How to use science (and a dash of acid) to improve your scrambled eggs

IN THE three years since I started this column, I have somehow avoided writing about eggs, even though I cook them for breakfast most weekends. What is there to learn about such a simple food?

Quite a lot, it turns out. An egg may look the same from day to day, but it is undergoing subtle changes even before you crack it open. Water vapour and carbon dioxide escape through tiny pores in the shell, raising the pH of the egg white. Air diffuses into the shell, expanding the tiny air sac inside. For this reason, a fresh egg sinks…