Eggs cooked in the coals (Pic Heavy)

[AussieVic]

I spent a few days camping and decided to cook some eggs in the coals of the fire, something which I haven’t done, but has been one of the things I wanted to try. So here’s results.
I’d be interested to hear about anyone else’s experiences ?


Firstly I made a small hole in the top of the egg and placed the egg upright in the coals (sorry for the poor photo quality)

After a few minutes, the egg exploded and there was virtually nothing left in the shell. The shell cracked open and the contents came out like a volcano.

Next I made a bigger hole to try and circumvent the pressure build up which resulted in the eruption. I used my knife to carefully score and cut the top off the egg. (That’s a good little bushcraft activity in itself).

I put the lid back on (to keep ash out of the egg and because I could), and carefully palace it into the coals

After a few minutes, a small amount of egg oozed out and firmed up

I lifted the lid and had a perfect “boiled” egg with minimum wastage; and no messy pan to clean up ! (Except that one in the background)

 

[JonathanD]

Piccies not working I'm afraid.

 

[TeeDee]

Piccies not working I'm afraid.

Have a look here Vic

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13734

 

[Chambers]

Great pics, Chris did the same at Brockwell, first egg with a small hole and me rolling backwards as it exploded!

 

[JohnC]

I'd found the air space in the egg is in the bigger end, and if that is where the hole is made there is a reduced chance of the egg explosion... found by trial and error....

 

[DaveWL]

We're not going to have a Gulliver's Travels moment here are we ... ?

 

[Mojoracinguk]

Good skills Aussievic.....simple but I wanna do it now!
Can't believe I'd forgotten all about this......nature is so kind in her food packaging some times.


Mojo

 

[SimonM]

We did this on the last Scout camp...with more or less the same result - the first egg exploded.

After that we just made a bigger hole and it worked fine.

Tasty too!

Simon

 

[AussieVic]

I'd found the air space in the egg is in the bigger end, and if that is where the hole is made there is a reduced chance of the egg explosion... found by trial and error....

I do remember hearing about that, but didn't actually try it. I think puncturing the yoke may also help (which I did do). Next time I'll puncture the air space too.
Thanks !

 

[Partickpebbles]

looks like a great idea, guess you can do it like you would in the pan time wise! thanks for sharing!

 

[Retired Member southey]

Yup, once you chip out the hole, pop in a debarked stick and give it a swizzle to chop up the various membranes and away you go. hmmm that pan of eggs looks sooooo tasty!

Times may vary due to the differing factor in your fire, heat, wind, elevation of egg in relation to Mecca.

 

[mountainm]

Yup, once you chip out the hole, pop in a debarked stick and give it a swizzle to chop up the various membranes and away you go. hmmm that pan of eggs looks sooooo tasty!

Times may vary due to the differing factor in your fire, heat, wind, elevation of egg in relation to Mecca.

Try this method

Position 4 mobile phones carefully around the egg and then call them all -

wait 20-30 seconds, leaving the phones ringing.

then carefully pick up the egg and drop it in a pan of water.

Bring the water to the boil - remove from heat and then leave until the water has stopped boiling completely.

Remove egg and eat.

Perfect boiled egg - plus 20-30 seconds of pointless mobile phone ringing.

 

[Retired Member southey]

hahaha, brilliant!

 

[Gagnrad]

I spent a few days camping and decided to cook some eggs in the coals of the fire, something which I haven’t done, but has been one of the things I wanted to try.

Baked eggs seem to have been common in the past. In fact, Dorothy Hartley says eggs were "not often boiled before the sixteenth century".

I haven't tried it myself. I did wonder whether the explosions might have been because the ashes were still too hot, though. Mrs Hartley says it can't been done in ashes from coal fires at all, because they're "too fierce" compared with "soft wood ash".

It's a curious thing that we say "boiled eggs" but mean by that simmered. Eggs don't take too kindly to heat and if you give them too much heat, as for example by keeping them in water for some minutes at 100 °C, at the least you toughen the texture of the egg.

 

[Glydr]

I remember seeing a clip of Ray Mears cooking eggs in embers but he wrapped them in a load of moss first so they just got enough heat to cook and not explode

 

[Man of Tanith]

This is a staple method of cooking eggs when swompy and I go camping.
as you said the first couple exploded once the hole sealed over, best way we have found is to put the pointy end of the egg in the fire, make a bigger hole and only use hot ash rather than coals. also be careful when picking them up as they are ruddy hot!!

personally i think i prefer them cooked like this than boiled but suspect Lisa would get irked if i cooked them like this at home

 

[ex member coconino]

We're not going to have a Gulliver's Travels moment here are we ... ?

Not unless we egg them on.

 

[AussieVic]

Thanks for all the good feedback and a few eggcellent yokes too.
Next time I'll try putting the hole in the blunt end and be sure to puncture the air sack and yoke. I was aware that ash would be better than coals, but the area I put the eggs in was fairly cool.
You mustr use gloves or some kind of tool to get the eggs in and out - that fire is hot !

 

[Man of Tanith]

i usually use swompy to get the eggs out!