Spa eggs cooked into loose, watery eggs?

The scale of flow and coagulation is controlled with patience and meticulousness

A perfect spa egg, with a glistening and translucent white, a smooth and juicy yolk, and a soft and tender flavor, the moment of poking it open is a moment of great anticipation, and whether it is accompanied by a side dish or mixed with rice, the deliciousness can be quickly upgraded!

But if they are cooked too raw or overcooked, they are not ideal. Have you ever had a hard-boiled egg white that's so tender that you can't peel the shell all the way through? Or the eggs are too old, and when you're not paying attention, they cook into loose eggs? Or maybe the whites are hard and the yolks are curdled?

In fact, as long as you know the variety and size of the eggs, the cooking utensils, the time and temperature control, and the tips of peeling the eggshell, you will be able to make successful spa eggs!

First of all, let's learn about the 3 different kinds of soft and tender eggs, spa egg, loose egg and watery egg, and see the difference between a real spa egg and other eggs.

As you can see, the yolks of all 3 types of eggs can be made semi-runny and semi-solidified, but the most obvious difference is the egg white, which in spa eggs resembles jelly and is semi-cooked and transparent.

Choose eggs that can be eaten raw

Master Liu Tao, who has researched spa eggs, suggests using eggs that can be eaten raw, such as the Japanese Orchid King egg, which has a shiny color, orange-red yolks, and very little fishy smell and a slightly sweet taste. There are also Japanese Asaichi eggs, with fragrant yolks and thick, clear egg whites with good flavor.

Lan Huang Eggs

These producers have introduced Japanese equipment and management experience to China, and the chicken feed is made with cutting-edge biotechnology to produce high-quality eggs suitable for raw eating. For nutritional considerations, you can also use eggs from wood eggs or Beijing oil chickens, which have large, full yolks and are rich in more amino acids and trace elements.

Safety and health are most important

Eggs are susceptible to salmonella and other disease-causing microorganisms, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture has an official recommendation for the temperature and time needed to kill salmonella, which is quickly eliminated when the temperature exceeds 70 degrees Celsius. If the cooking temperature is slightly lower, it takes longer to kill the salmonella. It is considered safe to eat if 1 in 10 million bacteria remain, the 7-log10 principle.

Source: USDA publication

Egg size effect on coagulation

Use medium-sized eggs, about 5 cm x 4 cm in diameter, with a moderate ratio of egg white to yolk. For the same cooking time and temperature, if the egg is too large, it will not set easily, and if it is too small, it will taste old.

Eggs of different sizes coagulate differently

With fresh eggs, the egg white wraps around the yolk better. If you store eggs in the refrigerator for a week ahead of time to allow internal gases to escape, the yolks of spa eggs are more easily revealed.

Constant temperature water bath, simulated hot spring cooking

Japanese onsen eggs, as the name suggests, are made in hot springs, and the traditional method is to place raw eggs in a bamboo basket or netted pocket, with the water temperature at about 65°C-70°C, and immerse them in the hot spring for 30-45 minutes. Famous ones include Kusatsu onsen eggs, black eggs from Hakone's Owakudani, and Araiyu eggs from Yumura Onsen.

True traditional Japanese onsen eggs

Onsen eggs, which take advantage of the different temperature freezing points of the egg white and yolk. Usually, the yolk starts to change at 60℃, gradually becoming less fluid and solidifying at about 70℃. The egg white begins to change at 62°C, gradually loses fluidity, and solidifies into a lump at 80°C.

Simulating hot springs, i.e., not using boiling water to cook eggs, using a low-temperature slow cooker or a thermostatic water tank, you can control the temperature and time very well.

Boiling eggs in a thermostat machine

Cooking method and changing process

Take the eggs out of the refrigerator and put them in the room before boiling, and return them to room temperature, where the temperature of the eggs is more likely to be close to that of the water.

The thermostat machine reaches the set water temperature, about 65℃, and puts the eggs in, with the amount of water exceeding the eggs by more than 3 centimeters to ensure even heating. As time increases, the hot spring eggs begin to change.

Presenting different effects

In fact, there is no such thing as a unique standard for cooking hot spring eggs, as long as the temperature and time are in a certain range interval, you can make soft and tender hot spring eggs with different degrees of tenderness, which are all quite silky and smooth in texture.

Basically, temperature is inversely proportional to time. For example, for 60°C water temperature, heat for 90 minutes; for 65°C water temperature, heat for 45 minutes; for 75°C water temperature, heat for 20 minutes. You masters can adjust according to your own experience.

Soft type: eggs are little coagulated, whites are slightly loose in shape and yolks are flat.

Master Lin Weilong makes it strictly according to onsen heating, cooking at 65℃ for 45 minutes.

Full: better coagulation, oval egg white shape, more three-dimensional overall visual.

Master Liu Tao sets the temperature at 60℃ for 80 minutes. He said that if the temperature control is good, the eggs made, the surface is very smooth.

No thermostat? There are more egg-boiling artifacts

If you don't have a low-temperature, slow-cooking thermostat machine, you can make spa eggs in a soup pot, multifunctional steam oven, electric kettle, rice cooker, yogurt maker and, of course, special spa egg-boiling machines.

Choose a soup pot, preferably cast iron pot or stainless steel compound bottom pot, thick bottom is easier to stabilize the temperature, thin skin and thin bottom pots and pans, easy to heat unevenly. Then prepare a kitchen thermometer, inserted into the water more than 6 centimeters, as well as a timer. First, bring a pot of water to a boil and add cold water at 5:1 to maintain the temperature at 70°C. Add the eggs and cook over low heat for 30-40 minutes, during which time, if the water temperature naturally drops by 2°C-3°C, you can increase the heat again slightly to 70°C.

Saucepan, thermometer, timer

Using a yogurt maker, place the eggs in a cup of yogurt maker water at 65°C. Even if left to sit for more than 1-2 hours, the resulting spa eggs will still be soft and tender from the inside out.

Yogurt maker

Specialized egg cooker saves even more time and effort, just select the function button, you can make different kinds of delicious eggs such as onsen eggs, loose eggs, fully cooked eggs, egg custard and so on with just one click.

Japanese hot spring egg cooker

Use the temperature difference to peel the shell

Shell the eggs after cooking, knock the larger end of the egg with an angled utensil, and gently break it with both hands from the crack to remove the hot spring egg.

Peel the shell carefully and thoughtfully

If you want to peel a very intact egg, either pay attention to the degree of coagulation of the egg white, or immerse the egg in cold water as soon as you take it out of the warm water, otherwise the shell and egg white will continue to heat up the yolk inside, or cool it down with icy water, which will make it easier to peel off the shell by the principle of heat expansion and cold contraction.

Double the flavor, who is a good partner for onsen eggs?

Japanese onsen eggs are often used with rice, with kombu soy sauce, shichimi chili powder and finely chopped scallions to enhance the flavor and aroma of the original egg, and with meats and vegetables to bring a soft, silky texture and a toning effect.

Low-temperature vegetables and fresh fruits, refreshing and healthy

Master Liu Tao cooks vegetables at a low temperature of 60 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes to make carrots and asparagus crispier, creating a contrasting texture with the spa eggs, and the nutrients can be better preserved. The homemade shrimp paste and avocado sauce are used to enhance the flavor, and sweet mango dices and slightly sour raspberries are used to balance the savory taste.

Slow-dipping beef with mashed beans, using time to create a full-bodied taste

Master Wu Gang marinates and pan-fries the beef chops for color, then puts them in a 65℃ thermostat and soaks them for 24 hours. Green beans are used to make a puree with matsutake mushrooms and hot spring eggs. The taste is refreshing and the color is beautiful.

Molecular yogurt ball with seafood combination, forming rich layers

Master Zeng Qiang used molecular cuisine spherization technology to make yogurt balls with popping sensation in the mouth, and coconut milk with sugar syrup and mineral water to make gelatin skin. The spa eggs are made with green organic eggs, flavored with black truffle, caviar and homemade Japanese salad dressing, and are very richly layered.

Western-style fried rice with mushrooms, combining the multiple aromas of ingredients

Chef Sung Lai-ki uses a multifunctional steam oven, and the eggs are bathed in water at 60 degrees Celsius for two hours. He improves the Western-style fried rice by replacing Italian rice with aromatic rice and adding a variety of aromatic ingredients, such as mushrooms, chicken stock, white wine and truffle sauce, for a unique flavor.

Pasta with cheese, fully blended to stimulate fresh aroma

Chef Cao Hongyu adds softened cheese to the boiled pasta, and serves it with a spa egg poked through, allowing the egg to fully blend with the handmade pasta and caviar to increase the consistency.

The spa egg, with its delicate and smooth texture, makes it a great accompaniment to entrees and mains, and with all these cooking tips, making a soft and tender spa egg is no longer difficult, so chefs might want to give it a try to find out what other fabulous flavors can be paired with it!