To tell whether an egg is raw or hard-boiled, place it on its side and spin it. If the egg spins steadily, it's hard-boiled; if it spins slowly or wobbles, it's raw. If you can't tell, stop the egg with your finger, then take your hand away.
— Drew H., Oakland, Calif. If you boil an egg for five or 10 minutes, it becomes firm and cooked. If you boil it for hours, it becomes rubbery and overcooked.
Eggs can break during boiling because of numerous reasons. The most common reason is that they were boiled at an intensity so high that they collided with each other or the pan, resulting in cracks. However, this is rarely seen in eggs from organically-fed chicken because they produce hard shelled eggs.
The main difference when comparing hard-boiled vs. soft-boiled eggs is how cooked the egg whites and yolks are. Hard-boiled eggs are firmer because the egg is fully cooked so that there's no runniness. Soft-boiled eggs are only partially-cooked, so they have a runny yolk and a less-firm exterior.
How can you tell if an egg is raw or hard boiled? The key is in the spin! A hard boiled egg will spin nicely and a raw egg will wobble. The raw egg is full of fluid which moves around as it spins making the egg wobble!
The raw egg will spin more slowly and it will wobble. This is because the raw egg is fluid inside, whereas the hard-boiled egg solid. When you spin the raw egg, the fluid inside moves around and causes wobble. Was this answer helpful?
While cooking hard-boiled eggs, the egg white and the yolk are solidified whereas, in soft-boiled eggs, the yolk is left raw and the egg is partially cooked.
An egg can float in water when its air cell has enlarged sufficiently to keep it buoyant. This means the egg is old, but it may be perfectly safe to use.
The trick to great hard boiled eggs is not over-cooking them, which can leave a grey ring around the yolk and make their texture a bit rubbery.
Bring a large pan of water to the boil and lower in the eggs in a single layer. Reduce the heat to a simmer and use the following timings for large eggs: 5 minutes: just-set (not solid) white and runny yolk – ideal for dipping. 6 minutes: liquid yolk and a slightly wobbly white.
This is because the egg white or “albumen” in a fresh egg has a relatively low pH level, making it acidic. When cooked, these fresh egg whites bond strongly to the inner shell's membrane. As an egg ages, the pH level rises and the inner membrane is less likely to bond to the albumen, so the shell peels off much easier.
Boil for 6 – 7 minutes over medium-high heat for perfect hard-boiled eggs. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a large bowl of ice water and let them cool for a few minutes. Or you can place them under cool running water to stop the cooking.
However, if you cook one egg in a pot of boiling water for 20 minutes, the increased time will cause the moisture in the egg to expel. The egg white will clump together tightly, and the yolk will develop a greenish film over a chalky center. As a result, you'll have a bouncy and tasteless hard-boiled egg.
Hard-boiled eggs are safe to eat as long as they have been handled and stored properly. The process of boiling eggs for 30 minutes or longer will effectively kill any bacteria present, such as salmonella, that could cause food poisoning if the egg was consumed raw or undercooked.
You can eat eggs past their expiration date. Just be sure to keep your eggs egg-cellent by storing them correctly. If you don't know if an egg is good or not, you can try the float test or give it a whiff. If it doesn't pass the test, throw it away.
Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, and vomiting 12 to 72 hours after infection. Symptoms usually last 4 to 7 days and most people get better without treatment. However, in some people, the diarrhea may be so severe that they need to be hospitalized.
The American Heart Association recommends up to one egg a day for most people, fewer for people with high blood cholesterol, especially those with diabetes or who are at risk for heart failure, and up to two eggs a day for older people with normal cholesterol levels and who eat a healthy diet.