Boiling eggs evenly is a challenge because the yolk and white cook at different temperatures, with the white at 85°C and the yolk at 65°C.

Cycle Cooking: A Breakthrough Method

Pellegrino Musto, director of research at the Italian National Research Council, and a team from the University of Naples Federico II (Italy), used fluid dynamics simulations to design an improved boiling process. Their method involves alternating the eggs between boiling water (100°C) and cold water (30°C) every 2 minutes for a total of 32 minutes, according to the science website ScitechDaily.

The process, called “alternative boiling,” was tested against traditional egg-cooking methods such as hard-boiled, soft-boiled, and slow-boiled at low temperatures sous vide. They then used advanced techniques to analyze the texture, flavor, and chemical composition of the eggs cooked using each method.

Superior texture, flavor and nutritional benefits

The results found that alternating boiling and cold water cooking of eggs optimally cooked both the yolk and white, resulting in a better texture and higher nutritional content than traditional methods.

This creative way of poaching eggs achieves the perfect balance between firm egg whites and soft, creamy yolks.

Specifically, the yolk is soft like a sous vide egg, while the white is medium-cooked — meaning somewhere between sous vide and soft-boiled.

During the alternating boiling process, the temperature in the egg white fluctuates from 35 to 100 degrees Celsius, while the yolk remains at a stable temperature of 67 degrees Celsius.

Chemical analysis showed that egg yolks cooked using the alternate boiling method also contained more polyphenols. It is thanks to these micronutrients that eggs bring many health benefits, according to ScitechDaily.