Latest news with #PellegrinoMusto
Express Tribune
09-02-2025
- Science
- Express Tribune
Boil, cool, and repeat
Hard-boiled, soft-boiled or poached. Scientists have studied how to cook the perfect egg and have come up with a new recipe that they say optimises its taste and nutritional quality, AFP reported. Cooking an egg is a delicate art because the yolk and the white do not cook at the same temperature. The yolk begins to solidify at 65 degrees Celsius (149 degrees Fahrenheit) and the white at 85C. To avoid ending up with a soft-boiled egg, chefs have to choose a "compromise temperature", said the authors of a study published on Thursday in the journal Communications Engineering. In the case of a hard-boiled egg – cooked for 12 minutes at 100C – all parts of the egg have a final temperature of 100C, well above the ideal cooking temperature, particularly for the yolk. In the case of egg sous vide, which is cooked between 60 and 70C, the final egg is at a temperature of 65C. But while this is the ideal temperature for the yolk, it is much too low for the proteins in the egg white to stick together. As for the soft-boiled egg, cooked for six minutes at 100C, the authors say the egg yolk is undercooked. The Italian polymer specialists approached the problem by simulating the process with the help of computational fluid dynamics software, which was used to simulate and analyse the flow of fluids and their interactions with solid surfaces. The solution, they suggest, is to use a saucepan of boiling water at 100C and a saucepan of water at 30C and to transfer the egg from one to the other every two minutes for exactly 32 minutes in total. "It is found that a stationary state at the centre of the yolk is reached at a constant temperature of 67C," namely the mean value between the temperatures of the saucepan of boiling water and the saucepan of lukewarm water, Pellegrino Musto, one of the study's authors, told AFP. "Conversely, the albumen alternatively sees temperatures in the range 10087C and 3055C during the hot and cold cycles respectively," which allows all the layers of the egg white to reach cooking temperature, added Musto, research director at the National Research Council of Italy's Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials.
Observer
08-02-2025
- Science
- Observer
How to cook the perfect egg
Hard-boiled, soft-boiled, or poached. Scientists have studied how to cook the perfect egg and have come up with a new recipe that they say optimizes its taste and nutritional quality. Cooking an egg is a delicate art because the yolk and the white do not cook at the same temperature. The yolk begins to solidify at 65 degrees Celsius (149 degrees Fahrenheit) and the white at 85C. To avoid ending up with a soft-boiled egg, chefs have to choose a "compromise temperature", said the authors of a study published on Thursday in the journal Communications Engineering. In the case of a hard-boiled egg -- cooked for 12 minutes at 100C -- all parts of the egg have a final temperature of 100C, well above the ideal cooking temperature, particularly for the yolk. In the case of egg, sous vide, which is cooked between 60 and 70C, the final egg is at a temperature of 65C. But while this is the ideal temperature for the yolk, it is much too low for the proteins in the egg white to stick together. As for the soft-boiled egg, cooked for six minutes at 100C, the authors say the egg yolk is undercooked. The Italian polymer specialists approached the problem by simulating the process with the help of computational fluid dynamics software, which was used to simulate and analyze the flow of fluids and their interactions with solid surfaces. - Recyclable materials - The solution, they suggest, is to use a saucepan of boiling water at 100C and a saucepan of water at 30C and to transfer the egg from one to the other every two minutes for exactly 32 minutes in total. "It is found that a stationary state at the center of the yolk is reached at a constant temperature of 67C," namely the mean value between the temperatures of the saucepan of boiling water and the saucepan of lukewarm water, Pellegrino Musto, one of the study's authors, told AFP. "Conversely, the albumen alternatively sees temperatures in the range 100–87C and 30–55C during the hot and cold cycles respectively," which allows all the layers of the egg white to reach cooking temperature, added Musto, research director at the National Research Council of Italy's Institute for Polymers, Composites, and Biomaterials. The authors then tested this method of "cooking in cycles" and found that the result was "more similar to the soft boiled when analyzing the texture of its albumen, while it is very similar to the sous videsample when considering its yolk," the study says. Cooking in cycles also has a "better advantage over conventional cooking methods in terms of nutritional content", the authors said. The chemical analysis showed that the yolks of eggs cooked in cycles contained more polyphenols -- healthy micronutrients -- than hard-boiled eggs, soft-boiled eggs or sous vide eggs. Musto said in an email that the result was "(partially) unexpected" and proposed that "temperature degradation of bioactive molecules" at higher temperatures could be a possible cause. The study has also found practical application, with one of the study's authors, Ernesto Di Maio, using the cyclic cooking method "regularly for his family and friends, who appreciate it a lot". However, Musto pointed out that the study would have applications beyond the kitchen, especially concerning recyclability, which he said was the main theme of the research group. "A well-designed thermal profile may allow the development of layered structures within an object made from a single material" that is entirely recyclable, Musto said. "The resulting object will have layered properties as if it were a multi-material object," Musto said, adding that these are "very difficult to recycle" except in rare circumstances.
Telegraph
06-02-2025
- Science
- Telegraph
How to make the perfect boiled egg: you'll need two pans and half an hour
Cooking the perfect While getting the right consistency in both yolk and white is perhaps more of an art form, a team of Italian researchers say they have now found the perfect recipe according to science. Switching the The peer-reviewed study, published in the Nature journal Communications Engineering, found this approach keeps both yolk and white at their perfect temperature for the full 32-minute cooking time. By starting in boiling water and moving the egg between pans every two minutes, both parts are cooked perfectly, scientists say. Their analysis also found that these periodically cooked The technique has been such a success that some of the scientists have adopted it to cook eggs in their day-to-day lives. Dr Pellegrino Musto, the author of the study from the Italian National Research Council, said: 'It has a creamy consistency. You don't distinguish the two components (albumen and yolk) by the different texture. Of course, the taste is that of a well-cooked egg and, to me, it is pleasant to the palate and the tongue.' Scientists purchased fresh hen eggs from a supermarket in Naples and kept them at room temperature before embarking on their study. The team are experts in understanding how two materials that touch behave differently, and how to alter the conditions to change properties of each substance independently. Their previous work involved creating different types of layered foam products, and the same approach was applied to eggs. 'We are material scientists mainly working on polymers,' Dr Musto said. 'The idea comes from one of us talking with a friend on fancy ways to cook eggs and he mentioned very complicated (and costly) methods developed by top chefs.' The team used a computer system that models complex fluid dynamics to create a methodology for boiling an egg. The programme was informed that the white part, known as the albumen, cooks at 85C, while the yolk cooks at 65C. The model suggested that switching the egg eight times from boiling water (100C) to lukewarm water (30C) would maintain these different temperatures and create the perfect yolk and albumen. The scientists wrote in the paper: 'We found that our cooking method leads to improved texture and nutritional content with respect to traditional shell-on egg cooking techniques. This peculiar thermal profile allows for optimal cooking of the egg in all its parts.' Prof Emilia Di Lorenzo, the study's lead author from the University of Naples Federico II, said: 'We like to say that this egg gives you the 'best of both worlds'. 'You have a fully set and white albumen, like the one of a hard-boiled egg, together with a perfectly creamy yolk, like the one of a sous-vide egg. As a consequence, yes, it definitely tastes good. 'Whenever we can we adopt this cooking technique, especially when we want to share this recipe with friends and family on special occasions. It is more time consuming than the average boiled egg, but it is definitely worth it: it tastes better, it is more nutritious and you get to share nice insights on the science behind cooking.' A 'Overall, these results strongly suggest that the periodic cooking method has a better advantage over conventional cooking methods in terms of The scientific boiled eggs method has a resemblance to the hot-cold method for scrambled eggs preferred by celebrity chef
BBC News
06-02-2025
- Science
- BBC News
The perfect way to boil an egg
Scientists have cracked the perfect way to boil an egg – astonishingly, it takes half an hour. It is one of the undisputed facts of life that it is notoriously difficult to cook a perfectly boiled egg. Breakfasts can often be disappointing affairs when, after cracking the shell and dipping your toasted soldier into what you hope will be a culinary delight, you instead find that your yolk is dry and crumbly, or even worse, the egg white is a slimy watery mess. The problem is that the yolk and albumen (the white part of the egg) cook at two different temperatures. Yolk requires a temperature of just 65C (149F) to cook, while the albumen needs a little more heat at 85C (185F). Conventional methods for cooking eggs, therefore, represent a compromise between those two seemingly incompatible truths. Hard-boil an egg at 100C (212F), and the white will soon become tender and just right. The yolk, however, will be fully set – which is alright if you like that sort of thing, but disappointing if you're after a soft, runny yolk. Another method of cooking an egg, known as sous vide, involves placing the egg in a water bath at temperatures between 60 and 70C (140-158F) for one hour. This leaves the yolk deliciously runny, but the white can be left slimy and clear. However, worry not, as researchers have now discovered the perfect method for boiling an egg. What's more, they have shown that the result is not only tastier, but better for you too. In their new paper, researchers led by Pellegrino Musto, a scientist working at Italy's National Research Council in Pozzuoli, first simulated the egg-cooking process using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). CFD is the science of using computers to predict how liquids and gases flow based on the physical laws governing them, such as conservation of mass, momentum and energy. The simulations suggested a new method – one likely to be entirely unfamiliar to most chefs and amateur cooks – that might give superior results. The approach, which the authors call periodic cooking, involves alternating between cooking the egg in a pan of boiling water kept at 100C (212F), and placing it into a luke-warm bowl kept at 30C (86F). To get the best results, the egg must be transferred between the two temperatures every two minutes for a total duration of 32 minutes, so it is probably not best suited to home cooks who like to dip in and out of the kitchen leaving their egg unsupervised. If you are willing to put in the effort, however, your rewards will be plentiful. When scientists tried the new method in real life, the resulting egg was exceptional. The researchers confirmed this superiority by analysing the texture, sensory qualities and chemical structure of their perfectly boiled egg using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry. The results showed that periodically cooked eggs had a soft yolk similar to that of a sous vide egg – so far so good. However, unlike eggs cooked sous vide, the white albumen was not runny and uncooked, but instead had a consistency closer to that of a traditionally soft-boiled egg. According to the paper's authors, this is probably because, while temperatures in the periodically cooked egg white ranged between 35C (95F) and 100C (212F) during cooking, the yolk remained at a consistent temperature of 67C (153F) throughout. Perhaps most interestingly, chemical analysis revealed that the yolk of periodically cooked eggs contained more polyphenols – a group of micronutrients mostly found in plants, and touted for their health benefits – than eggs cooked by other methods. This class of compounds is renowned for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Plants make them as a defence against stressful environmental conditions such as UV radiation, droughts or predation by insects. However, research increasingly shows they can benefit humans too. For example epidemiological studies suggest that high dietary intake of polyphenols is associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, specific forms of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Even more reason to try periodically cooked eggs next time you fancy dippy eggs and soldiers for breakfast. -- For trusted insights into better health and wellbeing rooted in science, sign up to the Health Fix newsletter, while The Essential List delivers a handpicked selection of features and insights. For more science, technology, environment and health stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
