> wrote:

>I have an odd, and probably very elementary question, but please
>bear with me.
>
>I put a few eggs into boiling water to hard-boil them. Within about
>30 seconds, I heard a very loud CRACK! noise, looked in the pot and
>saw one of the eggs losing its contents into the water. At the end
>of the boiling period, there was a moderate sized hole in the shell
>of that egg, and it was floating, so probably mostly empty.
>
>I've had eggs crack and lose some of their contents before, but never
>with so much force, making such a loud noise. Has anyone had this
>experience before? It makes me wonder whether something was wrong
>with the egg, eg, maybe it was spoiled, and pressure from gas inside
>the shell (from bacteria) caused it to crack really forcefully. Can't
>say I've ever heard of this happening, though.
>
>They were in the refrigerator prior to being put into the boiling
>water, but that's always the case when I boil eggs (which I do very
>regularly). Also, I usually put salt into the water before adding
>the eggs, which helps keep them from cracking, but I'd forgotten this
>time.
>
>I realize this post is a little weird and might end up fodder for
>jokes, but I'm actually a bit phobic about food poisoning, so I'd
>appreciate at least a *few* serious answers.

Coulda been a weak-shelled egg, perhaps a keep commercial
egg instead of a farm egg.

Or you coulda been boiling it too hard. If I'm paying attention,
once the eggs reach a boil I reduce heat to a simmer. Then
in a few minutes I turn off the heat entirely to let them coast.

Steve