Scientists crack age-old egg problem

Tuesday, August 1, 2006 

Boiled eggs are popular at breakfast time in the UK. They are generally considered easier to cook than many other ways of preparing eggs, so much so that the phrase "he doesn't even know how to boil an egg" is used derisively to describe someone who apparently lacks the ability to cook.

Scientists in the UK have developed a new way to ensure boiled eggs are perfectly cooked thanks to a brand new hi-tech logo being printed on shells.

After cooking starts, people will be able to see if their egg is soft, medium or hard-boiled with the help of a thermochromic print which appears in black ink on the egg’s shell.

The eggs will be sold to consumers in the UK within the next few months. A spokeswoman for Lion Quality, the assurance scheme which came up with the idea, said: “We had a lot of inquiries from people which sparked an interest in the industry. We said OK, this is a big issue - people can’t even boil an egg.”

Gilly Beaumont, from B&H Colour Change, the company which created the logos, said: "We are still perfecting the technology, but we are very excited at the prospect of sorting a problem that has wound people up at breakfast time for decades."

The most successful way to cook an egg has baffled some of the greatest chefs in the past. In 1998, Delia Smith dedicated a whole episode of her How To Cook programme on the best way to boil an egg. And last year, a survey carried out by the magazine Waitrose Food Limited showed five top chefs all had different techniques.

Sources

• Brian McGinley. "The egg that will tell you when it's perfectly boiled" — Telegraph, July 31, 2006

• "Hi-tech ink perfects egg boiling" — BBC News Online, July 31, 2006