Periodic cooking of eggs | Communications Engineering
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Egg cooks are challenged by the two-phase structure: albumen and yolk require two cooking temperatures. Separation or a compromise temperature to the detriment of food safety or taste preference are the options. In the present article, we find that it is possible to cook albumen and yolk at two temperatures without separation by using periodic boundary conditions in the energy transport problem. Through mathematical modeling and subsequent simulation, we are able to design the novel cooking method, namely periodic cooking. Comparison with established egg cooking procedures through a plethora of characterization techniques, including Sensory Analysis, Texture Profile Analysis and FT-IR spectroscopy, confirms the different cooking extents and the different variations in protein denaturation with the novel approach. The method not only optimizes egg texture and nutrients, but also holds promise for innovative culinary applications and materials treatment. Emilia Di Lorenzo and colleagues propose an approach to address the energy transport problem of cooking the albumen and yolk of a boiled egg at their optimal temperatures without separation. By alternating immersion in boiling water and water at 30∘C, the researchers achieve a fully set albumen similar to a soft boiled egg but with a creamy yolk similar to that of an egg cooked sous vide. The approach potentially offers nutritional benefit compared to other cooking approaches.

Abstract:

Egg cooks are challenged by the two-phase structure: albumen and yolk require two cooking temperatures. Separation or a compromise temperature to the detriment of food safety or taste preference are the options. In the present article, we find that it is possible to cook albumen and yolk at two temperatures without separation by using periodic boundary conditions in the energy transport problem. Through mathematical modeling and subsequent simulation, we are able to design the novel cooking method, namely periodic cooking. Comparison with established egg cooking procedures through a plethora of characterization techniques, including Sensory Analysis, Texture Profile Analysis and FT-IR spectroscopy, confirms the different cooking extents and the different variations in protein denaturation with the novel approach. The method not only optimizes egg texture and nutrients, but also holds promise for innovative culinary applications and materials treatment.

From the article:

Fig. 1: Simulation of periodic cooking. Results of the simulation of the cooking of an egg with the periodic cooking method: a periodic time-varying BC imposed, b evolution of the thermal profile over time, c evolution of the degree of cooking over time at different distances from the center of the egg and d evolution of the cooking rate over time at different distances from the center of the egg. The distances from the center selected to construct the graphs of figures c and d are identified by the lines in figure b. The precise legend for figures c and d is given only in figure d.

  • Dogyote@slrpnk.net
    10·
    16 hours ago

    Four different cooking techniques were tested, namely hard-boiling, soft-boiling, sous vide or 6X °C and periodic cooking. Hard-boiled eggs were placed in boiling water for 12 min; soft-boiled eggs were placed in boiling water for 6 minutes; sous vide eggs were placed in water at 65 °C for 1 h and periodic eggs were placed alternatively in boiling water (Th = 100 °C) for th = 2 min and water at Tc = 30 °C for tc = 2 min, for a total cooking time of 32 minutes, which corresponds to the repetition of the hot and cold cycles for a total of N = 8 times. In the case of periodic eggs, a bowl filled with water kept at 30 °C was used for the cold cooking cycle.