On Thu 19 Jan 2006 06:36:07a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it P.Aitken?

>
>
> scott123 wrote:
>
>> Eggs begin with a very tiny air pocket that grows over time. They crack
>> because this air pocket expands when heated. The fresher the egg, the
>> smaller the air pocket, the less tendency toward cracking. At the same
>> time, though, the fresher the egg, the harder they are to peel.
>>
>
> This is not completely accurate. Egg shells are permeable to air, so as
> the air exmands it passes thru the shell - this is why you see bubbles
> rising from eggs in the hot water. The main reason eggs crack while
> being boiled is that they are already cracked - small hairline cracks
> that are not visible initially. Knocking around in too-rapidly boiling
> water is another reason. Temperature shock is not involved. I remember
> seeing Julia Child take eggs from an ice water bath directly to boiling
> water with no cracking.

Curious... What would be the point of taking eggs from an ice water bath
and putting them in boiling water, besides the obvious, cooking them? I
mean, why ice beforehand?

--
Wayne Boatwright տլ
________________________________________

Okay, okay, I take it back! UnScrew you!