Phred wrote:
>
> Recalling days of chem prac decades ago, I've sometimes wondered if
> the "glass bead" principle would work with boiling eggs. Haven't
> actually tried (don't have any glass beads -- and I suspect the lab
> size would soon all be gone down the plug hole if I did have some
> but maybe I will one day -- if I ever get around to buying a pack of
> those cheap marbles from Coles Variety or wherever. They might be too
> big relative to the size of the eggs though; could just get the whole
> caboodle bouncing around!
>
> Cheers, Phred.

Those "glass beads" weren't just glass, they were Pyrex, and they work
by increasing the surface area on which air bubbles can form and
escape. There would be no advantage to using them for boiling eggs,
sicne you should bring your eggs up to temp in the water anyway.

The key to not cracking eggs while boiling is to start with uncracked
eggs to begin with, and to not boil them vigorously. Cracked eggs
crack - you may not see the cracks but you can be assured they were
there. If you purchased your eggs from a store that sells mass-market
eggs grown in factory farms, the egg shells will be thin and most
likely cracked. If you are able to buy them from a farm outlet or
local farmer, the shells will be nice and thick and not cracked. Egg
quality is undoubtedly your problem.

-L.


-L.