He egg is one of the more complete proteins y versatile: it is ideal for him breakfastin salads, ramen, desserts and a thousand more recipes. But when he enters vinegar on stage, the acid accelerates protein coagulation of the white and completely changes the egg texture.
Los professionals They are clear: a little vinegar in the water or in the pan helps the egg white to “grab” faster, compact and not spread everywhere. Furthermore, the cleaning the pan It is much simpler because the white does not stick as much or burn as easily.
He chef Ned Baldwin recommends cooking eggs seven minutes in a mixture of 25% apple cider vinegar y 75% waterwith salt, pepper, bay leaf and a touch of sugar. This is how you get eggs with better structure and flavorwithout being excessively acidic, thanks to the balance between acid, salt and sugar in the middle of cooking.
Vinegar in poached and fried eggs
In poached eggsa few drops of vinegar in boiling water they do magic: the increase in acidity accelerates the ovalbumin denaturation (the main protein in the white), the white coagulates before and the egg maintains a compact and beautiful shape instead of “fraying” in the water.
Al frythe effects are similar, when adding a little vinegar the dispersion of the white is limited and results in a more compact fried eggwith defined edges and a bud that shines in the center. This same logic is used to achieve “restaurant” looking fried eggswith firm white and well collected around the yolk.
Baldwin also popularized a French technique call “killer eggs” (assassin eggs): consists of adding a small spoonful of red wine vinegar about him fried egg already done. The red color of vinegar symbolizes blood and acid further highlights the creaminess of the yolkconverting a fried egg common in a intensely tasty bite.
Furthermore, there is a simple trick for hard boiled eggs: add between two and three tablespoons of vinegar to the cooking water helps the peel is removed more easily. He acid It does not strengthen the shell, but it does accelerate the coagulation of the egg white near any crack, “sealing” the shell. egg from within and preventing it from escaping.
The culinary science behind vinegar
He gastronomic popularizer Heinz Wuthknown for explaining the cooking scienceclarifies that the vinegar does not prevent the shell from breaking because it is made up of calcium carbonatebut it does modify the cooking environment within the water and favors a faster and more orderly coagulation of the white. Cool the eggs in cold water at the end of cooking it also makes it easier for the shell comes off cleanwithout tearing off pieces of white.
The next time you boil, poach or fry a eggtry adding a splash of vinegar and see what changes in the texture. If you notice the white more compact and the peeling easier, you will already know that it was not magic: it was pure chemistry in your kitchen.
Keep reading: