Run Clips

[PurpleTree]

My mum has always told me that I should keep a saucepan specifically for boiling eggs, and not to use it for anything else. I think her nana told her this. I've only recently boiled my first egg, for the boys, as I don't like them, so I've never had an 'egg pan'. I don't really know the reason why, but does anyone else have a pan only for boiling eggs? Is it something I should be doing?

[majorbloodnock]

I've not heard this one before, although I can understand the reasoning that really strong lingering tastes like garlic might taint the eggs slightly. However, I've never used a specific pan, and have never had a problem with the results.

 

I've also heard the more common advice that you should keep a frying pan specifically for omelettes so it doesn't get damaged and stick. However, if you choose a decent heavy cast iron or cast aluminium one and season it well, it'll be pretty much indestructible; in fact, the more you use it, the more it'll season and therefore the better it'll perform.

 

No doubt there are plenty of other recommendations for reserving pans for specific tasks, but I find there are very few instances where it's really justified, especially given the limited space most of us have in the kitchen.

[Daphne]

I was always taught this thing about the egg pan as well - looking back I think it had something to do with the hard water and the difficulty of shifting limescale...although if I think about that for more than 2 seconds that doesn't make sense either! Anyway suffice it to say I have safely eggnored the advice all my life and its hasn't made a blind bit of difference! The egg pan (small = quicker) is currently is used for a)making porridge b)heating up milk c)heating up tins of beans/spag etc.

[Looney]

I'm not sure why there is reason to have a specific egg pan either....although we have a small pan that is used for boiling eggs purely because it is small.

 

Thinking about the pans that my mum used to use, not sure what they were made of, but they used to 'stain' when things were boiled in water for any length of time. It left a ring mark where the water level was

 

Who knows!

[poachedegg]

I have a boiled egg virtually everyday for breakfast and whilst I usually use the smallest pan, I certainly use others too - basically, whatevers available and I have never had a problem with mine!

[PurpleTree]

That's good to hear. I was starting to worry I was going to poison us all. My mum was horrified when she found out I didn't have an 'egg pan', she muttered something about stuff leaking out of the egg, or the germs on the shell staying in the pan. I know some of my eggs at the moment are pretty grubby, but I do give the pan a good scrub afterwards. She's asked my nan to see if she's got a spare old pan in the cupboard.

 

Like Daphne said, it's generally the small pan, which is also used for heating tins of beans and soup.

[majorbloodnock]

My mum was horrified when she found out I didn't have an 'egg pan', she muttered something about stuff leaking out of the egg, or the germs on the shell staying in the pan.

 

I have no intention of being disparaging towards your mother, but I'd suggest the argument doesn't stack up. Yes, there's potential for germs on the shell, but both the eggs and the pan have been, by definition, sterilised at 100 degC for at least 4 minutes. Moreover, the pan is presumably washed after use like all the other cooking utensils.

 

If one were to be concerned about germs from animal excrement, I can think of other things that ought to be higher on one's list. Anything containing, or cooked with, pork rind, for instance (pigs are clean animals, but hardly sterile). Any old fashioned sausages (traditional casing is pig's gut). Ox tongue (we've all seen what cows do with their tongues). Wild mushrooms (where do they thrive? Yup, wherever there's manure). Any number of vegetables from the allotment (or are we all scrupulous in avoiding Mother Nature's most effective fertiliser?). And whilst we're talking about allotments or gardens, do we clean our hands with a bit of soap and 30 seconds' washing under warm water or do we boil them for 4 minutes? I'd guess the egg and egg pan are going to be more sterile than the hands transferring the toast soldiers to the mouth.

 

Nonetheless, it's rather encouraging that your mother obviously pays active attention to hygiene in the kitchen; I'd personally rather someone were too cautious than too lacksadaisical.

[PurpleTree]

Thanks Major, I guess as she said it was something her nan always told her, and her mum's always done, it must be something that's originated from quite a while back. Maybe it's something more to do with the discolouring of the pan or something? Anyway I think I shall question more next time I speak to her.

 

My mum is very keen on hygiene and cleanliness, and cooking meat well done, as she's had very bad food poisoning twice. She could barely get out of bed with it.

[Daphne]

Egg shells are porous which is why you have to be extra careful when incubating that no germs are lingering which can get in to harm/destroy the embryo. Although of course a broody doesn't really know this! But then they do sometimes have a sixth sense about unviable eggs so who knows. Anyway, perhaps in 'olden' days people were worried about germs getting out of eggs as well! As the Major says there are far worse dangers we face every day but as food poisoning and upset stomachs are thoroughly unpleasant its in all of our interests to be careful. This has been quite an interesting thread, not what I was expecting from the title, thank you!

[Sheilaz]

I was always taught this thing about the egg pan as well - looking back I think it had something to do with the hard water and the difficulty of shifting limescale...although if I think about that for more than 2 seconds that doesn't make sense either! Anyway suffice it to say I have safely eggnored the advice all my life and its hasn't made a blind bit of difference! The egg pan (small = quicker) is currently is used for a)making porridge b)heating up milk c)heating up tins of beans/spag etc.

 

Same here, & I'm sure this was the reason too, nothing to do with the egg hygiene.

In my childhood, we had a horribly lime crusted egg pan, we couldn't possibly have used it for anything else.

 

Nowadays, I don't have a special egg pan, I just wash it straight away & use it for everything.

 

I'm certain it was because of hard water, but perhaps our saucepans are different today & withstand it.