Eggs are a beloved breakfast food because they can be prepared in a variety of ways to suit many different tastes. A popular way to prepare eggs without any fat is to boil them.
Eggs can be boiled using a few different methods depending on how soft or hard you like the yolk to be. Boiling an egg may seem like a straightforward process but it does require some precision.
You may have noticed that your eggs sometimes crack while they are boiling and if this happens before the whites have had time to harden, they may spill out and let water into the shell.
This usually results in a watery, gummy mess. So, you may be wondering why do eggs break and how can you prevent that?
Eggs can break when they are added to boiling water because the air inside the eggs hasn’t had time to escape and the high heat pressure pushes the air towards the shell, causing it to crack. This can also be caused by the age of the eggs because the older an egg is the more air it contains. Making needle-sized holes in the egg’s bottom will prevent this from happening.
Now that we know why eggs crack while you boil them, we are going to be taking a look at the different approaches you can take to solve this problem.
How Do You Keep Eggs From Cracking When You Boil Them?
If your eggs consistently crack or break when you are boiling them, you may need to completely revise your method.
Most people will suggest putting your eggs into a saucepan with cold water and then getting that on the stove. This will allow your eggs to heat evenly along with the water and is less likely to cause them to crack.
The downside to this method is that you can’t time the length at which your eggs are boiling as precisely. This isn’t the biggest problem when it comes to hard boiling eggs, but if you’re trying to achieve a perfectly soft-boiled egg you may have a little more trouble.
I am a big fan of making soft-boiled eggs to dip bread into as a light yet comforting breakfast. After years of trial and error, I’ve arrived at a method that works perfectly and hasn’t resulted in any cracked eggs even though I add them to boiling water.
I typically use a small saucepan or tin cup and fill it about halfway with water. I add a generous pinch of salt and then wait for the water to boil.
The salt is the first important factor in this method because it helps the eggs white to solidify faster which will prevent them from cracking when they first hit the boiling water. It also makes it easier to peel the eggs once they are boiled!
The other important thing to keep in mind is that you need to lower the eggs into the pot as slowly and gently as possible. I generally just use a metal soup spoon to do this because it easily cradles a whole egg.
Once the eggs are submerged in the boiling water you can time them according to the consistency you prefer. I find that 6 minutes is the sweet spot for a perfectly soft-boiled egg (5 minutes might be sufficient for smaller eggs) and 8 to 10 minutes will result in hard-boiled eggs.
Is It Safe to Eat an Egg That Cracked While Boiling?
So long as the eggs have been heated for the necessary amount of time, they are perfectly safe to eat even if they’re cracked.
When an egg cracks during boiling before it has had the chance to harden, some of the egg white may spill out into the water. This also causes water to enter the egg.
It is unlikely that all of your egg whites will spill out unless your eggs crack in cold water. If the water is hot then the spilled egg white will quickly solidify and the water that seeps into your egg will cook the yolk and remaining egg whites quickly.
You should cool your eggs down with cold water once they have been boiled for the appropriate amount of time. The white that has spilled out should be trimmed and discarded once the egg is fully cooked because it will likely taste rubbery.
Peel your cracked eggs over a sink or garbage bin because some of the water might still be trapped inside and will spill.
Do Cracked Eggs Go Bad Faster?
If you’ve accidentally cracked some eggs in a newly bought carton on the way home from the store you don’t need to throw them all away.
Cracked eggs do go bad faster than eggs with a fully intact shell so they should be stored properly and used within a few days.
All you need to do to store a cracked egg is transfer it to a clean container with an air-tight lid. Don’t leave your cracked eggs in the fridge for more than a few days.
They can be used in any baked goods or an egg scramble/omelet. Just make sure that they’ve been fully heated so that any possible bacteria have been killed.
Can You Eat an Egg That Cracked In the Carton?
You should always open egg cartons in the grocery store to inspect the eggs before you buy them. If there are any cracked eggs then simply pick a different carton.
If you skip this step and come home to discover one or many cracked eggs then you should throw the broken ones away. You have no way of knowing how long those eggs have been cracked and allowing bacteria to enter them.
Eggs with a cracked or weakened shell are more likely to develop food-borne bacteria like salmonella and if an egg has been cracked and sitting on a supermarket shelf then there’s a high chance that it’s already gathered that bacteria.
However, if you know for the fact that your eggs were fine when you bought them but cracked on the way home, you don’t have to discard them.
Simply use them for baking or making an omelet before you use any of the other eggs. Just be sure not to boil any eggs that already have visible cracks in them