Thursday, November 13th, 2008 - 8:44 PM

Eggsperiment

We tried an experiment with an egg. I knew that if you put an egg in vinegar, the shell would dissolve, leaving a rubbery membrane… but my kids didn’t know that, and I had never tried it personally.

I like pickled eggs (boiled and peeled eggs soaked in brine), so I thought this might be an interesting way to make them. I also figured it would be easier to peel them if the shell was just a thin soft film… so we gave it a shot!

1. Egg in Cup of Vinegar
1. Egg in Cup of Vinegar

2. Post-Vinegar Egg
2. Post-vinegar Egg

3. Egg in Pot
3. Egg in Pot

4. Boiling Egg
4. Boiling Egg

5. Boiled Egg
5. Boiled Egg

6. Post-Vinegar Boiled Peeled Half-Eaten Egg
6. Post-Vinegar Boiled Peeled Half-Eaten Egg

The results…

It was indeed easier to peel. Once I broke the membrane, the egg just squeezed out.

The vinegar that soaked into the egg prevented it from solidifying as much as a normal boiled egg, leaving it goopy on the outside.

It tasted EXTREMELY bitter. Far more than just the sourness you would get from vinegar. The shell must have dissolved into the egg. I found the flavor of the white part unpleasant, even with salt–and I tend to like strong flavors. The texture wasn’t very appealing either. The yolk didn’t taste quite as bitter as the white, but it was fairly nasty, and not something I am likely to eat a second time on purpose.