What Causes an Egg to Crack if Its Boiled Too Rapidly

Cooks often recommend that an egg be heated slowly by starting it in cold water to avoid cracking the egg upon boiling. What phenomenon, discovered in 1802, is at the heart of this advice  

The quantitative relationship of gas volume and temperature is stated in Charles Law  

For temperature in Celsius, the relationship is given by V = Vo + at and by V = cT for absolute temperatures (Kelvin). This empirically derived relationship is commonly attributed to the French physicist, Jacques Charles (1787), and verified in 1802 by Joseph Gay-Lussac, a French chemist. 

Cherries Jubilee, Bananas Foster, Crepes Suzette, Beef Flambe, Steak au Poivre—all are recipes that use a dramatic procedure of flaming a liqueur to introduce additional flavors into the preparation. A little knowledge of chemistry will ensure that your concoction is a delicious one  

KEY TERMS flash point flammable vapor pressure 

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