What does it take to prepare a boiled egg? Just boiling water, a few minutes of waiting, and you’re done. But who never found themselves in front of an excessively dry yolk or a practically rubbery egg white? To avoid these inconveniences, the science of materials has decided to put the paw and found the perfect formula to obtain a literally perfect hard -boiled egg, which essentially yolks and egg white from the same consistency.
How can such a result be achieved? Thanks to periodic cooking: an innovative method studied by a team led by Dr. Emilia Di Lorenzo, ordinary professor at the Department of Economic Sciences and Statistics of the Federico II University of Naples and published in the CommissionerS Engineering magazine.
The science of materials in short
Before explaining what periodic cooking consists of, it is necessary to perform a small premise and clarify, in a few lines, what the so -called deals with material science. The science of materials is a discipline that, while often remaining behind the scenes, is the basis of many of the innovations that have transformed the modern world.
It is an area that wants to understand how the internal structure of the materials – from the arrangement of the atoms to their microscopic organization – influence their properties and, consequently, their practical applications.
It is an interdisciplinary science that combines physical, chemistry, engineering and biology, with the aim of planning materials increasingly performing and suitable for man’s needs.
One of the most fascinating aspects of material science is the ability to revolutionize different sectors apparently distant from each other. We think, for example, of composite materials such as carbon fiber, which has made it possible to build lighter and resistant planes, and reduce fuel consumption and polluting emissions. Or to semiconductors, who made the era of information technology and global communications possible. Without research on materials, devices such as smartphones, computers and solar panels would not exist in the form we know today.
But the science of materials is not limited to improving existing technologies, given that it is also opening new frontiers. The intelligent materials, which react to external stimuli, such as temperature or light, promise to revolutionize sectors such as medicine and engineering. Let’s imagine, for example, stent that expand autonomously into the human body, or buildings that adapt to climatic conditions. And then there are biomaterials, designed to integrate with biological tissues, which are transforming the surgery and regeneration of the tissues.
Without forgetting the kitchen, another field of application that we will see in the next paragraphs.
The secret: alternating temperatures
The recipe that follows the principles of the science of materials on paper is quite simple, even if in reality it requires a certain precision. To implement it you will have to dip the egg in water at 35 degrees for two minutes, then move it to the water at 95 degrees for another two minutes and you will repeat this alternation eight times. The result? An egg with a perfect consistency, with yolk and egg white that reach the right density together, without one other in cooking.
Because this method works
The problem of traditional cooking is that egg white and yolk do not behave in the same way. The egg white coagulates about 85 degrees, while the yolk reaches the right consistency at 65 degrees. The boiling direct to 100 degrees ends up cooking too much the yolk, making it dry, while it leaves the egg white often too rigid. The Bagnomaria method, about 65 degrees, enhances the yolk but can neglect the egg white, which will be not very cooked.
Periodic cooking solves the problem by alternating lower and higher temperatures, allowing the two elements to gradually reach the ideal consistency. According to Dr. Pellegrino Musto, a person involved in the aforementioned study that carries out research activities at the Institute for Polyimers, composites and biomaterials of the CNR, the periodic cooking technique guarantees uniform cooking and preserves the organoleptic and nutritional characteristics of the egg .
An idea born from the study of materials
The technique was not born by chance. The researchers applied mathematical models used in the study of materials to develop a cooking system that treated yolk and egg white as two different substances, with different solidification points. Thanks to a computational fluid dynamics software, they simulated the thermal behavior of the egg and found the right rhythm of alternation of temperatures.
As mentioned at the opening, the science of materials involves many different areas, and the method just observed could have wider applications, such as the study of polymerization and crystallization processes of some materials.
Is it worth trying it?
If you love culinary challenges, the answer is certainly positive. Of course, the procedure is more laborious than the classic boiling, but the result will repay the commitment made. You can obtain a perfect boiled egg, with a velvety and uniform consistency, without compromise of any kind between egg white and yolk.
