Why did people in the 80s prick their eggs before boiling them?

[PuffyFluffin]

I was talking to DH and he reminded me about eggs prickers people used to have. I'd completely forgotten about them, but we always had to prick the base of the egg or it would apparently crack while it was boiling. Hilariously, I grew up on another continent and it was also a thing there, so clearly was of vital importance!

Why don't we need to do this anymore? Have eggs changed?

Never heard of that. And I've been cooking eggs since the seventies

I still prick my eggs 😂🤷🏼‍♀️

I still prick my eggs before boiling them - am I hopelessly unfashionable? Is there a tic toc video somewhere laughing at my strange 80s habit?

It's to stop the shells cracking when the air inside the shell expands quickly in response to being chucked into a pan of boiling water. I will have to carry on doing it as my granny would turn in her grave if I stopped.

Perhaps it didn't make it you where you lived? You've missed out!

Probably because eggs were kept in the fridge and therefore much more likely to explode.

Stops the egg cracking, especially if it's going from cold fridge to hot water. I don't do it, but I have had an occasional cracker. 🥚

Am fascinated that people still do it - apparently it's me that's the odd one...

I keep my eggs in the fridge and do boiled eggs a a couple of times a week, and they've never cracked...

Never heard of that! How did you prick them?? Without them running, I mean.

We had a little gadget with a spike at the bottom that we pressed the egg against

I think it's the air sac inside and boiling water . (I don't boil eggs , very rarely eat them and usually poached )

I cut crosses in the stalks of brussel sprouts , but that;s to let Satan out ( everyone does that don't they ?)

Why was I never informed of this! 🧐 Can you still buy those?

I bought one of these egg cookers last year, as DP eats them nearly every day. It came with a measuring cup for water with a tiny metal pin on one end, and instructions say we have to prick a hole in the eggs, so it's still being done!

No idea why, I expect they'll burst in the cooker.

edit: Before I bought this cooker, I boiled them in a saucepan and never pricked a hole nor grew up (outside UK) being told to do that.

Yes, I still do that! I didn’t know about the satan thing though, I wonder if that’s why my AC calls them satan’s balls?

I have an excellent tip for hard boiling eggs ( ex pricker here!)

Put eggs in cold water. Bring to boil with lid on saucepan. When the water is properly boiling, turn the heat off. Leave the saucepan in place on the cooling hob. Set a time for 16 minutes. When timer goes off, put the eggs into a saucepan full of cold water.

I rarely get a cracked egg this way ( though I don't keep them in the fridge) Cooked to perfect, however many eggs are in ( i usually do max of six though)

Here! This one is from an egg boiling machine we have which takes all the guesswork out of timings.

the pricking also helps when the eggs are older, as the air sack inside gets bigger as eggs are porous. That’s how you can tell how old an egg is by putting it in a jug of water. If it lies flat, it’s fresh. If it turns up, less so. And if it totally floats then it’s probably rancid!!

Evidently so! Ed as forgot to add link...
Egg pricker

I've just looked - there's loads on Amazon - who knew?! There's even posh ones (ours was a crappy little plastic thing)

Still did the job though at a fraction of the price!?

It's just occurred to me that a had an egg last week where the air sac was on the side of the egg...that would have baffled the egg pricker!

@EatCrow here you go.
I used to have one but no longer bother. I think the jury's out as to whether it actually works in the sense of preventing cracking while boiling. I've not had an egg crack for a while without using it so who knows? 😂
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Piercer-Stainless-Boiling-Semi-Automatic-Seperater/dp/B0CSN9XN1T/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=2NDLEU22YMRVA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Qteq39DQINjeyCB4Ck2_WvE_SU9waDtLQt2WZsCc8tMXCQ_vIOGtQvU6IuExynl2_9EXcZLOTYxxFhnMpd0nILKxuw165fP9FkWEy4N5GyzA7uG2TlZ1E5-h_JWluuirtFov8wWourKpmdzAXeHuIpObEVHvib_Lqa3Jk98p2NF-j2Xq7och_UsWo-uOfwzkuxx9D8uwAv-DBABgwaj57w.TpstRj_-6ErlshVxnZj1AEaPtpso5A9taNGlS9WTyz8&dib_tag=se&keywords=egg+pricker+for+boiling+eggs&qid=1717946838&sprefix=egg+pri%2Caps%2C82&sr=8-4

@PuffyFluffin now Baffledeggpricker would be a smashing new user name 😂

I do similar but hadn’t thought to just turn the hob off and let the residual heat do the job! Will definitely do that and save on gas.

I always pricked them as a child but then realised when I became an adult that there is no need! I do add salt to the water as that is supposed to stop all the contents coming out if they do crack (I think).

You're right, I didn't think it through before changing my name (DH is on here and if he saw the title he'd know it was me)!

I use vinegar for the same reason.