How to Cook the Perfect Boiled Egg?
Scientists say they've cracked the code for boiling the perfect egg.
科学家们表示，他们已经破解了煮出完美水煮蛋的密码。
It's a recipe you can test for yourself —though the timing isn't ideal with soaring egg prices in the United States from a bird flu outbreak.
这是一个你可以自己尝试的食谱——不过，鉴于美国因禽流感爆发导致鸡蛋价格飙升，这个时机不太理想。
The perfect boiled egg has a velvety yolk paired with a soft, solid white.
完美的水煮蛋有着如天鹅绒般柔滑的蛋黄，搭配着柔软、凝固的蛋白。
Achieving this balance can be a challenge because the yolk cooks at a lower temperature than the white. Hard boiling an egg can yield a chalky yolk, while cooking low and slow can produce jelly-like, undercooked whites.
要达到这种平衡可能是个挑战，因为蛋黄的烹饪温度比蛋白低。把鸡蛋煮得过熟会使蛋黄变得干硬如粉笔，而用低温长时间煮又可能会让蛋白呈现出果冻状且未完全煮熟。
Researchers cooked hundreds of eggs and used math to tackle this runny conundrum. One equation dealt with how heat travels between a hot surface and an egg; another captured how the egg's contents morph from liquid to solid with a gel-like state in between.
研究人员煮了数百个鸡蛋，并运用数学方法来解决这个令人困扰的问题。一个方程式研究热量如何在热表面和鸡蛋之间传递；另一个则描述了鸡蛋的内容物如何从液态转变为固态，中间还存在一种凝胶状的状态。
Their final recipe involves transferring eggs in a steamer basket every two minutes between two bowls of water —one boiling and the other lukewarm at 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) —for a total of 32 minutes before cooling under running water and peeling.
他们最终的食谱是，把鸡蛋放在蒸篮里，每两分钟在两碗水之间转移一次——一碗是沸水，另一碗是华氏86度（摄氏30度）的温水——总共持续32分钟，然后在流水下冷却并剥皮。
"You could definitely do this at home with half a dozen eggs or so," said Gregory Weiss, a chemist at the University of California, Irvine, who was not involved with the research.
“你完全可以在家里用半打左右的鸡蛋来尝试这个方法，” 加州大学欧文分校的化学家格雷戈里·韦斯（Gregory Weiss）说，他并未参与这项研究。
In the method proposed by the researchers, dubbed periodic cooking, the egg whites heated and cooled until fully set. The yolk, on the other hand, held firm at a constant temperature and cooked until creamy.
在研究人员提出的被称为 “周期性烹饪” 的方法中，蛋白经过加热和冷却直至完全凝固。而蛋黄则在恒温下保持稳定，一直煮到呈奶油状。
"You can almost spread it, like on bread," said study author Emilia Di Lorenzo from the University of Naples Federico II.
“你几乎可以把它涂抹开来，就像涂在面包上一样，” 该研究的作者、那不勒斯腓特烈二世大学的埃米莉亚·迪·洛伦佐（Emilia Di Lorenzo）说。
To confirm they had cooked up something new, the researchers tested the chemical makeup of the prepared eggs and served them to a panel of eight tasters alongside traditional boiled eggs.
为了确认他们做出了新的东西，研究人员测试了煮好的鸡蛋的化学成分，并将它们与传统煮鸡蛋一起提供给由八名品尝者组成的小组品尝。
The research was published Thursday in the journal Communications Engineering.
这项研究于周四发表在《通信工程》杂志上。
This new technique could mean more time in the kitchen compared to a standard hard-boiled egg, said food scientist Joanne Slavin from the University of Minnesota. But the blend of textures on the tongue could be worth the extra time.
明尼苏达大学的食品科学家乔安妮·斯莱文（Joanne Slavin）说，与标准的煮硬鸡蛋相比，这种新技术可能意味着在厨房里花费更多的时间。但这种在舌尖上混合的口感可能值得多花这些时间。
"This is a slower process to get a better outcome," said Slavin, who had no role in the study.
“这是一个较慢的过程，但能得到更好的结果，” 斯莱文说，她并未参与这项研究。
翻译：豆包
整理：2025年2月25日于北城家园
网友评论