Researchers ran a barrage of tests on eggs cooked with different methods (Image: Getty)
Scientists may have cracked the for the perfect boiled after asking a computer to design the optimal method.
The yolk and egg white in chicken eggs cook at two different temperatures – around 85C for the albumen and 65C for the yolk. This means the conventional boiling process is not quite right for either component.
Simulations run by researchers at the University of Naples Federico II in suggested a new approach called “periodic cooking”.
It involves alternating an egg between a pan of boiling water at 100C and a bowl kept at 30C, transferring the egg from one to the other every two minutes for a total duration of 32 minutes.
Egg enthusiasts with the patience to follow the will be rewarded with an evenly-cooked egg with a higher nutritional content than those boiled using conventional or sous vide methods, the study found.
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Computer analysis and rigorous testing was used to perfect the recipe (Image: Communications Engineering)
Sous vide eggs are popular in the culinary world and cooked in a water bath with precise temperature control.
Periodically-cooked eggs had a soft yolk similar to that of a sous vide egg, while the consistency of the white was somewhere between that of sous vide and soft-boiled.
Chemical analysis suggested periodically-cooked egg yolks contained more polyphenols, which are micronutrients that have been explored for their health benefits.
Scientists who ran a barrage of tests on a range of eggs concluded that their novel cooking method “not only optimises egg texture and nutrients, but also holds promise for innovative culinary applications and materials treatment”.
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Writing in the journal Communications Engineering, the scientists paid tribute to eggs as “the funniest and most versatile ingredients to work with”.
They added: “Egg cooks are challenged by the two-phase structure: albumen and yolk require two cooking temperatures.
“Separation or a compromise temperature to the detriment of food safety or taste preference are the options.
“Through mathematical modelling and subsequent simulation, we are able to design the novel cooking method, namely periodic cooking.”