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Embarrassing dining moment, do I go back? (Gross out caution!)
My son used to do things to embarrass us in restaurants all the time when he was little - either by moving the furniture around, or screaming and having fits because he didn't want to eat, always something. The last time was in Atlanta, GA at Glady's Knights restaurant. We ordered a bowl of macaroni & cheese for him - he only liked Kraft from the box and really didn't like the fresh kind. I ordered a meal and it came with mac. So, he tasted it. He thought it was ok enough to actually eat some so we ordered a serving for him. When he started to eat it, my husband ordered another serving thinking he would eat it too (he had a huge appetite and still does). Well, he shouldn't have ordered it because the second he ordered it, he had a fit and wouldn't eat the first serving. He had such a huge fit, that my husband had to take him outside - where he gave him a little spanking. One of the guests happen to see him doing it through the window and came outside to talk to him.
When he brought him back in, he refused to eat anything - even the waffles. So, we left (after I finished my food). As we were leaving, the man spoke to us again (the one who came out to talk to hubby). He explained that it looked very bad and he felt bad for our son. We explained to him that our son did that constantly and he was just doing it to get attention and not to worry, we were not abusive parents - really! We were just trying to teach him a lesson. We never went back to Glady's restaurant. Now when we remind him of it, he doesn't remember the time at all. We sure do!
Time for a Drink: Bloody Mary
Many years ago, my husband asked his cousin for his personal recipe for a Bloody Mary because it was the best we had ever tasted. He sent us his recipe on the email and I've been making my version of it ever since.
His had key lime juice, Angostura Bloody Mary seasoning (a liquid like their bitters) and both V-8 juice and Clamato juice in it. I ran out of Clamata awhile back so I've been using V-8 and Sacramento Tomato Juice and they have been really good.
I switch off the hot sauces and try different ones each time. He uses a local one down in FL that we can't get up here without ordering through the internet so I use different favorite ones. I have a whole collection of hot sauces (over 80 bottles at this point) so I try a different one every time.
Help! Whoopie Pies...
I just made Pumpkin Whoopie Pies from an old issue of Rachael ray's magazine and they came out great. I had to bake them a few minutes more than the recipe said as they were still under done but otherwise they were great. I wonder why this happened to yours. I have no help for you. Sorry.
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Meat Lite: Brussels, Beemster, and Bacon Gratin
I adore brussel sprouts and will try this. I adore brussel sprouts and who doesn't love bacon and cheese. Wow, what a combination. Thanks for the great recipe to try. I just happen to have some sprouts in my refrigerator at the moment. Thanks for the inspiration.
Embarrassing dining moment, do I go back? (Gross out caution!)
My son used to do things to embarrass us in restaurants all the time when he was little - either by moving the furniture around, or screaming and having fits because he didn't want to eat, always something. The last time was in Atlanta, GA at Glady's Knights restaurant. We ordered a bowl of macaroni & cheese for him - he only liked Kraft from the box and really didn't like the fresh kind. I ordered a meal and it came with mac. So, he tasted it. He thought it was ok enough to actually eat some so we ordered a serving for him. When he started to eat it, my husband ordered another serving thinking he would eat it too (he had a huge appetite and still does). Well, he shouldn't have ordered it because the second he ordered it, he had a fit and wouldn't eat the first serving. He had such a huge fit, that my husband had to take him outside - where he gave him a little spanking. One of the guests happen to see him doing it through the window and came outside to talk to him.
When he brought him back in, he refused to eat anything - even the waffles. So, we left (after I finished my food). As we were leaving, the man spoke to us again (the one who came out to talk to hubby). He explained that it looked very bad and he felt bad for our son. We explained to him that our son did that constantly and he was just doing it to get attention and not to worry, we were not abusive parents - really! We were just trying to teach him a lesson. We never went back to Glady's restaurant. Now when we remind him of it, he doesn't remember the time at all. We sure do!
Time for a Drink: Bloody Mary
Many years ago, my husband asked his cousin for his personal recipe for a Bloody Mary because it was the best we had ever tasted. He sent us his recipe on the email and I've been making my version of it ever since.
His had key lime juice, Angostura Bloody Mary seasoning (a liquid like their bitters) and both V-8 juice and Clamato juice in it. I ran out of Clamata awhile back so I've been using V-8 and Sacramento Tomato Juice and they have been really good.
I switch off the hot sauces and try different ones each time. He uses a local one down in FL that we can't get up here without ordering through the internet so I use different favorite ones. I have a whole collection of hot sauces (over 80 bottles at this point) so I try a different one every time.
Help! Whoopie Pies...
I just made Pumpkin Whoopie Pies from an old issue of Rachael ray's magazine and they came out great. I had to bake them a few minutes more than the recipe said as they were still under done but otherwise they were great. I wonder why this happened to yours. I have no help for you. Sorry.
Cakespy: Candy Corn Nanaimo Bars
looks good to me. Funny I was in Nova Scotia a year or so ago and I tried to find a Nanaimo bar somewhere and didn't see one anywhere! I heard so much about them on the internet and found none. We traveled in the car throughout all of Nova Scotia, except for Louisburg, and saw none. I did find Strawberry Kit Kat bars, and Banana Kit Kat bars but no Nainamo bars.
I adore candy corn though. They look overly sweet but delicious.
What strange things are in the door of your fridge?
I also have Dianas Spicy Southwest in my refrigerator! I brought it back from a trip to Nova Scotia.
When it comes to strange, hmmmm...strawberry vodka? Habanero Peach Preserves, szechuan salad dressing from the chinese market (I still have no idea what to do with it), yellow curry sauce, tandoor marinade, garlic scape pesto.
I also have a jar of Baconaise, not the stuff you have on the website, the packaged stuff not made with bacon.
Wasabi dressing from my trip to Vermont. I could go on and on...
The Food Lab: Animal Fat Mayonnaise
You know they already sell Baconaise in the stores but it isn't made with real Bacon. It tastes really good though. I am going to make your version as I have some rendered bacon fat in my refrigerator. Never thought of making it myself. I can just imagine what that lamb mayo tastes like! Yikes. Lamb is such a highly flavored fat as it is.
The Most Unhealthy Thing You've Ever Made
I've made many things that weren't healthy at all - from real mac & cheese with 6 kinds of cheese to Guy Fieri's Mac & Cheese that is topped with bacon, and the Sweet Potato Gooey Butter Cake from Paula Deen. I think the thing that was the worst was the Toasted Ravioli which is deep fried ravioli. I've made all kinds of deep fried things. It may be bad for you but it tastes soooo good.
I've eaten worse though - Deep Fried Oreos, Deep Fried Macaroni & Cheese (both at different fairs), Deep Fried Mars Bars, Deep Fried Twinkies - but i've never made any of them. I'd rather eat stuff like that out of the house. If I deep fry in the house, it smells like it for days after.
My favorite thing to make at home (But only for holidays) is Potato Latkes. They are sooo fattening but so good. Also, 3x a year I make my own chopped chicken livers for Passover, Rosh Hashanah and Chanukah. Ground up chicken livers with chicken fat - can't get much worse for you.
The Food Lab: Perfect Boiled Eggs
I've been doing it the way that Sara Moulton mentioned on her show many years ago - put the eggs in a saucepan covered with water. Bring it to a boil, not a hard boil. Turn off heat. Cover and let sit on a cold burner for a specific amount of time (I think she said 13 minutes but I do it for 16 minutes).
Remove carefully. Crack. Peel.
I find that if I crack them a bit and then refrigerate for awhile, they peel much easier.
So I am not really boiling per-say. This way I never over-boil, I never get a green line around the yolk, and I don't get that horrid sulphur smell you get from over boiling. Works well every time for me.
Serious Heat: Sriracha Hot Wings
In our house wings are always unbreaded. My hubby hates breading. I just roast them naked, just a bit of salt and pepper, maybe a drizzle of oil, and then coat them well in a sauce when they get out of the oven. I've done garlic oil, I've done ketchup and a miriade (sp?) of sauces. I've also done the classic butter and Frank's or butter and some other hot sauce. I have never tried Sriracha on them. Got to try this. Thanks for the inspiration.
Taste Test: Cheap But Good Olive Oils
How about some type of confit? Maybe Garlic Confit? Or make your own flavored oils and condiments. That is what I would do with a lot of extra oil. Maybe pestos of different herbs?
Grilling: Green Chile Cheeseburger
I've never had an authentic Chile Cheese Burger but I have made versions of them and they were excellent. I could go for one right now. The last burger I made was a Pimento Cheese Burger, from Saveur Magazine, and it was outstanding. Thanks for your version of the GCC burger. I'll try it next time I make one.
I think the combination of green chile and cheese and beef is a great one. A classic. I hope to make it to New Mexico one day to try the real thing.
Sneaking food into movies
I do it all the time. I can't see spending $8 for a medium popcorn and a box of candy so I buy candy when it is on sale and I make my own popcorn and I put it in a bag and I put the bag at the bottom of my handbag, covered with other stuff. They never check my bag. When my son & I get into the theatre, I pull it out. Last time it was popcorn and Raisinets. Sometimes we buy something at the theatre.
I have also snuck other foods into movie theatres. Ones that don't smell such as candy that they don't sell there, or baked goods from home. Never sushi or burritos. - Too smelly and possibility of spillage.
Frozen Shrimp: To Use or Not to Use?
I have never seen fresh shrimp in our area so I have to buy frozen. I like knowing i have them in the freezer ready to go for a quick meal. I am 5 minutes away from making shrimp cocktail, shrimp scampi, or chinese shrimp stir-fry. If I had access to fresh shrimp, I would love it. But I don't. I am sure the flavor is probably better but there is nothing I can do about this except move somewhere south - such as FL, LA or GA.
Cakespy: CupShake, a Cupcake Milkshake
When I was 17, I had jaw surgery and my mom had to puree everything so I could at least "eat" with everyone else - so she pureed chinese food with homemade chicken broth, etc.
I would've adored something like this. Sounds like it would've been heaven. Next time I have any cupcakes, I will try this. Sounds sweet and yummy.
For the laddies- Hottest Food Network Dude?
I am between Jamie Oliver (when his first series began The Naked Chef and he still had his long hair and his lisp!) and Anthony Bourdain (even though he is on The Travel Channel now) since the Food Network still plays reruns of A Cooks Tour here-and-there. His attitude just turns me on!
I want to sneak into his luggage and stow me away to Vietnam so I can eat chiles with him on those boats at the water markets. Also I want to eat pig parts with him in Bangkok in the night snack carts! Mmmm...take me away Tony! I'll wear my Ramones t-shirt and prove my love to you!
What one food mag should I get?
I sub to Everyday with Rachael Ray and Saveur. I have always loved Saveur. I used to sub to Bon Appetit (for many years) and to Gourmet (still love it but don't sub). My mom subbed to Food & Wine for many years. I don't like Bon Appetit as much as I used to. I would go with Saveur if you want an interesting magazine aside from good recipes. If you want a magazine of just good recipes to cook from then I would go with Food & Wine. I also like the new Food Network magazine. It is a difficult question to answer. So many good ones.
Watch It with Us: 'The Next Food Network Star' Season 5 Finale
I was thrilled that Melissa won. I think that if it had been Debbie vs Melissa that Debbie would've won. Jeffrey was always bad to me. I wanted them to kick him off a lot of the time. He was too frenetic. I think that Melissa will do well. I don't understand why they changed the concept of her show though.
Did you notice that one of last year's losers also was part of Chef vs City? Kelsey? She's a "NY Foodie" along with Claire Robinson? Geez, I can think of real foodies that would've been better competition for Aaron Sanchez and the other guy (who I can't pronounce his name). So it seems they do bring back some of the losers. I couldn't believe that they gave Adam his own show. Did you notice though that it was a travel show, not a cooking show. They didn't like him enough to give him a real cooking show.
Hot Dog of the Week: Puka Dog
I've never been to Hawaii but I saw Anthony Bourdain eat a Puka Dog on his show about Hawaii. He thought it was strange but in a weird way he really enjoyed it. I have a friend who lives in Hawaii and said that even the locals eat them and enjoy them. I would love to try one. I'm a huge hot dog fan- growing up a few minutes away from the original Nathan's in Coney Island. I've eaten hot dogs across the eastern part of the U.S.A. from the Varsity in Atlanta (a cheese slaw dog with onion rings and a Frozen Orange please!) to the hot dogs at Ritzy Lunch in Clarsksburg, WV (unbelievably good). I'm game!
How Do You Define a Grilled Cheese Sandwich?
I think good bread is important - not just white bread OR Wonder Bread (which to me isn't bread but something too soft) - 2 slices of cheese (either american cheese BUT NOT Cheddar - it gets greasy) - American, Monterey Jack, Pepper jack, Muenster, all good. With or without bacon fine with me! Also I've also been known to put pesto sauce and a slice of good heirloom tomato. One important point - all cheeses should be American in some way - made in the U.S.A. - nothing Italian. If you are putting Mozzarella, fontina, provolone or any of them, then it is a panini, not a Grilled Cheese. Even Havarti is good (I know that isn't American - that is my one exception).
It must be made in a cast iron pan with something on top to press it down a bit. I use either my tea kettle OR a heavy pot lid. If made in a panini grill or a George Foreman Grill, it is a panini, not a grilled cheese.
Also no weird combos like Sugar said - cheddar with maple or apple butter or grape jelly. Ick. Nothing sweet. It is a savory sandwich, not a sweet sandwich. If you are putting cheese and sweet together then it is an appetizer bruschetta or something like that. Not Grilled Cheese.
Just my very long 2 cents...
Do you have a recipe you won't share?
A few years back, a friend gave me her special pizza dough recipe. She swore me to not share it. It was the recipe from her bed & breakfast. A few years back the B&B burnt to the ground but she made me swear never to share it. I make it about 3x a month and have never shared it. I am a member of quite a few food groups on the 'net and I have never given the recipe to anyone. It is a great recipe too.
Omitting Soda Pop
I used to be addicted to Pepsi but haven't had one in awhile. We got rid of soda in our house a few years back. My husband began to drink seltzer and that is all he drinks at home except for iced coffee.
I do have one once in awhile - mainly Jones Soda and also Diet Coke with Lime (only 1-12 pack lasts me a really long time and I buy one about 2x a year). Otherwise I drink Crystal Light - most of the flavors mixed with water OR I make all kinds of different iced teas for myself. Also during the summer I buy a 12 pack of Cheerwine, a cherry soda that is only sold in North Carolina - when we are there I buy a 12 pack to bring home. I drink one can a week until it is all gone. That is treat for me though.
Serious Salsa: Chile Morita Salsa
This sounds outstanding to me. I just ground up some moritas to bring on vacation with me!
My favorite salsa combination lately is salsa verde blended with avocado and cilantro. Mmmm....
I love salsa at any time so with barbecue is a good combination. I would put a big dollop right on top of the pulled pork OR brisket. A great combination.
The Joys of Unnaturally Flavored Sodas
I am not really big on soda anymore BUT last summer I was in Nags Head, NC and found the famous Cheerwine, a NC thing. It is fizzy cherry-flavored soda, not cherry cola, just cherry soda. It is out of this world delicious.
Last week when we were close to the border of NC and leaving for WV, I hit a supermarket and bought myself a 12 pack to take home to NJ. We can't get it here. It is my favorite soda in a really long time.
Otherwise I really like Cherry 7Up but they don't sell it in cans around here, just 2 liter bottles, which I have no room for in the refrigerator. I also love Crystal Light Wild Strawberry (comes in a powder that you mix with water) and their Citrus stuff too. Excellent mixed with some green tea! I make fusions of all kinds of things.
I have never liked Fresca. When I was a child, all the skinny cool girls drank the Diet Fresca and that was all they drank (that and lots of folks drank Tab) - neither of which I could get a tasting for. My favorite soda at the time was Pepsi - just plain Pepsi. To this day, I prefer plain Pepsi over anything Coke, don't know why. BUT I prefer Diet Coke to Diet Pepsi.
How do YOU make a tomato sandwich?
For me it has to be a fresh from the garden tomato, sliced, put on toasted homemade bread (can be any kind but not too squishy), spread with some Hellmann's and then a nice shmear of pesto sauce, Covered and eaten with face over a table or plate. Mmmm...
I also love chopped tomatoes in pita bread with some tzatziki sauce. Maybe a bit of onion.
What strange things are in the door of your fridge?
The usual assortment of American and Asian condiments, pickles, capers, sundried tomatoes and olives. A jar of yellow curry paste and a jar of Jamaican jerk seasoning.
Here's the one oddity: macapuno strings (I make a killer fruit salad of fresh strawberries, a drained can of lychee, and macapuno)
@WIGirl : Try this with your red curry paste. Fry about a tablespoon of paste in a skillet for a minute. Stir in a can of coconut milk and a can of water. Toss in a pound of chuck roast cut into 1 inch cubes. Simmer for about 45 minutes until the meat is done and the gravey thickens - watch that it doesn't get too dry. A simple substitute for Indonesian rendang. Serve over rice.
Time for a Drink: Bloody Mary
Here is mine:
2 oz Vodka or Gin
Worchestershire Sauce to taste
A Few Dashes Celery Seed
Fresh Ground Horseradish to taste
A Few Dashes Salt and Pepper
Three Dashes Tobasco
A Few Dashes Ground Mustard
1/2 oz Guinness or other Stout
Lemon and Lime Juices From Muddling
Three Dashes Angostura Bitters
Tomato Juice
In the bottom of a mixing glass, put two lemon and two lime wedges, salt and pepper. Muddle to extract all the juice from the Citrus.
Add the remaining ingredients and fill with ice.
"Roll" the mixture back and forth from mixing glass to shaker tin and back again a few times.
Fill a tall glass or Collins glass with fresh ice and strain mixture from mixing glass into serving vessel.
Garnish how you see fit. I like a pickled green bean and Lemon wedge.
The Food Lab: Perfect Boiled Eggs
@bgruber
Thanks to SeriousEats convenient comment subscriptions, I get comments forwarded to my inbox, so yep. Still reading them.
As for the answer... em... because Cook's Illustrated readers like their salmon more well-done than I do?
shh... don't tell Chris!
The Food Lab: Perfect Boiled Eggs
Kenji, if you're still reading the comments on this...
"This is very similar to the gunk that seeps out of the surface of overcooked salmon."
When you did the poached/steamed salmon on ATK, you had white gunk, but made a point to say that it didn't mean the salmon was overcooked. Why the discrepancy? Was that a special case because of the cooking method?
Also, thanks for this and all of your articles on here. They've been great.
Embarrassing dining moment, do I go back? (Gross out caution!)
@RisaG, My mom used to do the same thing your husband did. Except she brought us into the bathroom for the spanking instead. We were to understand that going out to eat was a privilege and it could be taken away from us. On the whole, we were well-behaved kids. If we weren't, it didn't take much more than a smack on the bottom to get us to behave. At least to sit still and be quiet. I think my mom's method was pretty effective. It's hard to discipline kids in front of a lot of people. And kids know when they are embarrassing their parents and will take advantage of that to get their way.
Embarrassing dining moment, do I go back? (Gross out caution!)
I own a restaurant and trust me, accidents like this happen all the time. The worst part is the distinctive aroma wafting about afterwards! Thank God for good ventilation and air Lysol. And I agree with some of the above comments...the rowdy, screaming, mess makers whose parents just sit and ignore them are the worst. Them I can do without.
Time for a Drink: Bloody Mary
My cousin's husband used to make mine with Clamato juice. I was surprised at good that was! Horseradish, pickled okra and/or pickled green beans and Frank's hot sauce if no horseradish make it tasty to me. Personally, cilantro is too bitter for my taste.
What strange things are in the door of your fridge?
@nightowl, are you suppossed to refrigerate tapioca? i have it in my pantry.
What strange things are in the door of your fridge?
Fridge door inventory:
Butter saver shelf: carton of eggs, half a lime
Shelf 1: butter, ketchup, small cans of pineapple juice, a pineapple fruit cup, a bottle of fruit smoothie drink, 8 oz glass bottle of Dr Pepper
Shelf 2: spray margarine, peanut butter, sugar free strawberry preserves, bottled bbq sauce, tabasco, cream cheese, box of baking soda in a ziploc, cold brew coffee concentrate
Shelf 3: bottle of aloe vera infused lotion, bottle of sriracha, bottle of balsamic viniagrette, bottle of ranch dressing, bottle of Cristalino, sour mix
Shelf 4: chocolate syrup, sugar free chocolate syrup, hazelnut flavored syrup, 2 kinds of homemade bbq sauce, white vinegar, hummus, maraschino cherries, tapioca pearls
Some of this is undoubtedly completely weird.
Taste Test: Cheap But Good Olive Oils
@green...
First-pressed... aka, extra virgin olive oil is not necessarily the best for every method of preparation. It's good in salads and raw appetizers or as a last minute addition to liven up a dish. You should never saute or cook with extra virgin olive oil... especially over high heat since the smoke point is relatively low. All you will be left with is a burnt taste devoid of any flavor that you expect from high cost evoo.
The 20 Dishes you need to know
My personal Top 20:
1. Bacon and Potato Omelette (I'm from germany and can't live without my "Bauernfrüstück")
2. Pasta with a garlic sauce
3. Spaghetti with meatballs
4. Roasted Chicken
5. Kao Pad (I'm also half Thai, and grew up with this dish)
6. Pancakes
7. Steak
8. Pizza
9. Potato Soup
10. A good Sandwich
11. Satay Sticks
12. Mashed Potaoes
13. Meatloaf
14. Gravy
15. Thai Sausages
16. Green Cabbage and Smoked Pork Chop
17. Spareribs
18. Quesadillas
19. Burger with some Fries and Fried Onions
20. Double Mud Chocolate Cake
The Most Unhealthy Thing You've Ever Made
French toast made from doughnuts, filled with ice cream and gingered mangos and topped with hot caramel sauce. Since I do not foresee making this again (blessedly my beau does not have a sweet tooth), no regrets for this one-time splurge.
The Food Lab: Perfect Boiled Eggs
@ScoutinSpokane - sounds like something that might be good for the toaster oven.
The Most Unhealthy Thing You've Ever Made
A sauce made with sliced breakfast sausages, cream of chicken soup, Hellman's mayonnaise, lemon juice, ground pepper, broccoli, shredded aged cheddar on top and served over pasta or rice. The sauce smells vile but it actually tastes delicious and I would even go so far as call it comfort food. I often find myself craving this sauce during winter.
The Food Lab: Perfect Boiled Eggs
I adore soft boiled eggs!! I could eat 10 at a time for sure!
The Most Unhealthy Thing You've Ever Made
Just had this one, recipe follows for all of you seriously in need of upping your cholesterol levels:
Boil or bake a potato and keep hot. Soft boil an egg: The white should just be set and the yolk still runny. Cut a cross in the potato and squeeze to expose inside and create a hollow. Add salt and a generous dollop of butter. Slice the top off the egg and dribble/scoop the yolk into the potato. Top with grated Tusser's or Cheddar cheese and shredded pepper ham. Pig out.
The Food Lab: Perfect Boiled Eggs
Kenji,
The heat transfer rate/area = (coefficient of thermal conductivity)*(T_bath-T_egg)/distance
The equation is the same regardless of the medium. The dependence on the medium comes from the thermal conductivity coefficient.
Also, I agree with you that we are the only two involved in this conversation right now :)
The Food Lab: Perfect Boiled Eggs
I may have missed it, but I didn't see any comments about baking "hard boiled" eggs. I didn't think it would work when I saw the article, but just set the raw eggs on middle rack of a cold oven, (they recommend a little foil on the bottom of the oven in case one is cracked and breaks - never had it happen) set oven temp to 325, set timer to 30 min., when timer goes off, drop in very cold water. I've done it several times, worked perfect everytime. Tried pulling some out at 25 min., yolks were not completely set good enough for devilled eggs, but perfect for eating with a little salt and pepper. One complaint about this method is wasting electricity just for a few eggs. I had my potatoes wrapped in foil, some bread rolls rising, and some jalepeno poppers that I bake as an appetizer ready to go in at appropriate times once full temp was reached. Egg salad sandwiches, potato salad, some appetizers, and probably hashbrowns for breakfast in my future. What energy waste?
The Food Lab: Perfect Boiled Eggs
@pookay
p.s. All of this is starting to remind me why thermodynamics was my second least favorite class in college :)
The Food Lab: Perfect Boiled Eggs
@pookay - yes, you're right. I jumped the gun in my response there. I stand corrected.
But at the risk of putting my foot in my mouth again, I'm going to ask you another question: my immediate reaction is that your statement that the rate of heating is inversely proportional to the distance is not quite accurate, because it does not take into account the heat transfer coefficient of the egg. In a vacuum, yes, the rate of heating is proportional to only the distance, but an egg has mass, and so there is a coefficient involved, and that coefficient is proportional to thickness of the egg that the heat has to pass through, so does that not turn the equation into an exponential one instead of a linear one?
And one more question: are we losing the other SEers here? :)
The Food Lab: Perfect Boiled Eggs
Kenji,
The contradition I pointed out still stands no matter what constants are involved since any constant divided by zero is still infinity.
The rate of heating per area is proportional to the temperature difference and inversely proportional to the distance (this actually means that in the instant right after the cool egg is put in the boiling water, the rate of heat transfer to the outer surface of the egg is infinite; note that this is not a paradox since an infinite rate times an infinitely small time interval is still a finite amount of heat). The temperature itself is not inversely proportional to the distance (or the square of the distance); solving the rate equation, the temperature approaches that of the boiling water exponentially fast with time so that if you wait long enough the whole egg will be the same temperature as the bath. The distance to the heat bath appears only in the exponent, so that the closer to the bath, the faster the temperature changes.
The Food Lab: Perfect Boiled Eggs
@Pookay
Thanks for the correction, although I think the original statement is technically not inaccurate - the temperature I did say proportional, which is not to say that there are not constants involved (such as the temperature of the heat source) in the equation that takes care of the zero/infinity case.
Newton's law of cooling only states that the rate of heat transfer is proportional to the temperature difference between the body and its surroundings - it doesn't have anything to do the temperature gradient formed within a solid mass. To solve that, I think it helps to think of the egg as something like a russian doll - a series of solids. From there you can see that because of Newton's law of cooling, the outer layers heat up at a much faster rate than the inner layers and that the differences in the rate at which the various layers are heating up is proportional to the distance, which means that the differences in the actual temperatures of the various layers are proportional to the inverse square of the distance.
@Attack monkey
I was doing it lid off - but like I said in the post, you can't control for all the variables that might affect cooking time - your house might be a few degrees cooler than mine, or your stove might have a few more btu's than mine. This article is meant more as a guide so that you know what aspects to consider when boiling an egg, and so that you understand the science behind it, and will thus be able to optimize cooking in your own particular environment. If that means putting on a lid to reduce the rate of heat loss, so be it!
- Kenji
The Most Unhealthy Thing You've Ever Made
fried hot dog - melt butter in frying pan, fry a split oscar meyer 100% beef frank until golden brown and crispy. Melt American cheese slice on top. For added goodness, butter and broil hot dog bun in oven. Place hot dog in bun and add your usual toppings. Also, makes me think of similar fried bologna sandwiches. Man, I love processed meat!
The Most Unhealthy Thing You've Ever Made
in compliance with my low-carb diet...
low carb "nachos"
layer deep fried pork rinds in a pan,* sprinkle on some hot sauce, then smother with an assortment of sliced cheeses (pre-shredded will not do!)
place in broiler until cheese is bubbly.
*best when using the ultra large pork rinds found in Mexican groceries
eat immediately. keep a cell phone within reach to dial 911!
The Food Lab: Perfect Boiled Eggs
@J. Kenji Lopez-Alt
Awesome write-up, I disdain cooking but am a scientist at heart... First thing I did was cruise down to the kitchen to give it a shot. When doing HB (but also SB) are you putting/leaving the lid on? That significantly changes the rate of heat loss to the environment and can make a big change in the water temperature variation over time...?
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About RisaG
Website: http://www.geocities.com/radiorlg
Location: Yahoo Geocities
About: I am a 47 year old, married, mother of 1 child, living in the backwoods of NJ. Born in Brooklyn, NY. I love food, I am a serious foodie. I cook almost every night, I collect cookbooks and other food related items.
Favorite foods: pasta, thin crusted NY style pizza, fried chicken, and anything chinese or thai.
Last bite on earth: A personal pizza from Otto in NYC.

I adore brussel sprouts and will try this. I adore brussel sprouts and who doesn't love bacon and cheese. Wow, what a combination. Thanks for the great recipe to try. I just happen to have some sprouts in my refrigerator at the moment. Thanks for the inspiration.