Expert explains test to see if boiled egg is done – works every time

The average person in the UK eats 175 to 200 eggs a year adding up to a national total of around 12 or 13billion a year, and many of them are eaten boiled. But despite the popularity, people often still get it wrong when it comes to cooking the perfect boiled egg.

Research found that 65 per cent of people prefer their yolk at least a little soft, but without cracking the shell it can be hard to tell whether an egg is cooked just how you like it.

One expert – Henry O’Connor, creator of Better Eggs – says he has cracked the code. Henry said simply place your egg on a flat, smooth surface like a countertop or chopping board, and give it a gentle spin. If the egg twirls smoothly and steadily, it’s hard-boiled, but if the egg wobbles, hesitates and refuses to stay upright it’s soft..

So if you want your egg hard-boiled, you can then cook it a little longer, or if you prefer soft, then it is ready to go.

Henry said: “A soft or raw egg has liquid inside that will move around as the egg spins, throwing off its balance and making it topple over, while a hard-boiled egg is solid all the way through, so it spins cleanly. It’s a clever bit of kitchen physics.”

“You often see other methods online like shaking eggs to check if they feel cooked, and submerging them in water and looking for air bubbles, but neither of these work each and every time effectively. The most reliable method is the spin test.”

The trick could help cut food waste as people won’t have to ditch eggs that aren’t cooked the way they want. In the UK, approximately 720 million eggs are wasted annually, translating to a cost of around £139 million. This figure has tripled since 2008.

To determine an egg’s freshness, you can perform the “water test”:

Fill a bowl with water and gently place the egg in the water. If it:

Sinks and lies flat: The egg is fresh.

Sinks but stands upright: The egg is still safe to eat but should be used soon.

Floats: The egg is no longer good to eat and should be discarded.