When to discard an egg

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Amateur1

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I put some eggs into a pan then added boiling water from a kettle and switched on the gas.
One of the eggs cracked almost straight away and I could see some of the white of the egg.
Was it necessary to discard the egg?
If not, how would I know if an egg should be discarded?
 
Amateur1 said:
If not, how would I know if an egg should be discarded?
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I have two methods.

First method place the eggs in cold water, if they sink I discard them.

Second method I break each egg separately into a ramekin or suchlike. If it smells rotten, I discard it.

Poached eggs 2

Poached eggs 2

  • Media owner Yorky
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No need to discard an egg simply because it cracked when you boiled it. Carry on cooking and use it in as Yorky suggests, mashed up in a sandwich. If the white doesn't leak out too much then you can just eat it as you would any other boiled egg.

Eggs only need discarding if they are very old and and well past their use by date. Even then I crack them in a bowl. Believe me, you will know straight away if an egg has gone off if you do that!
 
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Morning Glory said:
Eggs only need discarding if they are very old and and well past their use by date. Even then I crack them in a bowl. Believe me, you will know straight away if an egg has gone off if you do that!
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I would suggest cracking them into individual bowls. If one is off you do not want to contaminate others.
 
Cracking is fairly common and the white is just the protein being denatured by the heat, which is what happens in that situation, so that is normal. The time to discard an egg will be obvious, especially to your nose. Cheers
 
If you were intending to make a boiled egg, I´d suggest you put the eggs in cold water first, with a splash of vinegar, and then bring to a boil.
If your eggs were straight from the fridge and you poured boiling water on them, you triggered a thermic reaction, which could well be why the egg split. Many years ago, I did something similar with a solid iron grill pan; finished grilling, put the pan on a concrete wall and poured cold water on it. It broke in two.
In your case, no, I wouldn´t discard the egg because the white will cook anyway.
Bad eggs are foul and disgusting; you´ll know if you get one!
 
There are as many ways to boil an egg as there are people boiling them, probably. Some start in cold, some boil for a few minutes and let sit off the heat, some put them straight in boiling water and then into an ice bath, etc.

They all work, because the first rule of life is “There’s More Than One Way To Do It.” Find the way that you’re comfortable with, and stick to that.

You can greatly lessen the chance of cracking the shell while boiling if you poke a little hole in the big end of the egg, using a pushpin or thumbtack. Don’t worry, no egg will come out - there’s a little air pocket in there, between the shell and that little membrane, and if you poke a little hole in the shell, that air can escape and you’ll likely not have that egg crack.

As others have said, though; even if the egg does crack, it’s fine. Besides, what’s a poached egg if nothing but a naked raw egg boiled in some water, right?

Good luck!
 
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