What is the perfect way to boil an egg? Scientists crack it

There’s no single way to boil an egg—at least, that’s what most people thought. But a team of researchers at Italy’s National Research Council now claim they’ve discovered the “perfect” method. But before you rush to the kitchen, there’s a catch—it’s not as easy as just tossing an egg into boiling water.

This method, known as “periodic cooking,” demands patience, precision, and careful timing. The result? An egg with a firm yet delicate white and a velvety yolk—the kind chefs and foodies dream of.

So, what exactly is this technique? And what’s the science behind it? Let’s break it down.

The science behind cooking an egg

Anyone who has struggled to get the perfect boiled egg knows how tricky it can be. That’s because the yolk and the egg white solidify at different temperatures, making it difficult to achieve the ideal consistency without overcooking one part.

While the yolk begins cooking at 65 degrees Celsius (149 degrees Fahrenheit), the egg white (or albumen) only starts solidifying at 85 degrees Celsius (185 degrees F). This often makes it difficult to balance yolk and egg white consistencies without over- or undercooking one of them.

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The yolk begins to set at 65 degrees Celsius (149 degrees Fahrenheit ), while the egg white (albumen) doesn’t firm up until 85 degrees Celsius (185 degrees Fahrenheit). This imbalance often leads to rubbery whites or dry yolks—far from the creamy, delicate texture most people want.

To tackle this, chefs have experimented with methods like sous vide cooking, where eggs are kept in a steady 60–70 degrees Celsius (140–158 degrees Fahrenheit) water bath for an hour. While this technique can result in a silky yolk, it risks leaving the whites undercooked.

That’s where Ernesto Di Maio from the University of Naples and his team come in. After extensive testing with factors like time and heat, they believe they’ve found the perfect solution: periodic cooking.

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What is periodic cooking? How does it work?

Despite sounding complex, periodic cooking doesn’t require fancy gadgets or expert culinary skills. All that’s needed is a pot of boiling water kept at a steady 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit ), as well as a bowl filled with water kept at 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit ).

After submerging the eggs in the boiling water for two minutes, transfer them to a bowl for another two minutes. Repeat that cycle eight times for a total of 32 minutes, and here you go—the perfect, periodic cooked egg with a yolk that’s soft and creamy—similar to sous vide—but with an egg white that’s firmer than a soft-boiled egg, yet not rubbery.

According to Maio, the reaction to this technique has been overwhelmingly positive. “Many people have tasted [the egg cooked this way], and they were amazed by the taste and texture,” he told New Scientist. “Yes, it takes more time than usual cooking, but I think if you love someone, you should invest your time to do something properly. This is how to properly do an egg.”

What about the nutritional value?

Beyond perfecting texture, scientists suggest that this method enhances the egg’s nutritional profile. Eggs boiled this way reportedly contain higher levels of polyphenols—compounds with powerful antioxidant properties, than in soft-boiled or sous vide eggs but researchers aren’t yet sure why.

To develop this method, Maio and his team first created a model of how an egg cooks. Using two equations, they calculated how heat spreads from the shell to the centre over time. Their findings showed that the best way to achieve even cooking was to alternate between two different temperatures—allowing the yolk and white to solidify at their own ideal rates.

To test their theory, the researchers cooked eggs using periodic cooking and then examined them with spectrometry and an MRI-like scanner. They discovered that proteins in the yolk were less denatured, while proteins in the white were more denatured—a sign that each part of the egg had cooked more effectively compared to other methods.

Writing in the journal Communications Engineering, the scientists paid tribute to eggs as “the funniest and most versatile ingredients to work with.” It’s egg-stantic, we’d say.

With input from agencies