> wrote in message
...
>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.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Joyce
> --
> To email me, remove the XXX from my user name.


Fresh eggs? Week old eggs are better for boiling, they don't crack open
when the water boils. They're better for scrambling or making basted (heh),
over easy or even fried eggs.

Jill