Microwaves are famous for the fact that you can do a lot of things with them, right? Cook, boil, reheat, melt – so if you can do all of these things, why not microwave a boiled egg?
It sounds far simpler than it is! Technically, you can do it, although it will be an explosive accomplishment!
Stay with us to find out why microwaving a boiled egg is a bad idea – we promise you, we will get to the bottom of this scientific question and in the end, we will show you some ways to actually boil or cook an egg in the microwave!
Just Like The Pressure Cooker:
Most of you have probably cooked with a pressure cooker at least once, or if not, you have watched someone do it. What moms tell you all the time, when they use this appliance is – “Be careful around the pressure cooker!”.
Surely, no kid has actually thought about why it could be so dangerous. It is not because of the heat, but because of the pressure built up on the inside. Essentially what it does is preparing the meat, by using this extremely high pressure, coming from the boiling and steaming water inside.
Although it has a bad reputation of being risky, it is perfectly safe, if used correctly. The steam gets trapped inside the sealed appliance, but as long as there is a way for it to escape, there is no chance of explosion. Usually a hole on the lid allows this to happen.
Now you are wondering: “Alright, I get it. But what does it have to do with microwaving boiled eggs?”.
When you look at a hard boiled egg, essentially it is the same as the pressure cooker. The shell is the vessel and there is moisture trapped inside. When you put this “vessel” in the microwave and the heat starts building up, the water in the egg will want to evaporate, but the shell will not let it, thus the pressure is building up.
Because there is no way for the egg to release this built up pressure, eventually it explodes and now you have to clean up that mess.
Is it dangerous? We do not recommend you to do it, but if you are standing a good distance away, it will not affect you, although the explosion is quite loud and the egg might even explode after it has been removed from the appliance! So be careful, if you are really inclined to try this out.
Now that we know why this happens, how about we tell you some good ways to actually boil or cook an egg in the microwave?
Soft Or Hardboiling An Egg In The Microwave
Let us say that you are craving boiled eggs, but your stove is not working. Can you do it in the microwave, without any explosions? Yes, you can!
Grab a couple of eggs and with a safety pin or needle poke two holes in the egg’s shell – one on the top and one on the bottom.
In a microwave-safe bowl or cup put some cold water and place the eggs inside. For soft boiled eggs, put them in the microwave and set it for 45 seconds to 1 minute. For hard boiled – set the microwave for no more than 5 minutes.
Enjoy with some mayo and salt on top or make an egg salad!
Poached Egg with Microwave
Now how about something fancier? Have you thought of a poached egg in the microwave? Delicious, wouldn’t it be?
First, prepare your eggs – get two eggs and crack them into a separate, small bowl.
Tip: Be careful not to puncture the yolk! We recommend you to crack the shell onto a flat, hard surface like a counter. Do not crack the eggs into each other as a shell might fall out.
Once that is done, get a microwave-safe bowl and heat up some water and then bring it to a boil. After you see that it is boiling, remove it from the appliance and put 1 tsp of vinegar. Now stir until you form a whirlpool. Quickly grab your egg and drop it in the vortex. You should see how the whites are surrounding the yolk.
Microwave for about 1 minute. Repeat with the other egg. What you will have is perfectly round whites, cooked through and surrounding the runny yolk.
We love this over an avocado toast with some black pepper and salt flakes on top! When you cut into the yolk it will ooze out and cover your toast.
To sum this up:
If you do not want your eggs to explode, do not try to boil them or reheat them in the oven without poking a couple of holes on the top and bottom of the shelf. This will allow all the excess pressure to escape.
For soft boiling an egg – leave it in the microwave for no more than 1 minute; for hard boiled one – let it cook for about 5 minutes.
If you love poached eggs, do not forget to add the vinegar in the boiling water, otherwise, the whites will not cook around the yolk, but instead will separate and will become stringy. Stir to form a vortex and poach the eggs one by one.
Did you enjoy this article? We hope you did and beware as more interesting ones are coming out soon. Stay tuned!
