# 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:** 8
**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 11, 2017, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/141 "2017-07-11T12:57:53Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > In America, ‘biscuits’ can mean something different to British biscuits. They are something like scones without sugar. > > [Google images](https://www.google.com/search?q=american+biscuits&tbm=isch) Yes, I’m American, and I’ve had American biscuits in gravy. They’re okay, but I completely fail to understand the enthusiasm they engender. I love an egg breakfast, though. And beans are a nice start to the day, although I don’t seek them out if they aren’t part of the hotel buffet. Given a choice between the British egg & bean breakfast and biscuits & gravy, I’ll pick egg & bean 19 times out of 20. (I do like variety.) ---
**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 11, 2017, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/142 "2017-07-11T13:09:51Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > ISTM that one contributing factor in the US is that we refrigerate our eggs. This has been discussed a lot, but it boils down to how US eggs are processed to go to market. The cleaning process removes a natural coating that then requires refrigeration. This is not done outside of the US, allowing the eggs to be stored at room temperature. > > This makes the timing of cooking soft boiling somewhat more troublesome in the US. Outside of the US, the eggs begin at room temperature so the timing of the cooking is easier to manage. Whereas starting with a refrigerated egg? Do we let it sit out to get to room temp? How long? Oh, bother. (Thanks for the recipe, teela!) > > I believe this has contributed to the decline in serving soft boiled eggs in the US, and the disappearance of eggs cups from earlier generations. It’s really no problem with refrigerated eggs. I steam my eggs, and it’s six minutes straight out of the fridge. No matter what your method is, it’s not that difficult to figure it out. Make an egg using your preferred method. Is it too runny? Cook a little longer next time. Is it too cooked? Cook a little less. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/143 "2017-07-11T18:16:16Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > What I really don’t understand about America is that Americans don’t use electric kettles. I don’t know how it’s possible to _live_ without one. 🙂 I haven’t been without one for 20 years, and never will be again. I use it a lot more often than my electric coffee maker. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/144 "2017-07-11T18:29:55Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Pretty much, although popular culture tells me that you lot have a lot more ways to describe a fried egg than we do. Which reminds me… Why do we say ‘over easy’ instead of ‘easy over’? Given that ‘easy’ describes how you want the yolk, the former implies that you want the yolk more done than you really do, while the latter plainly says that you want the yolk runny and the egg to be flipped on both sides. I mean, everyone knows what you mean, because that’s how it’s always been used. But why didn’t we start out with the more logical order? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/145 "2017-07-11T18:41:52Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Pretty much, although popular culture tells me that you lot have a lot more ways to describe a fried egg than we do. More than sunny-side-up and over-easy? I guess in theory you could have six permutations of up, over, easy, medium, and hard, but only those two are common. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/146 "2017-07-11T19:06:05Z")
I don’t eat eggs. Sometimes I wish I did. Such a cheap, easy, convenient food. But unless you hide them in brownies or cookies, I can’t eat them. When I was a kid, after Mass on Sunday my father would make a big breakfast for the whole family. Bacon, eggs, toast, orange juice, etc. I would sit outside until it was all cleared away and eat cold toast & bacon. I couldn’t even smell the eggs cooking. StG ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/147 "2017-07-11T20:28:31Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > What I really don’t understand about America is that Americans don’t use electric kettles. I don’t know how it’s possible to _live_ without one. 🙂 Threads like these always amuse me when there’s the tone of ‘why don’t you live exactly like I do?’ I have hot tea once every few months and boiled food once every week or two, why would I need some super special device for boiling water when I can just nuke a cup for tea or put a pot on the stove to boil potatoes or noodles? It’s the same way with soft-boiled eggs, this thread doesn’t make them sound like something I’d eat, they’re way too much work and trouble for a quick breakfast and not elaborate enough for a full breakfast (I’d rather have a sunny side up egg or eggs benedict if I’m sitting down). Crab is about the only food that I’ll buy a specialized eating device for, and the cracker can just go in a drawer. Buying and keeping up with egg cups and special serrated knifes seems way over the top for me, like one of those things rich people do to show they have time or servants. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/148 "2017-07-11T21:00:24Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > I don’t eat eggs. > > Sometimes I wish I did. Such a cheap, easy, convenient food. But unless you hide them in brownies or cookies, I can’t eat them. When I was a kid, after Mass on Sunday my father would make a big breakfast for the whole family. Bacon, eggs, toast, orange juice, etc. I would sit outside until it was all cleared away and eat cold toast & bacon. I couldn’t even smell the eggs cooking. > > StG Are you allergic? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/149 "2017-07-11T21:08:43Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > Threads like these always amuse me when there’s the tone of ‘why don’t you live exactly like I do?’ Me, too. I don’t think I’ve had a hot beverage at home in _decades_, bar the odd cup of cocoa in mid-winter. What possible use would I have for an electric kettle? ---
**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 11, 2017, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/150 "2017-07-11T21:17:41Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > More than sunny-side-up and over-easy? I guess in theory you could have six permutations of up, over, easy, medium, and hard, but only those two are common. That’s not quite true. Plenty of people don’t like runny yolks, so at least “Fried hard” and “over hard” are common as well. I’d also add “over medium” to the list. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/151 "2017-07-11T21:30:46Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > I have hot tea once every few months and boiled food once every week or two, why would I need some super special device for boiling water when I can just nuke a cup for tea or put a pot on the stove to boil potatoes or noodles? Quicker and more energy-efficient than on a stovetop. When making instant coffee, the water won’t boil out of the cup the way it does when you microwave it. Once you have one, you find a lot more uses for it. Making a cup of soup late at night, f’rinstance. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/152 "2017-07-11T21:33:26Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > If confirm: how do you eat soft-boiled eggs? Boil them softly, peel, and crack onto something? Though my working definition of “soft-boiled” is “hard white, slightly gooey yolk.” I don’t know what’s the precision of a so-called “egg timer”, but I require a kitchen timer that can be programmed to the second. I did encounter an egg-cup once when visiting in Germany, and I found it a charming but unnecessary bit of ceremony. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/153 "2017-07-11T21:56:03Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > Threads like these always amuse me when there’s the tone of ‘why don’t you live exactly like I do?’ Tell me about it! > [@](#): > > It’s the same way with soft-boiled eggs, this thread doesn’t make them sound like something I’d eat, they’re way too much work and trouble for a quick breakfast and not elaborate enough for a full breakfast If they are way too much work and trouble for a quick breakfast, and not elaborate enough for a full one, what can the poor benighted souls who cook and eat them be thinking? It’s lunacy! Frankly, it makes you wonder why people don’t live exactly like you do, doesn’t it? > [@](#): > > Crab is about the only food that I’ll buy a specialized eating device for, and the cracker can just go in a drawer. Buying and keeping up with egg cups and special serrated knifes seems way over the top for me, like one of those things rich people do to show they have time or servants. There’s a general point that you shouldn’t have too many one-use items in your kitchen, but no-one blinks at the following, at least one of which it is quite likely you own: Special glasses just for wine; Special cups just for coffee; Special serrated knives just for steak; Special serrated knives just for bread; Special spoons just for soup. (Oh, and you don’t need special serrated knives for eggs. That would be weird. And egg cups are not a Veblen good. They’re really, really not.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Butterfly\_s\_Ghost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_butterfly_s_ghost/32/3462_2.png) [@The\_Butterfly\_s\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Butterfly_s_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/154 "2017-07-11T21:56:04Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I don’t think that unrefrigerated eggs are the norm outside of the U.S., at least in Germany eggs are always kept in the fridge. And I don’t think that makes much of a difference anyway if you boil eggs the usual way it’s done here: heat water to boiling point, take egg out of the fridge, (now the next step is important, it keeps the egg from cracking) prick a hole into the flat side of the egg with a device like this with the funny name of [Eierpicker](https://www.google.de/search?q=eierpicker&rlz=1C1AVFC_enDE743DE743&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjcuK3y1__UAhXKKlAKHWi-AX0Q_AUICygC&biw=1366&bih=589) (I doubt that you have those, not even having egg cups and all, but rest assured, they belong in every German household), put egg into the boiling water and let simmer for you’re preferred time (you’ll learn you’re time in childhood), accounting for size of the egg. You tell them about the Eierpicker and neglect to mention the [Eierschalensollbruchstellenverursacher](https://blog.ikarus.de/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/take2-eierschalensollbruchstellenverursacher_ablauf.jpg)\*? I am a bit dissapointed in you! 😃 \*Literally "Egg-shell-predetermined-breaking-point-causer 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/155 "2017-07-11T21:59:01Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Which reminds me… > > Why do we say ‘over easy’ instead of ‘easy over’? Given that ‘easy’ describes how you want the yolk, the former implies that you want the yolk more done than you really do, while the latter plainly says that you want the yolk runny and the egg to be flipped on both sides. > > I mean, everyone knows what you mean, because that’s how it’s always been used. But why didn’t we start out with the more logical order? When you flip it, flip it over easy now. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/156 "2017-07-11T21:59:20Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Americans: British twitter is this morning reeling about claims that egg cups are not in common use in the United States. > > Can you confirm/deny? > > If confirm: how do you eat soft-boiled eggs? Mostly by putting them back on the heat until they’ve turned into food. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/157 "2017-07-11T22:03:17Z")
I do, however, have a set of egg [_coddlers_](http://www.egg-coddlers.com/example_parts_2.jpg). Coddled eggs are yummy. I cut little strips of cheddar and tuck them in there with the egg, put salt, a touch of cumin, some pepper, seal 'em up and cook them. Until fully congealed, by the way, not runny and gicky. It’s a different process entirely. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/158 "2017-07-11T22:04:33Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Quicker and more energy-efficient than on a stovetop. I doubt it would be quicker, as I’d have to remember, find, and plug in a device that’s off somewhere else instead of just getting a pot. Also, since it’s electric, I probably can’t just toss it in the dishwasher the way I can a pot, I’ll have to hand-wash it which is WAY more effort than a quick rinse before setting it on a rack. Also I doubt the claim of energy efficiency when you factor in the energy cost to manufacture it in the first place, or compare the alleged energy savings with the base cost of the unit. If I save 20 cents per year, it’s not actually going to pay for itself. > [@](#): > > When making instant coffee, the water won’t boil out of the cup the way it does when you microwave it. I don’t make instant coffee. When I heat water for tea in a microwave, I have never managed to have water boil out of the cup, I’m not sure why you think that has to happen. And if you’re not competent enough to heat water in a microwave, the last thing you need is to add more possible-fire-starting devices to the kitchen. > [@](#): > > Once you have one, you find a lot more uses for it. Making a cup of soup late at night, f’rinstance. I don’t make cups of soup, and if I did I would rather just microwave a cup of soup than have to clean soup out of a device late at night. I really don’t get why people like you refuse to realize that other people don’t live your exact life and have to try an argue that I should blow money on a gimmick kitchen gadget. We’re not all Brits chugging down tea and soup at all hours of the day to the point that boiling water is a routine thing. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/159 "2017-07-11T22:06:03Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > That’s not quite true. Plenty of people don’t like runny yolks, so at least “Fried hard” and “over hard” are common as well. I’d also add “over medium” to the list. “Over well” is how I generally order them. ---
**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 11, 2017, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904/160 "2017-07-11T22:21:56Z")
> [@The\_Butterfly\_s\_Ghost](#): > > You tell them about the Eierpicker and neglect to mention the [Eierschalensollbruchstellenverursacher](https://blog.ikarus.de/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/take2-eierschalensollbruchstellenverursacher_ablauf.jpg)\*? I am a bit dissapointed in you! 😃 > > \*Literally "Egg-shell-predetermined-breaking-point-causer 😃 I’m dreadfully sorry, but even I as a German engineer wouldn’t have thought that German engineering and especially the art of naming devices precisely, but clumsily, could go that far :D. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-and-egg-cups/790904.md?page=9)