Heating an Egg in the Oven

If your oven is gas fired , do not ignite the gas , insert your head , observe for a sufficiently long time.Send your family out for the day beforehand.

I was learned when I reading and watching that english peple almost gentlman and lady. I wish not meet any other sorts of person on the net. we dont like " sick humour" we hope to discuss what happend on science and tech. how to solute and what will discover.

Sorry you're upset.

There are various ways to cook an egg

Boil , fry . poach ,scramble , being the most common.

Raw egg is a health hazard mainly due to Salmonella , which is bad news for the vulnerable (young , sick etc). However in some eastern countries a raw egg containing a foetus is considered a delicacy. I would not recommend this any more than I would '100 year old' eggs.

The cholesterol in the yolk (yellow) bit worries many people. However the remaining white part of the egg is pure protein.

Re-heating eggs is not good , because the bacteria count will have gone up.

Duck eggs need thorough cooking because the shell is porous and allows bacteria to enter.

Large eggs need long cooking if boiled because of their size.

Try a google search of "how to cook an egg" for recipes and methods.

Do not heat sealed containers in your oven , especially unopened canned goods.

Once again , sorry about the earlier reply. Enjoy your cooking.

Kris, I think you missed the point. The question wasn't how to cook an egg, the question was about re-heating a cooked egg in a microwave oven.

Hi Astronut , agreed. The blunt answer is don't do it. I was trying to redirect our culinary inclined friend ( and make amends for my initial comment - he could be 5 years old for all I know ). Anyway his question has sparked an amusing chat !

I have heated a fried egg in the microwave before, together with some rice and a steak. It showed some small pops, but, of course, I turned the microwave oven off when the meal was hot enough and did not wait for the cabum.

I've heard it explodes, but never tryied to do so. I think the trick is... do not watch TV when the microwave is on with an egg inside.

It simply exploded. The liquids boiled inside a "sealed compartment" which in turn, exploded.

This is a known microwave phenomenon for twenty years. You should prick the top of the egg with a needle (there's even a kitchen-gadget for doing it), and everything should be fine.

In cnpower's case, the egg was already fully cooked and it was only being heated. So pricking the shell would probably not be sufficient as the hardened albumen would have created its own "shell" to contain some pressure prior to bursting. In fact removing the outer shell and placing a hard-boiled egg in the microwave, while watching TV, would probably have similar results.

Pricking an uncooked egg provides a vent for the internals when they are completely fluid.

Maybe cnpower could try a second experiment with a shell-less cooked egg to see if that gives a better result -No Yoke!

add about a half teaspoon of water as well. Only takes less than a minute. Do not cook all the way...stop oven and let egg stand about a minute or two to finish cooking. Then scoop out the poached egg with spoon. Note, egg must not be in shell.

I've blown up eggs in several microwaves... :) and along the way, (after disassembling microwaves for cleaning etc.. and replacing fuses.. etc.. after Eggplosions.. I learned.

NOW I follow the approach above; crack the raw egg open, put it into a cup or small bowl (microwave safe).. add a small amount of water.. cook SLOW.. ie. reduced power ... or in short intervals with pauses to allow the heat to even out.

When done, pour off the water and salt/pepper the egg and eat. Takes less than a minute in my microwave..

It's a common occurrence. Something similar happens if you try to melt something like margarine that has water in it. Next time wrap the egg in a paper towel envelope.

In the early days of microwave ovens, I had a similar experience while trying to heat an albatross egg in a first-generation Amana Radarange. I still bear the scars. Damage to the oven was catastrophic. Pricking the shell of the egg will not solve the problem. The congealing protien of the albumun quickly seals the hole and you have the same result as from an unaltered egg.

Every fast food place in the US microwaves eggs for their breakfast sandwiches.

How difficult can it be?

The average employee in these places has a room temperature IQ and they manage to do it without blowing anything up!

Those eggs are not in their shells. They probably use a pre-scrambled mixture, maybe even pre-measured.

NEVER cook or heat an egg in a microwave. Unless the yoke and the whites are well blended, as the yoke cooks faster than the white portion. I bet that the powder you saw was yellow. Since, it was precooked, the yoke exploded within the white part throwing white chunks around the microwave.

...as the yoke cooks faster than the white portion....

This would make some weird but real sense, when you feel as if someone is right but cannot say why...

Remember that this person is from a non-english speaking country, and may not be fluent with the english language. Also, he/she is asking about a commonly known occurance. If you want a technical description, we can talk about the porosity and viscosity of the yolk sac in terms of heat transference. Furthermore, the steam impermeable membrane formed by the white as it cooks first. But, I don't want to get too technical for you...

...we can talk about...

By all means go ahead

In some sense, I tend to think this was "cnpower's" (the OP) original intention

Have a look at some of cnpowers other postings , I found the river of oil most interesting. Whatever the motive/value/legibility of the OP , it has created an interesting chat.

His egg was precooked , so I don't think viscosity has much place in the dynamics of his explosion. A cooked egg white is fairly elastic and ,as you say, keeps the steam in. The key to a good explosion is confinement pressure.The combination of a pressure source(yolk) , elastic container (white) and brittle outer shell is a recipe for kitchen chaos .Without adding to the egg in any material way, cnpower did an admirable job of creating an egg-bomb.

Why not come out of the dark and join the forum . I don't have a problem with sarcasm , but I do when it's anonymous.

Yes, you are correct about confinement, but you forget that the yolk is surrounded by a membrane, that has a tensile strength greater than the cooked white. This can be empirically observed. Furthermore, check the water content of the yolk after the explosion, and think of popping corn. That is all the hints that I will provide.

I also have no problem with sarcasm, but professional engineers do not belittle others by our ethics code. Also, it should be restated that some countries around the world considered it illegal to describe in detail certain theories or provide assistance to people who may or may not use these theories for terrorism. As you are from the UK you will understand.

...think of popping corn...

You sound like an interesting companion for this forum. Why not join us?

yuvalmate suggests: "Why not join us?"

-----

Guest is already a member of this forum. He/she/it is the ultra-secretive PhantomPoster aka TheCentralScrutinizer and always posts from a secure, undisclosed location for reasons of National (and personal) Security.

Welcome back, O Clandestine One!

-e

europium darling,

How on earth did you manage to positively identify him?

Are you an admin without us humble subjects knowing of it?

Yuval

Clairvoyance. But right now Clair is out grocery shopping and so I can't ask her. But she knows I want to and will be back soon.

-e

I see...

Well, Yuval is not my real name...

Of course it isn't. One must preserve one's anonymity, especially with all the loonies Out There.

Mine isn't Europium, it's Praseodymium.

-e

Well, it is my real name, only now, no one will ever believe it anymore, or will they? They will? Well, it's not!

Well, if you really must know how I know who you really are, I work for AT&T. "Your World Delivered - to the NSA."

-e

Wait!... Aren't you...

This way, posting nonsens like there's no tomorow, I'm gonna become "guru" in no time.

Chris, this is going nowhere. We seem to need IRC.

Yes I am and yes we do.

- Sir E The Prolix and Voice of Babel.

I may follow my suggestion of #1.

T0 #49;#52: it seems you are one guy who thought itself is a wise guy with fluent english, of cuase maybe its your tongue languge. but I suddenly think its so poor for you to hide only in a clump of bushes like a jitter rabbit that want to eat grass in front but fear a hunter or a tiger sudenly capture you.
we know only a little abc english, but it cannt provent me from helping others as possible as I know a little knowledge so far. and can get help from others. it strikes me an odd, is there any regulation at the forum that one who cannt speak standard english cannt participate in the forum? I think any educated american may not speak such sentence. of cause they will not use the worst dirty words at the forum! we know only a little abc, I even spell the word of shell into cell, what a great wrong! even a pupil will not make such a primary mistake. haha. you thought you are "Janes" why you still keep up with us? show your wise, pretty trick enough? Aha, Im not a hunter, not a tiger. not a terriorist. I can only dare or only have a courage to kill a mosquito in summer!

to52 Is the egg bomb very terrible? Can some terrorist use it as an atomic bomb to explode earth, moon, or any planet? How funny it is?

I hvnt offended others. I dont understand why you assault on me frequently? and even relate to their goverment again and again. are you anaphylactoid? politician,

I hadn't wanted to reveal the point about the membrane for security reasons , but I guess the cat's out of the bag now. The salmonella in eggs scare that occurred in the UK a few years back was just a ploy to get these dangerous things off the market. Believe me.Tin cans are next.

to 49,52# Im chinese Im from China, its clearly seen from the left icon. I dont shield myself as a dark man. I published all thread just only in my own name, chinese goverment has do nothing with it. I wish we 'd better not to ralte to politics. the forum si about engineering, not nations politics.

Black guest, #49,I dont need your tech. my little knowledge can manage me count, repair some simple appliance and some useful equipment. I have a little computer knowlidge even about pdp-11. at least no problem for me to draw a simple electronic drawing either machne or circuit and rebuild. of cause if you will show your pic on the net, I can draw a sketch by hand in not long time. The forum is not for your own, I will stay here to talk with those from all of world. I like their enthusiasm I like to make friends with them, either blonder or black, they act kindly, dont like someone dissembler! dirty words in its mouth.

Do not be dis-heartened . Your seemingly innocent/naive question has lead to some interesting facts being aired . Western humour may appear strange to others . I am guilty of that in my first reply to you (for which I apologised and tried to be more factual). You are correct , some people have only a negative intent . Kris.

Dear cnpower,

As mentioned above more than once, you managed to invoke an interesting thread, something which not many of us managed to do with such ease.

If you see many "guests" on your thread, it can only mean it's interesting subject called for some outside response or at least enquiry.

That's beautiful, because they also see the rest, and compare.

I've seen the rest of your posts. Keep us interested, and we'll love you for it.

Kindest Regards, Yuval

Kris and Yuval, Thank you for your mention, proposal and support. yes, I saw many guests followed threads, they are all so kind to paticipate to the discuss. many is wonderful and interesting. of cause I thank them for their enthusiasm and support. I really not object anyone who ever thought himself of a specialist and in way of false appearance manner to take part in. when they cannt help interesting in.

How eggsasperating.

Many years ago a school friend left two eggs a-boiling merrily upon the stove one day, and then forgot about them. A fair time later there was a loud bang-clatter coming from the kitchen where the stove was. Upon investigation, the clatter came from the saucepan, which was now beyond economic repair and lying on the floor, smoking. The bang came from the sound of the two eggs, much blackened, which had travelled upwards at great speed and passed through the plasterboard forming the kitchen ceiling. There was a lot of explaining to do to other members of the household, which can be summarised in engineering terms thus:

An egg forms a really good pressure vessel. Exceed the ultimate tensile stress of any pressure vessel by careless heating and is it really surprising that catastrophic rupture takes place? No - eggsactly!

Microwave ovens heat by causing the hydrogen molecules in the water to get highly agitated, this in turn causes steam to be generated. In the case of an egg with the shell to hold in the presure you have a bomb. Egg shells arm made to protect their delicate contents so are strong, this allows a very conciderable amount of steam presure to build up until the shell explodes. Very often as seen with untold results. The fact that you put in a cooked egg does not preventb the same reaction as a raw egg, there is still water inside. Because of the very fast heating it only requires a few seconds to get the egg hot enough to be dangerous, should you catch it before it expoleds on you "Never cut it open bfore it has had time to cool down some" it will explode as you fracture the shell, sending its hot contents all over you. Soups (containing any solids) should be covered with cling film in witch some small holes have been made. Fish can also explode due to uneven heating of the edges.

Hot drinks should be stired halfway through heating to even out the process, never stir in sugar when the drink is first removed it can be fatal! Microwaves are good when correctly used but as noted can cause extremely dangerous things to happen if missused. There are some good books to be had that explain how to do it right and be safe, look up these on www.amazon.com

Not sure you're right about the hydrogen bit:

Pasta in boiling water takes the same time to cook on a conventional stove as in a microwave, but items which have high sugar, fat or protein levels cook much faster in a microwave oven, eg Christmas pudding takes 1-1 1/2hrs to steam through on a hot plate, but the same result is obtained in less than one minutes in a microwave oven.

If you want to cook eggs in a microwave, put them in a container with some water - the higher the water level, the slower the eggs will cook - but this will still only take 1-2 minutes for 3-4 eggs. Re-heating should be done in 10-15 second bursts, checking progress after each, and remembering that cooking still continues for 15+ seconds after the oven is switched off due to the excitement of the atoms ~1-2cm from the surface.

Its Not Just the Hydrogen! Microwaves operate at a frequency at which water molocules resonate. It is the excited water molocule (even in small amounts) that is responsible for the heating

So why do things with less water% heat faster?

It is because water has a high specific heat compared to other materials. If you have a lot of water, it takes a lot of energy to warm it up.

If you have less water it takes less energy to raise the temperature. The heat is then passed on to the materials adjacent to the water molecules causing the temperature to rise faster than the same volume of pure water.

...So why do things with less water% heat faster?...

No freaking way. Water may lead to the accumulation of heat in the surrounding tissue or compound, each with it's typical heat "capacity" (I forgot how it's called in English)

Wait!...Come to think of it, maybe you're right. In given quantities it may require less electromagnetic energy to reach boiling point.

...Not sure you're right about the hydrogen bit...

I always had the (mistaken?) impression that the electromagnetic field-oscillator in the microwave is able to vibrate the water molecule because it is a bipolar molecule, so that it corresponds to the vibrating field. But, the hydrogen atom being one of the poles, is certainly active in this process.

We need an expert here. Jorrie? anyone?

A microwave oven is attuned to the resonant frequency of the hydrogen atom causing it to oscillate. 2.45 GHz is usual ( 12 cmm wavelength).Microwaves penetrate food to about 5cm , heating effectively being by conduction. The microwaves are generated by a Magnetron , developed during WW2 at Birmingham(UK) University .It's cooking ability was incidental (go figure !). The first commercial oven came out in 1948.

Radiation leakage of more than 5mW/cm² would be a problem. Don't try to fix one yourself unless you enjoy a couple of thousand vaults going through you . The internal capacitor will store this even when the oven is off. It makes a great bang when discharged prior to servicing.You have been warned !

Thanx, It was indeed very informative, and I consider myself warned.

However:

What about the vibrating matter: Is it the bipolarity of H2O or just the hydrogen, to release the heat. In what form? Is it with a release of IR photons from the excited molecules, or is it from excited hydrogen atoms?

I'm a bit hazy on this. My guess would be the H atom oscillates , dragging its O pair with it , resulting in excitation of water molecules (in other words heat). You'd need a physicist to be precise about this.

The water molecule has an aggregate resonant frequency (several, actually), as well as resonant modes.

-e

Phonons. Vibrational states of the lattice. Water molecules (and anything else present having a similar resonant frequency) vibrate and bump into their neighbors, getting them to vibrate as well. After awhile it's one big, hot party until, in Cnpower's case, the egg's shell explodes, coating the oven interior with a nice patina of scrambled egg.

Garnish and serve. Presentation is everything.

-e

I understand that you are trying to heat an egg which is already cooked with the shell cracked.

The egg may have exploded because it had too much energy. Perhaps the solution is to reduce the cooking time/energy input.

Try starting on low power for 30 seconds and evaluate egg temperature. Continue until you reach 2 minutes or are satisfied with egg temperature.

If results are not satisfactory at low setting, try high power for 30 seconds and advance your timing as before.

Sounds like a good science project!

Just for the hell of it ; reducing power causes the oven to pulse on and off ,it's power output is constant when 'on' if you see what I mean.80 % power causes the oven to only output power for 80% of the set cooking time.

Yup--the objective is to distribute the amount of energy over time and allow the resulting heat to dissipate.

Every noteworthy entrée has its name, and I think this one is deserving of one as well: Huevos Vesuvius.

-e

Whatever you do, do not attempt to make wine the way I did once as a kid - mixing grape juice and cooking-yeast, and sealing it in an old (but clean) whiskey bottle with plenty of vinyl electrical tape around the lid.

I hid the bottle between two books in my library and completely forgot about it when, about a month later, the bottle exploded - KABOOOOOM - spilling awful, yeasty-smelling brown liquid all over my books, forever marking them as mine.

-e

OK I'll 'fess up. When I was younger I tried to 'roast' chestnuts under a grill. Guess what , I didn't Peirce the suckers. I bent over at eye level to inspect there progress at the exact moment .... Wow did I think the world had ended !

"This morning I saw fully cooked egg and decided to heating it for my breakfast. I put it into microwave oven and turn on the oven.... a loud sound came out."

I assume this was what is called a hard boiled egg? In the shell? Even if shelled the white of a hard boiled egg can create a mess in the microwave oven. A fully cooked egg in the shell will explode when the shell can no longer contain the pressure built up from the moisture in the egg being converted to steam!

Years ago my friend Artie bought a microwave oven for his wife. As he was installing it, he read the warning about not cooking eggs in the 'wave, and he wondered... Being a technical guy, he immediately experimented. In with the egg, on with the oven. BOOM!! So he tried again, but this time he poked a hole in the shell first. KA-BOOM!! So he tried again, but this time he cut off the top of the shell and poked a knife down through the yolk so that he pierced all the membranes. KER-BLOOEY!! Next, he broke an egg onto a plate, and put the shell NEXT to it, to see which one would explode. Unfortunately for science, Artie's wife entered the kitchen and saw the horrible mess. Artie was forbidden to so much as TOUCH the microwave ever again. *SIGH*

When microwave ovens became fairly commonplace, you'd hear a news article once in a while featuring some technologically-challenged biddy who washed her French poodle and put him in the microwave to dry. Ms. Biddy's idea was to keep poor, shivering Phydeaux from catching a cold. It worked. "As anyone knows," Ms. Biddy said, "microwave ovens don't get that hot inside. I thought he'd be comfortable..."

-e

....eeeeeeeewww.....

Yeah. Ewwwwwww. My guess is she was either a chemical blonde or she used a microwave hair dryer herself. Or maybe her parietal lobes were burned through from too much time on the cell phone. They operate near microwave-oven frequencies, I've heard.

-e

My guess is it's an urban legend, like the spiders in the beehive hair-do. I bet it never really happened.

Oh, it's happened all right - more than once. You haven't met many really dumb people, have you? Give it time. They're Out There, and in force. Politicians count on 'em.

-e

No, no, no AstroNut. It's not about "did it really happen". It's about is it good enough to be told and re-told.

You know, like a folk tale: Once Moshe Dayan (the Israeli Eye-Patched General) was caught speeding in his car, and asked to step out and say something for his defence. He replied: Dear officer: I only have one eye. Would you prefer that I watched my speedometer, or the road?

That reminds me of my grandfather, a master story-teller. He could hold us kids spellbound by the hour! One day my dad, overhearing a story about his own youth, spoke up:

"Now Pa, that's not how it happened!"

Without missing a beat, Grandpa replied: "That's how it shoulda happened."

There's this mute boy who says nothing for his whole life, until one day, age 13, at dinner: "Phew, my cocoa has no sugar!

Everybody jumps: You're talking, you're talking! Why didn't you say anything all these years ?

- "So far, everything was fine..."

The sad part of the story is that she sue the microwave manufacturer for not putting label stating "DO NOT PUT ANYTHING LIVE IN THE MICROWAVE" and won the lawsuit. That is why in USA so many things come with warning labels because people like her file law suits and the jury award them money for stupidity!! I guess when they said you have a right to be trial by your peers, they really mean it!!

MidniteFighter

My best source (http://www.snopes.com/horrors/techno/microwavedpet.asp) doesn't know of any case where this has actually happened, although the "urban legend" has been alive and well since 1976. Their only verifiable pet-in-microwave stories have been acts of wilful cruelty.

I've heard that microwaves heat water, but not ice. They say that if you carve a small well in a block of ice, you can boil water in the well before the ice melts appreciably. Has anybody tried this?

I read a related recipe in Scientific American decades ago. I never tried it - hope I'm remembering it properly:

To make "Frozen Florida" you need two meringues, shaped like a bowl and a lid. Fill the center of the bowl with a mixture of jam and liqueur, then seal the lid onto the bowl with sugar syrup (no fat content). Freeze it hard, then microwave. The liqueur keeps the center liquid, so it heats up while the meringue stays hard & cold. Slice it open, and let the hot center flow over the cold dessert.

Anybody ever try anything like this? Think we can do it without exploding anything?

...heat water, but not ice...

That's probably because has a lot of potential energy invested in it, energy used in the heat-transfer of cooling the once-was water. It would just take more reversed-heat-transfer to liquefy it again, and probably yes, "...small well in a block of ice, you can boil ...", only the puddle accumulate and transfer the heat to the ice, so...

My wife is not here so I just tried something for fun. You probably know that tin foil cause an electrical storm inside the oven (and will , incidentally , wreck it if done to excess ) .I just used a small bit of foil from a cigarette paper . I got a fantastic result - the paper used to back the foil ignites and causes a nice explosive flame ! Don't try this at home kids !

ps - my oven is still working due to the rigorous safety controls.( small qty/stand to one side )

I have a theory that Science has made its greatest strides when the wife was..er..elsewhere?

The only exception I've found to this is when the wife is also a scientist.

-e

Pierre Curie was 'knocked down by a cart' in 1903 . Marie got his job. Hmmm.

Kris

"Science has made its greatest strides when the wife was..er..elsewhere"

Same can be said of parents. As a youngster, I performed some interesting experiments that are still talked about today. My younger brother was around for some of them, but my parents were not. I guess the bottom line is that anyone preoccupied with cleanliness, safety, or sanity will impede the progress of the true (wacky, risky, outside-the box) scientist.

Oh, about those experiments: Tissue paper wads floating on water will burn. Very old Jell-o will bounce. An electric fan will not chop up pasta. Unintended secondary effects of experiments will be detected by the cleanliness/safety/sanity types!

You must have been using the wrong type of spaghetti!

very interesting,i have no idea of this,but i've learn a lot.tks

I post the thread just wish to add a little color to the engineering forum, so that we can have a rest even if they are all serious scieneists and engieers they hope to enjoy life. btw, do you know a story about a cup of hot water? have you been enough intersted to make the experiment again? in your refrigeratory.

...cup of hot water?...

Following the egg thread, I cannot wait

Hey , wheres your mate !

On u-tube recently there was a good bottle of water video . A guy in Alaska or some place notices an un-opened bottle of mineral water in his truck.Temperature is sub-zero and water appears unfrozen. The instant he touches it the whole thing freezes in an instant . I don't recall the exact explanation (which I saw someplace else ) but it involves small particles in motion acting as a nucleus for ice formation. Now here's the great bit - it's the same reason you can get a 'volcano' effect from boiling water in a microwave . Your original posting ,cnpower, has lead to a great discussion - from microwaves to freezers. Brilliant !

I applied to shorten my user name, Yuval is my everyday real-life name, and while looking up the user name list I discovered it was not used. opportunity presents itself, grab it. Yuval is quite a common name in Israel (it means a brook or a little spring of water, something like that), and I'm not the only Israeli here.

...here's the great bit - it's the same...

Provided it's not about a video magic, rapid succession of sudden pressure change, allows you to liquefy gases. A clue?

I'd kinda guessed (though you may have had a mate sharing the computer ) . Imagine the problems they have in Wales , where the surname Jones is widespread . It may explain there use of friendly nick-names such as 'Di the Milk' (ie the Milkman whos first name is Di). Many UK surnames reflect the occupation of an ancestor.

No, no, Mate as it happens, is just my surname. when combining the two into one, you increase the chance of a username not being already used.

That's cool . My picture as you see it was not very well taken !

I thank you very much for your paticipation. I thnk the thread is too long to read easily for later. I wish to post it as a new thread.

In response to all enthusiasm, I try to teach an interesting, modern, pure chinese english .most of chinese will know this words.

" Good good study, Day day up!"

it means, study hard and make a good prograss!

when you see a chinese at your lab, classroom, company, you can speak him this words, he will laught out laodly at your humour.

Keep posting cnpower , I have learnt from you . Getting to understand different people is great. In Western terms , you are cool .

Kris

...pure Chinese English...

Thumbs up, I for one, like it.

this words is from a china leader chairman mao, he had also a words:

your youth like rising sun in the morning of 8, 9 o'clock. study hard, research bravely, you are the wish of the world.

this is he spoke to students studied in Moscove Ynivepcidget last 50's.

the youth at that time have become old men already.

how fast time fly!

I hope everyone at the forum is young forever.