Help is at hand for people who can't boil an egg


An end to the quest for the perfect way of soft-boiling an egg could be in sight.

Two separate inventions have been created to solve the problem of runny whites and overcooked yolks.

Quality assurance scheme Lion Quality Eggs is developing an invisible ink logo which appears on the shell in black when the egg is done.

The thermochromic logos will be adapted so they appear at the right time for soft, medium or hard-boiled eggs. Egg cartons will be labelled accordingly.

A Lion Quality Eggs spokeswoman the project was launched in response to a large volume of queries from people asking how to properly boil eggs.

"We had a lot of inquiries from people which sparked an interest in the industry. We said 'OK, this is a big issue - people can't even boil an egg','' she said.

Separately, a student has created the "PerfEGG'' device which keeps the water temperature constant for 8.5 minutes without reaching boiling point. Its aim is to let the egg white coagulate but keep the yolk runny, regardless of egg size.

The PerfEGG's timing can be adjusted for hard-boiled eggs.

Its creator, Brunel University design student 22-year-old Ben Harris from Dublin, said: "I love soft-boiled eggs with toasted soldiers but I get so frustrated if I get the timing wrong and the egg is too hard to dip my soldiers in. My design solves this problem.''

Mr Harris is in talks about launching his gadget in the UK. The "self-timing'' Lion Quality Egg mark is due to hit stores within the next few months.
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