# Can you flavor an egg while boiling it?



## GrillingFool (Dec 27, 2007)

Seems logical to me.....
If eggs were boiled in water with flavoring agents, would the 
boiled egg taste of them?

Or does the shell prevent passage of the flavors?

Hmmm. I think the shell might be a natural barrier. hmmmmm...


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## Andy M. (Dec 27, 2007)

I'd guess there would be no impact on the flavor.  As you suggested, the shell would block the passage of flavors.


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## bowlingshirt (Dec 27, 2007)

I've never tried it but eggshells are indeed porous.

Extraordinary Eggs!


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## Andy M. (Dec 27, 2007)

bowlingshirt said:


> I've never tried it but eggshells are indeed porous.
> 
> Extraordinary Eggs!


 

Yes, but they are not very porous and they are only in the liquid for a few minutes.


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## Fisher's Mom (Dec 27, 2007)

Given that I have no idea what I'm talking about, could you "inject" some sort of flavoring into the egg and then seal the tiny hole before boiling?


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## bowlingshirt (Dec 27, 2007)

Andy M. said:


> Yes, but they are not very porous and they are only in the liquid for a few minutes.


 
You don't have to be boiling it the entire time.

I remember when I was a kid and we used to dye easter eggs with one of those Pas kits (you know, those little tablets that dissolve in vinegar).  It wasn't uncommon for the egg underneath the shell to become dyed a little bit, suggesting that liquids can get through.

As for the OP, just give it a try and see what happens.


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## BreezyCooking (Dec 27, 2007)

There definitely is a way to imbue hard-cooked eggs with flavor.

Do an internet search on Chinese Tea Eggs.  Basically it involves hard cooking the eggs & then GENTLY cracking the shells all over & then soaking/marinating them in a combination of tea & spices.  The flavors definitely incorporate into the eggs, & when the cracked shells are removed, the eggs have a delightful marbled pattern.

It's a very old & very basic Chinese method of preparing eggs, although I'm sure one could change the spices & liquid around to suit.


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## GrillingFool (Dec 27, 2007)

Actually, Century Eggs gave me the idea, LOL!

So I marinated one for 10 minutes at lunch, then boiled in the marinade and water.
There was a tiny flavor of the marinade in the extreme outer edge of the egg white.

The shell was definitely colored by the marinade!

More experiments are called for, LOL!
Should have an eggscellent time with them.


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## Bilby (Dec 28, 2007)

We used to hard boil eggs in tea for a different look in a lunch salad regularly when I was a kid. (It was the 70's!) Eggs are very porous as has been stated and can absorb smells/flavours in the fridge. They taint very easily. On that basis you could try storing a raw egg in a sealed container with a couple of peeled cloves of garlic before cooking it and see what happens!


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## jpinmaryland (Dec 29, 2007)

How about with Old Bay?


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## CharlieD (Dec 29, 2007)

When I boil eggs I always crack them and add bunch of salt to prevent them from liking out, but I have never tasted any salt in the finished product.


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## auntdot (Dec 30, 2007)

Breezy as always is right. Have made tea eggs but just for other folks; cannot stand boiled eggs, although I love eggs cooked any other way.

The tea eggs I have made were done for the presentation, but I suppose you could infuse a bit of flavor with spices.

But once cooked that albumen is pretty impermeable, so I don't know if one can really flavor them.

That being said I have never tasted those eggs they sell in bars in a vinegar mixture. Whether they have abosrbed the vinegar and any associated spices I have no idea.

I wish I could like the darn things. My Mom tried to make my sister and mysef eat the odious ova - God bless her. But she did it to no avail. And finally gave up.

We then got hamburgers for breakfast. A great way to get send off to school, loved it.

Sorry, getting off topic. 

Basically I know of no way to make the horrible boiled egg taste a bit different than God made it.

But maybe I have to go back to those bars that serve them in the vinegar mixture.

But right now they are closed and I am tired.

Take care and God bless.


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