EXPERIMENT:  Be a Good Egg

Question

How do you know when a hard-cooked egg is safely cooked?

My Hypothesis:

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Materials Needed:

• Three large raw eggs
• Electric "hot pot" with access to outlet or pan (with lid) with access to heat source
• Slotted spoon
• 1 small, clear cup or jar
• 3 small paper plates
• Knife
• Permanent marker
• White sheets of paper for each student
• Pencils; yellow, orange and red crayons or markers
• Access to cold water

Getting Ready

Choose three classmates to be "egg peelers."

Label the eggs and paper plates with permanent marker:

• #1: cooked 2 minutes
• #2: cooked 8 minutes
• #3: cooked 15 minutes

Procedure

1. Carefully place the three eggs in cold water in electric "hot pot" or pan. Heat until boiling; remove from heat and cover with lid.

2. Remove Egg #1 with the slotted spoon after 2 minutes, and cool under cold water.

3. Remove Egg #2 6 minutes later and cool under cold water.

4. Let Egg #3 stay in the hot water for 7 minutes more (total time: 15 minutes). Then cool under cold water.

5. Have each "egg peeler" peel one of the three cooked eggs, cut the egg in half, and put it on its labeled paper plate.

6. Observe and record the differences between the three eggs! (Use chart below.)

Did You Know?

A raw egg spins more slowly than a cooked egg! The liquid inside the raw egg slows it down!

My Observations

Illustrate: Draw a picture of each egg using pencil and yellow or orange marker or crayon to show the whites and the yolk. How are the yolks and whites different in the three eggs?

Describe and Categorize:

• List as many words as you can think of to describe the whites and yolks of each egg.
• Circle the ones that mean that an egg is safe to eat and put a red X through the ones that mean it is not.

My Conclusions

This is what happens when you cook an egg longer:

• You can tell that an egg is cooked sufficiently by:
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• What Do You Think? Is it okay to eat raw eggs if they are mixed in raw cookie dough?

Tell Your Family ...

Bring home your picture of the three eggs and post it on your refrigerator.
Remind your family to cook eggs until the yolks and whites are firm. Don't use recipes in which eggs remain raw or only partially cooked.

^TM/SM International Food Safety Council

* Distributed May 2002 for use in September 2002 as part of the International Food Safety Council's National Food Safety Education Month.

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