Food chemist Michael Southan explains why your egg white won’t cook

Food chemist Michael Southan reveals why your egg white is still slimy when your yolk has gone hard.

You’re looking forward to a classic Aussie brekkie of fried eggs on toast, only to discover that the flamin’ white is still slimy and the yolk has gone hard. But WHY does this happen? We found out once and for all.

If the heat transfer is slow, the outside of the egg will receive more heat than the middle of the egg and the white will set before the yolk

Why won’t my egg white cook?

We spoke to food chemist Michael Southan, who also happens to be married to our legendary food director Michelle (#dreamteam), to help us finally get to the bottom of what keeps ruining our weekend brunch.

Michael told us: “This happens due to the different types of proteins found in the yolks versus the whites. The proteins in the egg yolk cook at a lower temperature than the proteins in the white.”

By heating the water slowly you will have better control on the desired outcome of a soft boiled egg.

Perfect boiled eggs

So how on earth do we rectify this problem? With Michael’s scientific know-how, Michelle has come up with the ideal solution. “When cooking the perfect boiled egg it is best to place room temperature eggs into a pot of cold water and then slowly bring to the boil,” she said.

“This way the heat transferred is slow and the outside of the egg will receive more heat than the middle of the egg and the white will set before the yolk. By heating the water slowly you will have better control on the desired outcome of a soft boiled egg.”

We’ve also got the ultimate guide to eggs here, which shows you how to boil, poach and scramble the perfect egg, plus useful information like how many calories in eggs, what to substitute if you can’t eat eggs and how to store and keep them fresh.

Now you know, eggs for breakfast every day!

So now the appetite has been whet, we’ve rounded up some of our favourites recipes below, from egg dishes that can double as dinner, to our general best-ever egg dishes, all in the one spot! Enjoy.

When cooking the perfect boiled egg it is best to place room temperature eggs into a pot of cold water and then slowly bring to the boil.

More food science mysteries, solved

This isn’t the first time we’ve got the scientists in to answer the big food questions in life. Remember when we discovered the real reason so many people hate coriander? The same expert also got to the bottom of why on earth bananas make everything around them taste like, erm, banana.

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For more recipe ideas, go to taste.com.au or check out the Taste Test Kitchen now.

Originally published as Food chemist Michael Southan explains why your egg white won’t cook