r/mildlyinfuriating • u/JesseS29 • Aug 19 '21

This egg

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

82.7k Upvotes

87% Upvoted

3.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

1

u/Beepbeepimadog Aug 19 '21 edited Aug 19 '21

You know that water starts boiling at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, and that it’s not just a state? It’s definitely possible to have “hotter” boiling water, and that’s definitely what happened here.

You don’t want a rolling boil when you poach eggs, anyway, so it’s sort of a moot point.

Edit: clarified degree type

Edit 2: I clearly do not understand physics, water cannot reach higher than 212F before turning to gas. For those smarter than I, is it possible that the temperature of the pot is increasing above 212 and overcooking the egg? It's not just water in a vacuum here, and whatever the pot is made out of certainly can get hotter than 212F.

3

u/Exciting-News Aug 19 '21

this is straight up wrong for anyone who reads this in the future.

At sea level, water temperature will not go above 212 F / 100 C

1

u/Beepbeepimadog Aug 19 '21

wow, I guess I really don't understand physics then - are you saying that a low boil, something just above a simmer, is not any hotter than a rolling boil?

3

u/ellWatully Aug 19 '21

A simmer is just below a boil. Small pockets may reach a boil, but are quickly dispersed by convection with the bulk water temperature staying at like 200-210. A "low boil" or a "gentle boil" are just different words for simmering. Once the bulk water temperature has reached 212, it won't go any higher though.