# America and egg cups **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 10, 2017, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904 "2017-07-10T09:21:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 19
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2017, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/361 "2017-07-14T21:40:05Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > Membrane? I guess I’m showing my ignorance here. I didn’t know there was a membrane. Just shell, white, and yolk. I just learned something. I missed this. Well, I have to ask if you’ve ever peeled a boiled egg, because you’ll see and feel the membrane in the process. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2017, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/362 "2017-07-14T21:43:54Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Agreed. **visceral shudder** > > Which is of course the best way to cook an egg. > > You may be on to something here though: they’re diametrical opposites in terms of egg-taste. I suspect folks who like one strongly tend not to care for the other. > > Would we meet in the middle over scrambled eggs? (Or do you prefer those undercooked and gooey while I’d want mine cooked until dry and crumbly?) Hmm, I’m firmly on the soft boiled side of this debate. I, too, will easy most egg preparations except fried & overcooked. And yes, I like my scrambled eggs moist and creamy. Dry is edible so long as they aren’t actually browned, but dry is a waste of good eggs. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2017, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/363 "2017-07-14T21:45:59Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > What?!? You never noticed that an egg has one pointier and one flatter end? This thread is very amusing, but this borders bizarro land 😕. Flat **ter** is not the same as flat. Also the post said “flat side”, not “flat end”. Big difference. Thank you for clarifying that. I would have tried to prick it on the side. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2017, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/364 "2017-07-14T21:53:54Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > Flat **ter** is not the same as flat. Also the post said “flat side”, not “flat end”. Big difference. Thank you for clarifying that. I would have tried to prick it on the side. Oh, I see, it was a matter of miscommunication on my part. Of course I meant end, sometimes I have these blunders in English. Sorry for that, and nevermind. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2017, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/365 "2017-07-14T22:00:37Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Oh, I see, it was a matter of miscommunication on my part. Of course I meant end, sometimes I have these blunders in English. Sorry for that, and nevermind. No problem at all and no apology is necessary. I was probably being stupid and taking you too literally. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/366 "2017-07-15T02:13:29Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I do have to say, all this talk about soft-boiled eggs, I just had to boil two up a few minutes ago. About 10 minutes from start to finish, (three minutes to get the water boiling, 6 minutes to steam the egg) including making two slices of rye toast with butter and anchovies on it. Oh, this was all so good. No egg cups, but I did use a shot glass to place them in. …with _anchovies_? Soft-boiled eggs with _anchovies_??? Prithee sirrah, thou art a man of great wit and culinary excellence. I wish to be thine apprentice and study at thy feet, mayhap I may take a few crumbs of knowledge from thee. (Kidding aside, is this a thing or did you come up with it? It sounds so good that I’m going to make it tomorrow morning for breakfast. ) ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/367 "2017-07-15T02:25:39Z")
I don’t care for anchovies but I might try that with sardines. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/368 "2017-07-15T02:40:23Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > …with _anchovies_? Soft-boiled eggs with _anchovies_??? > > Prithee sirrah, thou art a man of great wit and culinary excellence. I wish to be thine apprentice and study at thy feet, mayhap I may take a few crumbs of knowledge from thee. > > (Kidding aside, is this a thing or did you come up with it? It sounds so good that I’m going to make it tomorrow morning for breakfast. ) No, the toast was with anchovies, not the eggs themselves (ETA: although, on re-read, I think you got that.) What inspired it was some link up thread with Gordon Ramsey making soft boiled eggs and soldiers, and then making a compound butter kind of thing with mashed anchovies and butter, which he put on the toasted bread that he cut into soldiers. Now, I’m not into the soldiers thing, but I usually do have buttered bread with my soft boiled eggs, and thought that adding anchovies to it sounded like a great idea. (And it works really well … well, if you like anchovies.) I didn’t bother with the compound butter stuff–too fiddly for a quick late lunch. Just toasted rye bread, butter, and anchovy filets on top. Other that the fact that I’m male, I’d think I’m pregnant or something, because I have been craving anchovies _fierce_ and have almost polished off an entire jar of them since I bought them two days ago. (Anchovies are not something I have around all the time. I like 'em, but I typically use them as an ingredient for sauces or tapenade or whatnot, not just eat them practically out of the jar like that.) ETA: [Here’s the link from upthread that inspired it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlqLDrTTmOg). ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/369 "2017-07-15T02:45:04Z")
I’m Jonesing for anchovies now. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/370 "2017-07-15T02:49:16Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I’m Jonesing for anchovies now. Yeah, I really think it’s the Dope’s power of suggestion. Many a meal have I made because of reading about something on here. ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/371 "2017-07-15T03:44:29Z")
62 year old midwest chick with irish grandma. Mom had egg cups and we ate eggs out of them at least once a week. Chop off the top, put a bit of butter into the egg and breakfast heaven. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/372 "2017-07-15T04:02:50Z")
I eat soft over-hard fried eggs on toast. This is more work than a soft boiled egg, because I have to clean up the fry pan. A soft boiled egg is like a hard boiled egg, except it doesn’t take as long. A soft-boiled egg in an agg-cup will not drip egg yolk, as egg-on-toast sometimes does. As a child, I though egg-in-egg-cup, with spoon, more fiddly, because mixing in the butter and salt, and spooning it out, was more work than just shoving it in my mouth: I didn’t have to prepare or clean up, which affected my idea of what was more work, and I didn’t have role model for other methods. 110V water boilers don’t take any longer than 240V heaters. In Aus, our maximum outlet power is 2400W, but most jugs are much less than that. in the range 500W-1200W. I still eat soft-fried-egg on toast. It’s what I like. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/373 "2017-07-15T04:06:58Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > I eat soft over-hard fried eggs on toast. I’m wondering if this is a difference in terminology, but I’m not sure I understand this. What are “soft over-hard fried eggs”? I’ve also never heard this butter thing, either, and yet here it is two posts in a row mentioning it. All a soft-boiled egg needs is salt. I had no idea people add butter to it. Seems a bit gilding the lily to me. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/374 "2017-07-15T13:30:27Z")
I’m liking the anchovy idea, makes sense as well for that big salty or umami hit (I’m assuming you are meaning the salted rather than the white, pickled anchovies). just as I’d have a nice pile of salt and pepper or perhaps marmite on toast. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/375 "2017-07-15T13:37:45Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > I’m liking the anchovy idea, makes sense as well for that big salty or umami hit (I’m assuming you are meaning the salted rather than the white, pickled anchovies). just as I’d have a nice pile of salt and pepper or perhaps marmite on toast. Yeah, I like the concept too. Perhaps Gentleman’s Relish on toast? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/376 "2017-07-15T13:41:35Z")
> [@YoudNeverGuess](#): > > It makes me sad to think of American kids growing up not knowing the joy of a soft-boiled egg. I feel like hopping on the next plane to USA with a suitcase full of egg-cups and a soapbox from which to distribute them and spread the good news. y’know, I really just don’t like the taste of plain (runny) egg yolk, so there’s no “joy” to be had in one for me. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/377 "2017-07-15T13:44:51Z")
Mmmmm, anchovies! Just wondering how this thread got to page 8 but I see it’s taken a turn in the right direction. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/378 "2017-07-15T13:49:48Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > At the flat side of the egg, there’s a little “air chamber” beneath the rounded shell and the inner egg. You prick it, in Germany usually with the famous [Eierpicker](https://www.google.de/search?q=eierpicker&rlz=1C1AVFC_enDE743DE743&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwjPqJmBxonVAhUJPVAKHWeiDWsQ_AUIBygC&biw=1366&bih=589), or else you use a single prong of a fork. Takes only a fraction of a second. I use a safety pin. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/379 "2017-07-15T13:59:57Z")
By the way, you can buy egg prickers for about $4 in the U.S. But for the fun of it I went to Amazon and found this. [https://www.amazon.com/Pricker-Accessories-Stainless-Plastics-12210/dp/B0012573Q6/ref=sr\_1\_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1500126982&sr=8-12&keywords=egg+pricker](https://www.amazon.com/Pricker-Accessories-Stainless-Plastics-12210/dp/B0012573Q6/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1500126982&sr=8-12&keywords=egg+pricker) Because nothing will add to the ridiculousness of this conversation like a $60 item to put a tiny hole in your egg before soft boiling it. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2017, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/380 "2017-07-15T14:04:11Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > By the way, you can buy egg prickers for about $4 in the U.S. But for the fun of it I went to Amazon and found this. > > [https://www.amazon.com/Pricker-Accessories-Stainless-Plastics-12210/dp/B0012573Q6/ref=sr\_1\_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1500126982&sr=8-12&keywords=egg+pricker](https://www.amazon.com/Pricker-Accessories-Stainless-Plastics-12210/dp/B0012573Q6/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1500126982&sr=8-12&keywords=egg+pricker) > > Because nothing will add to the ridiculousness of this conversation like a $60 item to put a tiny hole in your egg before soft boiling it. If there ever was a unitasker. I bet if you buy one Alton Brown will personally drive to your house and yell at you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904.md?page=20)