Michael told us: “This happens due to the different types of proteins found in the yolks versus the whites. The proteins in the egg yolk cook at a lower temperature than the proteins in the white.”
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.
Hard-cooked eggs can also have black or brown spots on the albumen (egg white) from overcooking or burning. Discoloration due to overcooking does not impact food safety and these eggs are safe to eat.
The white of an egg will also get thinner, the longer the egg is stored. Higher temperatures will speed up this effect. Other causes of watery whites are the age of the hen, storage time, genetics, and the time taken for the eggs to cool down in the nest.
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 1 in every 20,000 eggs are contaminated with Salmonella. Persons infected with Salmonella may experience diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, headache, nausea and vomiting.
The egg white is known as the albumen, which comes from albus, the Latin word for “white.” Four alternating layers of thick and thin albumen contain approximately 40 different proteins, the main components of the egg white in addition to water.
This is so called white yolk, aka latebra, present in any egg, with slightly higher protein content. Its precise function is unknown; it is believed to be a center of the egg development. Perfectly safe.
Simply fill a bowl with cold tap water and place your eggs in it. If they sink to the bottom and lay flat on one side, they are fresh and good to eat. A bad egg will float because of the large air cell that forms at its base. Any floating eggs should be thrown out.
If you boil it for hours, it becomes rubbery and overcooked. Beyond that, things get a little mysterious. Eggs are full of coiled-up protein molecules. Heating the proteins makes them uncoil and link up with one another to form a three-dimensional lattice, transforming a runny raw egg into a firm, rubbery cooked egg.
Using the wrong pot.
Not only will the eggs cook unevenly, but there's more risk of an egg cracking. Follow this tip: Use an appropriately sized pot for the number of eggs you're cooking.
Coming across a white yolk is perfectly natural, albeit a little rare in the United States.
4 minutes for slightly set yolk and set white. 5 minutes for a medium cooked firmer yolk and white. 6 minutes for hard boiled with lightly soft yolk. 8 minutes for firmly hard boiled.
Over-Hard Eggs
While you still flip these eggs over, the yolk of over-hard eggs won't be soft or liquefied. Over-hard means the egg will be fried flat, but the yolk will be solid.
Experts believe that eggs are best stored at room temperature. Storing eggs in too cold a temperature, i.e. in the refrigerator can make them inedible. Keeping eggs in the fridge cause the growth of bacteria on the shells and this turn and enter the insides of the eggs, in turn making them inedible.
Is There a Salmonella Risk? The risk is low as Australia has strict food safety laws and strong state agencies with responsibility for regulating our food system. Egg farmers also do everything they can to supply safe, clean, and fresh eggs.
Symptoms usually begin 6 hours to 6 days after infection and last 4 to 7 days. Most people recover without antibiotic treatment. Antibiotics are needed only for patients who are very ill or at risk of becoming very ill. People who have diarrhea should drink extra fluids.
While egg farmers supply a safe, clean, fresh product, it is possible for eggs to become contaminated by the food poisoning bacteria Salmonella. The good news is Salmonella is killed instantly at 74oC. So even if you are unlucky enough to get an egg with bacteria on it, the food will become safe by cooking it properly.
Cooking reduces the number of bacteria present in an egg; however, an egg with a runny yolk still poses a greater risk than a completely cooked egg. Undercooked egg whites and yolks have been associated with outbreaks of Salmonella infections.
Salmonella can get on the shells of eggs. This can happen when birds lay the eggs and when eggs touch bird droppings (poop) after being laid. Touching eggs from the grocery store is not a major cause of illness because those eggs are washed before they reach stores. Salmonella can get inside eggs too.
Those funky, discolored rings in your hard-boiled eggs may make you wonder if they are harmful to eat. Fortunately, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website clearly states the green or gray color in the eggs is “safe to consume.” So, if you happen to see a little ring around your egg, don't worry!
To avoid getting a green yolk, cook your eggs just long enough to reach the desired doneness—no more. And quickly plunge the cooked eggs into cold water to stop the cooking process and minimize the iron-sulfur reaction. Some people also say that the cold-water plunge makes eggs easier to peel.
For one to four eggs, bring the water to a rolling boil, cover the pot, and turn the heat down to its lowest setting for 12-14 minutes. For five to eight eggs, cook for 15 to 18 minutes. For nine to one dozen eggs, cook for 20 minutes. After cooking, transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water.