“Custom-build a microwave with a frequency that excites fat molecules instead of the traditional water-targeted ones?”, @RobOnABike. “Some form of radiotherapy? I mean, that's the principle of treatment, kill the middle but not the surrounding cells... so if it generated enough heat....” – @archieroques.
“Selective Laser sintering? ... guess you'd need some sort of scan of the egg to locate the yolk” – @SueArcher6.
“Looks like it won't show up on X-ray. I reckon we need an ultrasound machine…” – @archieroques.
“Are you allowed to inject anything into the egg first? If so, and you can find a way to bind something specifically to the yolk, then magnetic hyperthermia may be the way to go” – @MillicentOak.
“I’m thinking sous-vide to slowly bring the full egg to just below cooking temp. Then rapidly cool the exterior so white is cooler than yolk. Then back in sous-vide to higher temp” – @GregorJClark.
“Infra-red light from a high power LED or laser focused at the yolk through a really big, high NA lens? Thin shell and transparent white shouldn't absorb much energy” – @martinjones78.
“Maybe multiple IR sources with phasing adjusted so that the peaks & troughs cancel out in the white zone, but amplify the heat in the centre” – @GregorJClark.
“Seems like you could 'cook' it by injecting, uh, acid” – @rynbtmn.
"Yolk has 27 times more iron than white, so ferromagnetic cooking might work? Try putting an egg directly on an induction hob? Or in a solenoid with high frequency AC?" – @martinjones78.
But @SueArcher6 summed it up with: “It would certainly be a waste of an egg, by serving both parts in their less good states (solid yolk is okay, but runny is better!)” (hsmag.cc/JIHYHu).
Sometimes it’s good to ponder out loud. You never know where the responses may take you.
You can view the whole conversation on Twitter at hsmag.cc/xgQSHc. Thanks to everyone who contributed, retweeted, and/or enjoyed the conversation.
