Cracking Curiosity

Teenage boys seem to have a universal affinity for a bacon and egg roll. With the commencement of the AIC rugby and football season, boys often declare that they are “on the bulk”. Therefore, daily bacon and egg rolls needs to have two eggs, two servings of bacon, and two slices of cheese. Parents often laugh that they can’t keep up with feeding a hungry teenage boy, and have impressive production systems within the household to attempt to produce enough food. 

In my own household, we have a system of making bacon and egg muffins in bulk and freezing them so that one can be pulled out from the freezer the night before and put in the sandwich press in the morning. In the name of efficiency, I’ve been experimenting with different methods of frying eggs so that I cook as many as possible in as little time as possible. 

I can do the double-crack, where I crack an egg in each hand and drop them simultaneously into the pan. After many months, I’ve determined that medium-high temperature is the best. Too high, and the last egg blackens before I can get to flipping it. Too low, and it doesn’t cook a nice crispy base that allows a good flip. Worse still, the egg whites run into their neighbour, and then I need to subdivide my eggs before I can flip them. 

Engineering provides assistance with mixed results. I’ve tried using the metal egg rings, but even with cooking spray, the eggs stick to the ring and trying to detach the egg from the ring causes the remaining eggs to burn. Sometimes I try to use different utensils to fling the eggs out of the rings. This never ends well. Silicon egg rings seem to melt. It’s an ongoing learning and experimentation process, and while my method is more driven by curiosity than science, my son still feeds on bacon and egg rolls, albeit with some variation in aesthetics. 

There are people though, who apply a very scientific method to the cooking of their eggs. Just yesterday, there was an article published simultaneously on The Guardian (Burey, 2025) and The Conversation (Burey, 2025) by Polly Burey, a professor in food science at the University of Southern Queensland. Ms. Burey reveals that science shows us the best way to peel a boiled egg. An egg has peelability factors – qualities about the egg that increase the potential for it to be peeled elegantly and with minimum thumb sweeps. 

• One factor is the pH of the egg white. The more alkaline the egg white, the easier it is to peel. 
• The storage temperature is relevant as well; 22 degrees Celsius seems to be the sweet spot. But if you store the eggs above this temperature, they are more likely to spoil. 
• Some studies also indicate that the older the egg, the better the peelability. 
• Others suggest boiling the water first, and then reducing it to a simmer, and then dropping a room temperature egg gently into it. Three to five minutes will get you a runny yolk. Six to seven is described as jammy, and 12-15 is hard boiled. 
• Importantly, quenching the boiled eggs into ice water will contract the cooked egg white slightly away from the shell, also increasing its peelability. 
• Adding salt to the water has mixed results, so the jury is not out on that one. Adding vinegar though, attacks the calcium carbonate in the eggshell and, in turn, increases peelability. 

Many scientists over many decades have been curious about the domestic approaches to egg-cooking. Their curiosity has helped us understand something seemingly mundane in this instance, but incredibly important for the way hard boiled eggs might provide biodegradable scaffolds for cancer research (Griffith, 2024). When scientists attend to their curiosity, the world becomes a better place. 

In fact, curiosity-driven research is its own recognised methodology. It is research motivated by a desire to understand our world without being controlled by the application of our research. Curiosity leads to discoveries, which lead to innovation. 

Which is why I’ve always disagreed with the adage, “curiosity killed the cat”. It’s believed that the concept was coined in literature, with Shakespeare alluding to the concept in his play, Much Ado About Nothing. But there is a lesser-known variation of the phrase, published in a range of newspapers in the early twentieth century and later in Stephen King’s horror film, The Shining. The updated version is: “Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back”, suggesting that curiosity might get you into trouble, but the satisfaction of knowing the thing that you were curious about is worth the risk. 

Today, I addressed our top academic students in Years 11 and 12 at our inaugural academic breakfast, the first in a fortnightly series designed to create community and belonging amongst our scholars. This is a supportive measure to facilitate a sense of belonging, normalising the challenges of high-achieving students, and broadening our students’ social identity (LaDue et al., 2024).

I assured them that their curiosity will not kill any cats. I even guaranteed that no animals would come to any harm if they are curious in their learning.  But as incredibly talented students, with opportunities at their fingertips that some students cannot even comprehend, their curiosity is what will improve our society. 

Their curiosity will kill complacency. 

Their curiosity will kill conceit. 

Their curiosity will kill conformity. 

We want our students at Laures to be curious. Wonder. Observe. Experiment. Speculate. Play. And enjoy that satisfaction that comes with that curiosity. It is both a talent and a gift. 

At St Laurence’s College, we want our students to be curious — intellectually in their lessons, excursions, and investigations; emotionally and spiritually in their formation; and physically in the environments we create for them.

We are proud to offer our Year 12 students a prototype study space, designed in response to their feedback about what supports independent learning. We are also pleased to introduce a fortnightly breakfast series for our high-performing learners, designed to broaden horizons, foster community, and spark new opportunities.

We believe that nurturing curiosity in every dimension of a student’s life strengthens not only academic achievement, but also resilience, innovation, and personal growth.

To our broader Lauries community, we extend an invitation: lean into curiosity — not just today, but every day. Be curious about the world, about learning, about each other. Ask the big questions, chase the small details, and embrace the remarkable journeys that curiosity can inspire.

Because curiosity doesn't just fuel learning — it fuels life.

Works Cited

Burey, P. (2025, April 28). Can you crack it? Science reveals the best way to peel a boiled egg. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/apr/28/how-to-peel-a-hard-boiled-egg-perfectly-easily-crack-hack-the-best-way

Burey, P. (2025, April 28). Is there a best way to peel a boiled egg? A food scientist explains. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/is-there-a-best-way-to-peel-a-boiled-egg-a-food-scientist-explains-235895

Griffith, T. (2024). A cracking idea: Could the humble egg unlock the secret to improved cancer treatments? https://www.unisq.edu.au/news/2024/10/egg-research

LaDue, N., Zocher, E., & Dugas, D. (2024). “It Just Makes It Feel Like You’re Not Alone”: A Qualitative  Study of a Social Support Group for High‑Achieving,  Low‑Income STEM Majors. Journal for STEM Education Research, 7, 227–256.