ShareTheres no single method to boil an egg, but a team at the Italian National Research Councils Institute for Polymers, Composites, and Biomaterials now believe there is a perfect way to cook them. In order to make it, however, youll need some patience and a watchful eye.Eggs remain a breakfast staple on many tables, but theres an art to making them just right. Thats because chicken eggs technically cook at two temperatures. While the yolk begins cooking at 65 degrees Celsius (149 degrees Fahrenheit), the egg white (or albumen) only starts solidifying at 85 degrees C (185 degrees F). This often makes it difficult to balance yolk and egg white consistencies without over- or undercooking one of them. The result, according to researchers led by chemist Pellegrino Musto, is that there are now many different cooking methods beyond the simple hard- and soft-boiled options. One of the most popular among chefs at the moment is the sous vide approach, in which eggs are often placed in a sealed bag and cooked in a water bath between 60-70 degrees C (140-158 degrees F) for at least an hour.Photographs of the raw, hard-boiled (red), soft-boiled (yellow), sous vide (green) and periodic (blue) eggs. Credit:Pellegrino Musto andErnesto Di Maio[Sous vide] gives a very peculiar result, where both albumen and yolk have the same creamy texture, Musto and colleagues write in their study published on February 6th in the journal, Communications Engineering.The problem with sous vide, researchers argue, is that only one of albumens proteins actually sets at such comparatively low temperatures. Apart from the textural change, this can also affect an eggs overall nutritional content.To investigate a possible optimal cooking scenario, Mustos team turned to software capable of simulating computational fluid dynamics. By augmenting factors like time and heat, researchers could then compare the evolution of the temperatures and the cooking degrees inside the egg obtained with differentcooking methods. After some trial-and-error, Musto and colleagues believe they have found their perfect egg methodology. But while it doesnt take nearly as long as the fashionable sous vide technique, it still isnt as quick as an easy scramble of fry.The new method, which Musto calls the periodic cooking approach, doesnt require complex tools or years of culinary training. All thats needed is a pot of boiling water kept at a steady 100 degrees C (212 degrees F), as well as a bowl filled with water kept at 30 degrees C (86 degrees F). After submerging eggs in the boiling water for two minutes, they are then transferred to the bowl for another two minutes. Repeat that cycle eight times for a total of 32 minutes, and voilthe perfect, periodic cooked egg. Get the Popular Science newsletter Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.To back up their claim, researchers tested the eggs texture and sensory qualities, as well as analyzed its chemical and nutritional properties using nuclear magnetic resonance and high-resolution mass spectrometry. The final results yielded eggs with a softer, sous vide-like yolk, while the egg white solidified into a consistency somewhere between the sous vide and soft-boiled methods. Not only that, but the chemical analysis suggests periodically cooked yolks yielded more of the potentially beneficial micronutrients known as polyphenols.Periodic cooking clearly stood out as the most advantageous cooking method in terms of egg nutritional content, the studys authors write. An even higher impact on human diet is here implied: not only are we able to reach a perfectly diverse texture in a two-phase food product, but we are also able to preserve, in both these phases, a higher nutrient amount, providing a useful tool to boost poor dietary habits.The results may also go beyond breakfast. Given how prevalent eggs are across numerous dishes, periodic cooking may also help improve other meals nutritional content and overall appeal. According to the team, the fluid dynamics involved in periodic cooking may be applicable in other materials research projects.