Boiling eggs on an electric or gas stove: why the boiling time difference?
Having fairly recently moved from a country where cooking on gas is the standard (the Netherlands) to a country where cooking electrically is the standard (Sweden), I've noticed that I need to boil my eggs a good minute, minute and a half longer than I used to.
I always put them in as the water is already boiling.
Until now my assumption has been: boiling point is boiling point–once the water hits 100°C the heat dispersion goes up rapidly, keeping the temperature close to that–but it appears my assumption was false.
Anyone care to explain?
Best Answer
Silly, silly me.
As Jefromi suggested earlier, the largest contributor to the fact it takes that much longer is probably the fact that the eggs are at a different themselves at the moment I put them in. I used to store eggs in a cupboard; now I store them in the refrigerator.
That is not to say the other factors mentioned by Martha and Sklivvz don't add to that–they most likely do–but this seems the most reasonable, if unanticipated, explanation.
Thank you all for your answers and suggestions!
Pictures about "Boiling eggs on an electric or gas stove: why the boiling time difference?"
What boils faster electric or gas?
Here's a breakdown of the results. It took a little over 4 minutes to boil water on an induction cooktop. That was three minutes faster than on an electric coil (about 7 minutes), and four full minutes faster than on the gas range (about 8 minutes). Induction was the clear winner in our test kitchen.Do electric stoves take longer to boil?
Electric stoves typically take more time to cook the food than a gas stove. This is because the coil takes a while to heat up, transfer the heat to the cookware, and then to the food. Increased cook time may also contribute to increased electricity bills.How long should I boil eggs for on an electric stove?
Gently place the eggs in a single layer at the bottom of a medium pot. Fill with cold water to cover eggs by 1-2 inches. Heat the pot on high and bring the water to a rolling boil. Once it starts boiling, turn off the heat, remove the pan from the burner, cover, and let sit for 12 minutes.How long does it take for eggs to boil on a gas stove?
Step 3: Boil Your Eggs For our gas stove, bringing the eggs to a boil takes about 15 minutes in our larger saucepan.PERFECT BOILED EGGS (EVERY TIME) | hard boiled eggs + soft boiled eggs
More answers regarding boiling eggs on an electric or gas stove: why the boiling time difference?
Answer 2
Is there a difference in altitude between where you live now and where you used to live? The heat of a gas and an electric stove should be the same, but boiling temperature differs. The higher the altitude, the lower the boiling point, since it's a factor of air pressure. (More explanations from Wikipedia.)
Water only boils at 100C at sea level. This site can calculate it for you.
Answer 3
It's probably due to the fact that gas stoves heat up the water continuously, whereas electric stoves turn on and off.
Since you put in the eggs after the water is boiling, they make the water go below the boiling point, but the gas stove starts instantaneously to heat up the water again, and the electric stove may or may not.
To test this hypothesis: put in the eggs with cold water and count 9 minutes after the water starts to boil. Of course, you also need a gas stove... ;-)
Answer 4
When I make hard boiled eggs, I always use the oven. This way, you can preheat to the exact temperature and they always cook the same. What I usually do is place the eggs on the racks, and put something underneath in the unfortunate case one of them breaks. I know not every ovens are the same, but this should allow for a more controlled environment. Also, I have fit between 50 and 60 eggs in my oven at the same time, which is great for parties.
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