 Duck, quail, chicken, farm-fresh or free-range, white, brown or speckled, eggs have a long culinary history and should be revered. I am a huge fan of eating them hard-boiled, chopped up with butter and salt in a bowl. It was what my mom fed me every time I was sick; it's easy to swallow on a sore throat. To this day it amuses me that every time I fire up a pot of hot bubbles to make my own, someone gives me unsolicited egg advice. It started early. When I was nine, my Aunt Gail said to "salt the water." I still do. And just last year someone taught me to "put the finished egg in the paper towel and roll it on the counter" for perfect shell cracking. As chef Steven Satterfield of Atlanta’s renowned Miller Union restaurant stated, “The deviled egg is a Southern icon and let's face it, there would be no dessert without the egg." Chef Satterfield is masterful when it comes to eggs, so for a change, I went to him to solicit a bit of hard-boiled advice. “My first tip is only make it deviled, for the deviled egg is a hard-boiled egg's best friend," he replied.
To make deviled eggs:
How do you make the perfect hard-boiled egg? Shell out your tips in the comments. Previously: No yolk! The best scrambled eggs Mandy Morris is an Executive Assistant at CNN. |
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WHAT ABOUT THE PICKLES!!!!! Southern Deviled eggs in my house MUST have dill relish along with them!!!! its just not the same without them :p
Don't forget to add some Texas Grano 502 onions to the mix.
Nicely put
This just in. "For the first time, Romney will reveal his 2010 income. And the number is likely to be big, since his net worth is estimated to be as high as $264 million." That is all.
Wrong board, sorry!
If only we could have a good sense of humor, as desplayed here, while discussing politics. Or maybe we don't think boiling an egg is as important as choosing the leader of the free world. The way it's been going, it's probably running about the same.
Anyone today who doesn't have a sense of humor about politix is taking way too many things way too seriously. But bein's how this is a light-hearted food blog, those of us with higher I.D.'s AND a sense of humor tend to take things not-too-seriously here ...
... unless otherwise specified.
1. Boil the pi ss out of the eggs for 10 minutes.
2. Crack the shells.
3. Submerge in cold water.
4. Peel.
Yuk, The Cayenne was too much and they did not taste anything like a good traditional Southern Deviled egg.
This was a great article. The author is a personal favorite of mine
Fresh eggs are hard to peel, you need to use older eggs. The ones you buy at the grocery store are usually a couple of weeks old, and they mostly do fine. We, however, have chickens and collect their eggs. Before cooking, you have to let them sit in the refrigerator for a few days before boiling and peeling. As for keeping the shell from breaking while cooking, you have to let the egg get to room temperature before boiling. The salt, cold water, hot water... is variable; sometimes it works, sometimes not.
I have hens.. lots of hens.. and I get lots of fresh eggs every day. I don't boil them when I want a hard-cooked egg. I STEAM them for 18-20 minutes. They turn out with perfect middles, no green ring, and peel just like an "old" egg.
Ha! You are all wrong. My way is right and I'm not going tell you how. I’m keeping it to myself. LOL!!! Giggling quietly to myself.
Homegirl, don't act like you're the only one who stuffs a dozen eggs in her drawers and keeps 'em there for a couple of days before cooking. Everybody knows that secret. Word is bond.....
Okay-I didn't read all the comments, but this is how I make my hard-boiled eggs. They are always perfect, with no green, overcooked coating on the yolk (which makes a disgustingly-tinged egg salad and devilled filling): put eggs in a saucepan, cover w cold water by about 2 inches, put on high heat. When the water reaches a good rolling boil, take the pan off the heat, cover TIGHTLY, and set a timer for 14 minutes. When timer goes off, drain the eggs in a colander, and run cold water over them continuously until they are cool enough to handle. Then peel under running water, starting at the wide end. Older eggs are the best because they have the largest air spaces at the chubby end, and the shells are not as "tight".
wow...boiling water? using a test egg? 34.6 seconds in the microwave makes the perfect egg.
Say No to Microwaves!~
This is one subject that everyone seems to have an opinion on. My Mom & I usually have some kind of argument about this when I'm hope for xmas. I make the boiled eggs & if we cook them her way, it takes an hour to peel 12 eggs. The eggs I make at home are almost always easy to peel. It makes me a litle crazy. I was telling someone about this situation not too long ago & they proceeded to give me advise about how to boil eggs. The point is, we all have our own way & we believe that it's the best.
Prior to boiling take a sterilized push pin, just heat it for a few seconds with a lighter, hold egg firmly and pierce large of egg then boil. You will see small bubbles coming out of the egg as it cooks. This is the air inside the egg that forces the yoke to one end or the other. The yoke will center in the egg for the perfect deviled egg.
Sorry, Mandy but your version is way too "underdone" in my book and it also wastes eggs for testing.Use eggs that hav ebeen sitting in the frig for at least 3 days. I place the eggs in cold water from the start and bring them to a boil. As soon as the water begins to boil, I remove it from the heat, place a cover on the pot, and let the egs sit in the water for 20 minutes. Then they are given a cold water bath and allowed to sit in cold water for a few minutes. The peeling is then easy, the yolks are firm but not overdone, and there is no green ring around the yolk.
AGREED! I have always done mine the exact same way and have never had a problem! : ))
what an absurd article...even for CNN.
It's not rocket science...
Put your eggs in a pot...sprinkle in some salt...take hotest tap water...fill pot so eggs are coverd...bring water to a boil (avoids splitting cold eggs in hot water)...lower temp to a "slow" boil set timer for 10-minutes.
Take them out...run them under cold water until you can hold them in your hand and eat.
End of story.
That's the way I've always done it. The chef's way seems much too complicated. I don't really care if the yolk is centered.
you are totally right! this is the only way to get perfect hard boiled eggs.
I do the same! Byt I let them sit for 8 min. instead of 20, and then put them into cold water.
KOSHER salt? Really? What happens if I make it with GOY salt? WTF. Why promote your superstitions here?
Ummm... it has to do with measurement and preference. Kosher salt is in flakes, it measures differently than granulated salt.
Different kinds of salt have different sizes of grains. Different size grains pack more or less densely into volume, so one teaspoon of different kinds of salt will be a different amount of salt. Different size grains are tasted differently by your tongue and provide different texture when used in foods. There may have been a religious recipe which went into the production of kosher salt, but there are very real differences in its use that have absolutely nothing to do with religion...
FWIW, Kosher salt is the salt thats used int he process of koshering meat. It's not meant to illustrate that the salt itself is kosher. It's also differenat than table salt as another writer writes. It's flakier and will disolve better so it's the preferred salt for chefs everywhere.
You should really dial down your attack of someone when you're not really sure of their motives. Sort of makes you look stupid.
Koshering salt, usually referred to as kosher salt in the US, is a variety of edible salt with a much larger grain size than some common table salt. Like common table salt, kosher salt consists of the chemical compound sodium chloride.
Unlike some common table salt, kosher salt typically contains no additives such as iodine, although some brands will include anticlumping agents in small amounts.
The term "kosher salt" derives not from its being made in accordance with the guidelines for kosher foods as written in the Torah, but rather due to its use in making meats kosher by removing surface blood. One salt manufacturer considers the term ambiguous, and distinguishes between "kosher certified salt" and "koshering salt". "Koshering salt" has the "small, flake-like form" useful in treating meat. "Kosher certified salt" is salt that has been certified as such by an appropriate religious body
What a bunch of work...Boiled eggs are so simple, just boil them for one minute, turn the heat off, cover for 11 minutes and, viola, perfect boiled eggs. No biggie.
Why be so complicated? Cover egg with water, boil water, turn off burner, put lid on pot and set timer for 11 or 12 mins. When timer stops, put eggs in ice water so they stop cooking. Test egg? please. They come out perfect every time.
In a pot large enough to cover a doz eggs by at least one inch with water bring water to a boil and then, carefully (as in using a spider or slotted spoon) lower 12 eggs into boiling water. set timer for 8 min. while waiting, prepare an ice bath to shock eggs, and a small pan (used to roll egg around to evenly crack the shell). at 8 min, remove one egg and place in ice bath for 30 sec. remove to pan and roll around to crack shell. peel egg (it should have cooled enough to touch after 30 sec in ice bath). cut in half and gauge donness of yolk. this whole precess should have taken about 1 min. repeat precess every min to find desired level of donness.
this process may result in a few eggs that are not cooked to your preference but you only have to do it once and you will forever know how long to boil egges to any level of donness that you have seen. have a guest that wants a soft boiled egg, give them an 8 min egg, med, 10-11. hard 12 min. at least thats what it is at my elevation. further, if you are at someonelses place, you dont have to worry about finding a lit to the pot or worring that they use gas/electric etc.
I've never liked the "put eggs in boiling water" technique becuase if you are like me, you keep your eggs in the fridge. I find that when I put cold eggs into boiling water, they crack. Similarly, waiting for eggs to come to room temperature seems like a waste of time to me.
I like to put cold eggs in cool water and bring them up to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes then shock them. Works for large eggs every time. Jumb eggs take 12 minutes.
I use an egg cooker. The eggs are much easier to peel, even if they are brand new. I will not go back to pot boiling – I could never get easy to peel eggs! It is way easier and faster just to use my egg cooker.
An aneggdote: While in grade school in a small town most of us would walk home for lunch. I was the first of several friends to "peel" off and go into my house. On entering the kitchen one day there was a bowl of eggs sitting on the counter. On impulse, I picked up the bowl, ran outside and pelted my friends as they walked up the road. They were hardboiled eggs. Laughing, I returned to the kitchen with the bowl and heard my mother call from upstairs. She said she would be down in a minute to fix lunch.
Thinking quickly, I opened the refrigerator, took out eight eggs, put them in the bowl and left the kitchen. I listened as my mother went into the kitchen and picked up an egg and cracked it on the counter. Confused, she cracked one after another and got nothing for her efforts but a runny mess on the countertop. Completely baffled she said not a word but gave up on making egg salad sandwiches. All during lunch she kept looking over toward the bowl and the countertop.
Embarrassed, I said nothing. Sadly, I waited too long to come clean and my mother is now gone. Too bad, because she had a great sense of humor and would have loved the story. (But maybe not right when it happened.)
I liked this story. Nothing like making your mother think she is crazy by changing out her eggs. Have a nice day :)
Thank you for sharing – that's a great story! I'm sure your mom would've seen the humor in it later in life too.
Mandy, Which came first, the article or the complaints?
In a more serious vein, Why no recipe for Toad In A Hole as a compliment to hard boiled?
Want perfect "boiled" eggs that are easy to peel?
Step one – as others have noted, don't use fresh eggs. Hard-to-peel is a characteristic of very fresh eggs.
Step two- don't boil them.. The agitation of boiling leads to cracked eggs.
Step three – use a timer Longer cooking leads to a more rubbery the white due to overcooking while waiting for the yolk to get done. Keep the water temperature just below the simmer, 180-190 °F is about perfect.. 10 min's is sufficient for a done but creamy yolk, at 15 min's the yolk will become granular. When time's up shock them in cold water to stop cooking the outer white. This will prevent a rubbery white.
As for the salt – it's useless. Yes, it raises the boiling point of water, but not by enough to be of any significance. Two tablespoons in a quart of water raise the sea level bp from 212 °F to 218 °F. See step one – you shouldn't be at boiling anyway.
The reason there are so many comments about how to boil an egg is that the author's method is contrary to common practice and common sense. Bottom line: start with cold water and bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Don't cook too long and rinse in cold water or you will get green rather than yellow yolks. Old eggs are easier to peel than fresh eggs. You can purchase a gadget that slips into the water with your eggs to help you tell if they are completely boiled. It changes color as the egg cooks to indicate level of hardness.
Your method will result in hard to peel eggs Sandy. The sudden shock od cold egg hitting boiling water cooks the membrane to the shell. As a result the shell literally slips off the egg (after you roll it on the counter) when you peel under running cool water. I can usually get the whole thing off in one peice.
Shocking in cold water at the end is good too, as it prevents over cooking (and the green yolks). However I prefer a bit harder egg (12 min) for my develed eggs as I like a fluffy and fully cooked yolk. Remember to adjust the time for altitude. Eggs take longer in Denver than they do in Seattle!!
You can easily prevent any cracked shells by lowering the eggs gently into the boiling water using the basket of your pasta pot.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Take each egg and use a paper tack to make a small hole in the dull side of the egg. This is counter intuitive because you think the shell will crack, but if you use a sharp tack, you will only make a small hole and the shell will not crack. Make sure it's on the dull side because there is an air pocket there and no egg white will escape. Put the egg in the boiling water. You will see air bubbles escaping from the hole, thus preventing the egg from cracking. Boil for 9 minutes. Put under cold running water and immediately swish in the pot so the eggs hit the walls of the pot and crack. Make sure to keep the eggs in the water with cracked shells for a couple minutes and peel them under water. This will let the sulphur escape and will prevent the green ring around the yoke. You can experiment with boiling time, depending on how hard you want the yoke to be. I like it soft in the center, so 9 minutes is perfect for me.
The important thing is that the Brown eggs are the Master Egg Race and are superior to all other forms of eggs. Lowly white eggs (inferior genetic material) are hardly fit for egg drop competitions, let alone eating.
Typical California yuppie-yuk, BS reccipe!!
Put in a pot with tap water, Bring to a boill covered.
Turn off heat. Leave covered for 15 minutes then run under cdold water to stop cook.
First cook thick sliced bacon in the skillet.....then use that fat to cook the eggs
this makes the eggs stick to the skillet. Eggs are much better cooked in butter.
My family favorite is soft boiled eggs (2) with buttered toast (2 pieces) cut into little cubes. Mix it all together so that the toast cubes soak up all the yolk. Salt and pepper to taste. Absolutely delicious! One more thing... the pin hole on the bottom (larger end) of the egg before cooking really works wonders.
I love eggs all kinds of ways & use a temperature controlled Sous Vide method (Costco has one, but is pricey).
You can cooked eggs at a constant temperature from about 132 degrees and above, for at least 75 minutes. Their are websites that will give a picture of how each egg looks with each increase in temperature. With this method, you can have perfect "custard" type eggs, poached eggs, soft boiled, hard boiled, and anything in between. There is science behind egg cooking which can be found on the web. One site recommends vinegar to help prevent the egg from escaping a crack by denaturing the protein. The salt may have an osmotic effect that helps separate the membrane from the shell & also serves as nucleation site for boiling. Older eggs have evaporated some of their water so they separate from the shell easier....and please don't egg me on :) Happy cooking!
Gah all of these deviled egg recipes that just make my head spin. I just use mayo (NO miracle whip, that stuff is evil) and a little bit of vinegar and tiny dab of mustard. I MIGHT add a little bit of sweet relish, usually I don't. Then you sprinkle with paprika and serve. I can never keep them around for the holidays when I make them. I'm usually swatting hands BEFORE the meal as they come in to sneak one or two.
Morgan,
Simply put, you have the same recipe as me and they keep asking for more.
Exactly, Morgan. Best, simplest recipe and I actually make extra to put out at first so I don't have to stand guard before the meal!
There are a milllion way to boil a perfect egg. I just put them in cold water with a pinch of salt bring the water to a boil, Cook 10 minutes, remove from heat and submerge in Ice water. As I do not eat the yolks I am not conscerned with over cooking them just with ease of pealing them.
did CNN just post an article on HOW TO BOIL a frkken EGG??
Well really the egg story came about because my mom made me hardboiled eggs my entire childhood and I have a HUGE respect for the egg. So this story is a loving homage to my favorite meal -
my method: (which may have already been mentioned but who has the time to read all these comments?!?) place eggs in an uncovered pot with enough cold water to cover the eggs plus 1/2 to 1 inch more. Turn heat on high. When water eventually comes to a boil, let eggs boil for 2 more minutes, then cover, take off heat, and let sit for 13 minutes. Immediately put them in ice water! The slow boil allows the egg to heat up with the water, and the covering of the eggs off the heat allows them to cook slowly and thoroughly. The ice water shock immediately afterward allows the eggs to set.
Also, best to boil eggs that are just a little older. New eggs don't peel as well. Older eggs peel perfectly and the yolk rarely comes out underdone.
Use a product called the Egg Genie. Best product for boiled eggs ever!
Use your oldest eggs to hardboil. They peel easier than fresh eggs. I use a teaspoon to peel the eggs. Gently tap all around the egg to crack it, then gently work the teaspoon under a crack with the concave side against the egg. Slide the spoon between the shell and the egg. Doing this under some water in a bowl makes this even easier.
The True Way......Boil water, remove from heat, insert eggs, cover, wait 10 minutes...The perfect egg!
nuts!
Wow...alot of you like really overdone eggs! Start in cold water, the instant it boils remove from heat, cover for 6 min. put in ice bath to stop cooking. Anything longer than this the yolk is way too hard and flavorless.
I think that's good.
I agree this is the perfect way.
Really!? 135 comments on how to boil an egg???
You sound a little hard boiled.
Eggzactly
All I do is boil the eggs with salt in the water, as soon as they are done I drain the water and put the whole pot under running cold water, it helps seperate the egg from the membrane, and walaa.....the easiest egg to peel......
"Walaa"? IIRC, that's spelled "voilà." HTH.
As long as you are checking the spelling how did you miss separate?
Owned. It was the egregious misspelling that leaped out at me. I stand chided. Well, sitting actually.
My method is simple: put the eggs in cold water, once the water comes to a boil, boil the eggs for 10 minutes (i'm not going to take the time to carefully add eggs to boiling water...I would probably just burn myself!). Boom, done. I have never used a tester egg. I usually peel them right away but, if I have more than 2-3, I will put them in cold water to stop the cookiing process. What this article doesn't point out is if the yolk has a grey-blue color on it (where the yolk meets the white), it is OVERcooked. This might be gross to some but my Dad used to make me boiled egg sandwiches for breakfast all the time when I was a kid – toast 2 pieces of bread, put a little butter on one side of each piece, slice the boiled eggs in an egg slicer (or slice thin with a knife), layer the egg slices on the bread and add salt & pepper to taste. It's delicious, I swear! *Yes, I'm passionate about boiled eggs*
I totally agree with you – it's cold water first, not boiling water as the eggs crack and leak out. I was surprised to read the article "the perfect hard-boiled eggs" with those instructions.
Cracking will not be a problem if you do not store your eggs in the refrigerator (or take them out an hour or so before). I have never seen a need to store eggs chilled, and almost every use for an egg requires it to be at room temp before starting anyway.
If you want to see if the egg is done. Take it out of the boiling water and spin it on the counter. If it doesnt spin it is undone. If it spins without delay it is done.
Alos You can test this with an unboiled eggs. Try spining it. Then Spin the cooked eggs. There is a noticable difference
you can also put it in a bowl of soda. if it points north, it's ready.
Isn't that the Boy Scout's motto, "Always pack a hard boiled egg and some soda in case you get lost."
The idea is to spin an egg on the counter and then gently stop it. Move your hand and if the egg begins to spin again, it means that the yolk inside is still runny, and moving in the spinning direction. If you spin the egg, stop it, and the egg stays still, it is done as nothing is moving inside...
Boil them till they crack. They lose the green when you mix in the mayo and other condiments!
OR
Put the eggs (one layer) in cold water in a pot. Bring to a boil. Cover. Turn off the heat. Let eggs sit for 11 minutes. Put the eggs in ice water. Peel when they are cool. Carry on with favorite deviled egg recipe. (My current favorite: Use 6 egs. Boil, etc., cut in half, scoop yolks, mash 'em, Mash 2 oz smoked salmon with a fork. Finely chop some chives, set some aside for garnish. Mix in with yolks, 2 tbl (or more to taste) room temp cream cheese, an enough mayo to make the texture you like. Sprinkle with chives. Eat and smile.
No, if they are green around the yolk they are overcooked. A well cooked hard boiled egg is tender all the way through, not runny, not tough, and definitely not green or blackish around the yolk.
I just received the best tip ever. add a tablespoon of cooking oil to the water. Start eggs in cold water. bring to a full boil. take off the fire and cover for 15 minutes. then run cold water over them for a couple of minutes. the oil penetrates the shell and settles between the shell and the cooked egg. absolutely perfectamundo!!
its boiling a friggin egg, not splitting an atom. get over yourselves.
Great going Haywood. At least we have taken a break from listening to all the political nuts out there. I would like to eat a good deviled egg than listen to most of them.
got that right !
Hey... I wish there was a "thumbs up" or a "haha Good One" button!! You made me LOL for real :)
ps..clever name.
Nobody has yet mentioned this old trick... For an easy peeling and crack-free egg, use a sewing needle and drill a hole in the small end of the egg before boiling. Perfect everytime.
Really? Cracked eggs always spill the whites into the boiling water, I can't imagine poking a hole in the shell will do any good.
It works; the tiny hole lets no egg out, but lets water in, where it sits between the shell and egg.
You are correct. It works every time, not sometimes or most of the time. I have been using a pin to make a small hole in the bottom end of the egg, and when the water is boiled I put the eggs in for 10 minutes with perfect results every time.
After you remove the eggs place them in cold water for 1 or 2 minutes and you are good to go. They peel easy and perfect every time.
Anyone with hints on how to peel a very fresh hard-boiled egg without taking part of the white off?
I actually find if you peel them while they are still warm they peel perfectly. If there cold, I have trouble & end up loosing a lot of the egg white. So after they are boiled, and the water is cooled off enough to grab them out of, but not cold, peel them quickly. Or, if you've put them away boiled in the fridge, run them under the hot water for a while before you peel them.
its explained in the article
Just let them sit in cold water for a little bit after boiling and the shell comes of perfectly!
Thats why you add salt to the water while they are boiling. It makes the shell come off clean. I put my eggs in a pan, add water place on stove and wait for them to boil. When they start to boil give them one minute, cut the heat off and put a lid on them. Let them set for 10 minutes. They come out perfect every time. If you added salt to the water when you started, they peel clean.
Salt does not do that! Have you read any of the comments so far?? There's about 50 of them explaining the salt.
Susan, I have arthritis and find using a metal tablespoon to crack the egg on the side and gently push the spoon between the egg and shell causing it to peel off very easily. Works everytime.
I find more success with peeling very fresh eggs if I let them come to room temperature before boiling, rather than putting them straight from the fridge to the stove.
After the eggs are cooked, drain and cover them in the same pot with ice water 2-3 times or let them sit in ice water until temperate. (Or, empty water after each time until they are cool to the touch.) Leave enough eggs in the pot to allow room to roll around, then shake the pot side to side really hard. Repeat with all eggs.
Surprise, the shells crack against the side of the pot, fall away and leave you with a completely peeled boiled egg. Old farmer's trick taught to my by an old Scottish woman years ago. It never fails to amaze my guests.
I have always made deviled eggs but only in the last year found the perfect way to cook and peel eggs so easily you won't believe it. After buying, let eggs sit in fridge a week before boiling; let come to room temperature; cover eggs completely with tepid water; bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes; remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes; pour out water; fill pan with cold water and peel. The shell comes right off; the yolks are yellow and completely done. This works! I have struggled with hard-to-peel eggs for years and they either weren't completely done or had the green rim because they were too done. I love it!!!!
The secret to hard boiled eggs peeling easily is never use fresh eggs. I bring mine to a boil and let them sit for 15 mins. Then I run cold water in the pan displacing the hot water....when they are cool I crack them and peel. Hellman"s mayonnaise is the only one in my house.
silly. just crack an egg, whip a few times, add 10 drops of soy sauce, pour over hot steamy rice, enjoy. no green house gases.
No green house gases? How did you get the rice hot?
With the sun and a magnifying glass, obviously.
Most simple and nearly foolproof recipe for savory Deviled eggs:
Miracle Whip (I actually prefer "light) and "Beaver Brand Sweet hot mustard" in equal amounts. Actual amount varies depending on size/number of eggs.
I've never had anyone not comment on how much they liked this recipe.
I was taught to put eggs in cold water and salt. Bring to a boil and continue for 10 minutes exactly. Remove pan from burner and cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Immediately put eggs in ice water and use when cool enough to be handled.. The inside is bright yellow with no discoloration on the edge of the yolk and the yolk is centered which makes prettier deviled eggs.I am reading everyone's comments and will try several of them.
I place the eggs in cold, brined water, bring the water to a rolling boil, immediately remove from heat, cover, and time for exactly 15 minutes. Rinse, cool, and use. It's always been perfect, no discoloration to the yolk.
Boiled eggs...?
American tastes are so unrefined. Kind of like your children. European tastes (and children for that matter) are SO much more developed.
Well la tee f'n da!
Their children are refined? Pervert.
Hery Jean, airplanes fly both directions you know.
Opps! Sorry. Is it Jean or G-ann?
Well then. Be sure not to use any of our advancements then, like electricity, telephone,radio, Internet and dentistry.
Don't forget deodorant :)
Europeans don't eat boiled eggs? When did this happen?
Sometimes, the simplest things are where you find the divine. Hard-boiled eggs go way back, not just "American". I wouldn't be so quick to judge, Jeann. I mean, marmite, haggis? What about steak tartare – now, I actually enjoy that dish, but some people would beg to differ.
Jeann, I'll take Memphis bbq, Midwest steak, California wine, New England chowder, Cajun food, Tex Mex, or an In-N-Out burger over all the overpriced snail meat in France, generic schnitzel in Germany, or any of the disgusting pub food in Britain. You keep your refined taste, I'll have the scrambled eggs with tabasco, hold the Euro trash.
Troll, who eats snails? brains, chocolate covered ants, poisonous mushrooms?
News to me, I see hard boiled eggs all the time in Europe.
Just because we don't eat snails doesn't mean we're unrefined.
Ahh yes Jeann, us yanks are so unrefined. We prefer our cheese without the mold. We unfortunately "get" to have a say in our children's education classes including their Sex Ed class. We don't have time to sit around drinking tea and eating crumpettes with our pinkies poked out because we are working instead of the government paying for everythng, I think they call that pride. Our children are so unrefined that saying please and thank you are old fashioned instead of the rude stare. Oh and let me not forget WW1 and WW2. We yanks are so unrefined that we feel an obligation to bail your naturally puckered butt out of toilet because you had your nose poked so high in the air that you fell in. Oh my, yes we are unrefined. If you are living in the United States of America, I say old chap, go home. If you're only visiting, don't let the door slam on your hind end as you leave.
As the article says. Bring the water to a boil, then add eggs and cook for 8 minutes. Remove them. I just empty the hot water and add cold tap water. Let them cool, and the shell and membrane just slides off the egg. There's no reason to crack the shell and put them in ice water.
Yup. That's how I do it as well.
I have never heard of lowering eggs into boiling water first. That just doesn't make sense to me. I take the eggs from the fridge, put them in a pot with hot tap water and let them sit for a while to warm up. My grandma added a metal teaspoon to the water to prevent them from cracking. I boil them for 6-8 mins, rinse them in warm water then peel. I have never have undercooked eggs or cracked ones...yet!
I'm able to stare at the eggs intensely enough that they cook from the inside out with no mess. A serious but slightly confused glare tends to work best. After eye-cooking, a couple raps of the spoon and the shell slides right off in two pieces.
I suggest saving one egg as a starter to spawn more eggs, rather than buying them at the store.
TO actually make perfectly hard-boiled egg(s)
Put eggs in pot will cool water-bring to a soft boil. Once you have reached the soft boil, turn off heat source and wait 12 minutes. After the 12 minutes have elapsed, shock the eggs in a ice bath to stop further cooking. You will have a perfectly cooked egg.
Twelve minutes would not be enough where I live. The altitude where you are cooking the eggs will effect that. Such as on the coast or in the high country.
True Story – I make eggs this way. They are fully cooked, yet still fluffy, with no green on the yolk.
Why is it important that there is no green on your yolk? Isn't this about making deviled eggs? Who's going to know that the yolk came out green if you blend the ingredients correctly?
This method has always worked best for me too and less likely to end up with egg shells that crack while boiling which is particularly important if making deviled eggs.
I always add yellow mustard to my deviled egg mixture – it not only adds a little bite, but also colors them a more respectable yellow.
Same here, only I boil them for 10 minutes, not 12. Maybe I'm just using smaller eggs.
THIS, exactly. The eggs should start in cold water and never sit in boiling water any longer than a few seconds. You want to gradually bring them up to the temperature in which the proteins in the egg rearrange themselves and solidify, which is just before boiling, and no further. An overcooked egg also develops that grey-green rind around the yolk, which is sulfur in the . That's why overcooked eggs smell horrible.
This is a constant argument between me and my husband, who likes to boil his eggs to death and stinks up my kitchen, aaargh.
whoops *sulfur in the egg white reacting with the iron in the yolk.
i have learned to 'hard cook' eggs, not boil them, sort of like chef Antoine, but I think it was Tyler Florance who taught me: put eggs in cool tap water, start eggs cooking and pull from heat covered just when you see tiny bubbles rising in pot. Let set 15 min, then rinse in cool tap water until eggs have cooled enough to peal. this usually releases the skin from the egg & shell very nicely and these turn out beautifully yellow yolks, no gray/green exterior on yolks. Of course, if you can spin the eqq on the counter...it's done & that is no yolk! I usually eat them on the go, whole, or slice for a sandwich, or dice for tuna/chicken/potato salads.
i like the deviled egg recipe thanks, I have never made that but will give it a go. bon appetit
Question: after boiling, should you let them cool naturally, or run eggs under cold water? Which will be easier to peel cleanly?
Not sure what the fuss is over boiling eggs. I put 6 of them in cold water, set the water to boil uncovered and cook for 20 mins, then shut off the stove and let the whole thing cool. They crack, peel, and taste just fine. So, why add salt and vinegar...and so forth?
Salt and viniger will both help to keep the shells from cracking during the cooking process. At least that is what my momma always said. A broken egg in the cooking pot can be messy.
They don't keep the shell from cracking. They will help leaked egg white coagulate more quickly for an egg that does crack.
I only add salt/vinegar if others are watching. It makes it look like you know what you're doing, especially if you throw the salt in with authority. Don't forget to snap your wrist, maintain good arm rotation and follow through.
LOL, Scooter! the best way I've found to get perfectly boiled eggs is to let my daughter do it. She's a chef.
Yeah buddy. And I cook mine only during a full moon. the gravitational pull from the moon separates the membrane from the egg making it easier to peel.
Yes! Eggs into pot of cold water. Bring to boil for 12-ish minutes. Turn off burner, remove pan from hot burner and let come to room temp. Peel. PERIOD!
Probably the only person here who knows how to properly boil eggs without all the unnecessary (and stupid) complexity. The only thing I'd modify here is if your prefer not overly HARD-boiled eggs, but wish to have the yolk mostly solid but slight soft (but not runny) in the core (hence what I consider perfectly boiled eggs), once the eggs in the cold water come to boil in medium heat, let it boil in slow heat for 7 more minutes (or shut off in 5 if you have an electric stove – let the remaining hot coils cook/heat for 3 more minutes – and save energy). Then drain the hot water and add sufficient cold tap water to cool the eggs. Don't drain the water unless you're ready to crack & peel. If you are saving the eggs for later, put them into normal cold tap water for ~10sec before peeling (no ice, for Pete's sake).
Life's full of simple wonders – making perfectly boiled eggs, in the simplest & best way, is one such example!
Of course, no one here talks about how to properly eat perfectly boiled eggs, which if you do know how, will transform a simple pleasure (which is a pretty damn good thing already) into moments of bliss!!!
Eggs about a week old, let come to room temp. Place eggs in pan, cover with tepid water, bring to boil, remove from heat, set timer for 10 mins. Place pan in sink, fill with cold water, let it run for a few moments or add ice. Perfect everytime.
For a quick breakfast sandwich, toast some mulit seed bread, while toasting peel egg and kinda give it a rough chop, place a slice of cheese on hot toast, top with egg, and other slice of toast.
I would never place cold or even room temp eggs into boiling water. I'd place them in lightly salted ice water, THEN put them on the burner with a lid. Bring the water to a boil for a few seconds, 30 at the most, then turn off the heat and let them sit. cool them down with cold water and peel....perfect every time...never that blue/green rim you get from over boiling. We've been eating these on assorted greens, the protein is huge for weightloss.
The BEST deviled eggs is to mix the yolks with a little salt, pepper, tablespoon of mayo and 1 can of Underwood Deviled Ham. You'll never eat deviled eggs any other way after this!!!
I prefer the cold water method of cooking eggs. Put the eggs into a pot of cold water, covering them plus 1" more. Bring it just to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover, and let it stand for 22 min. Drain, let them cool 1 min, then peel.
I also prefer about 2-1 ratio Dijon mustard to Mayo in my deviled eggs.
Personally I prefer the yolk a bit runny and to eat with a few drops of soy sauce on top. But I hardly can make it just right and always end up with hard boiled eggs. My way is to put eggs submerged in a pot of cold water to avoid cracking. Turn the heat on to 8 on 1-10 and turn off the heat once the water starts bubbling. Wait about five minutes when the water settles and remove the pot from the stove into sink and pour in cold water.
The advice given - see if the egg is a bit runny? Who wants a runny hardboiled egg? Boiling eggs are definitely a preference. If you make egg salad out of slightly runny eggs–let's just say gross out city!
I use a sandwich bag for mixing the ingredients, then snip off a bit of the corner and fill the eggs the way you would use a frosting bag. If you are going through the trouble to make a perfect deviled egg, why not go the extra mile on the presentation?
great tip!
A great and simple ways to cook a hard boiled egg with out getting any dishes dirty! Just go to washing machine and set it on Hot/Hot function and put it on gental cycle! Wait for the water to fill up before putting the eggs in (the more the better) then let it go through the cycles (Even spin!!!!) The eggs will come out cooked and craked! Just eat and enjoy!
Isn't that a lot of water and energy just to boil a few eggs?
Really skeptic? Really? Of all the things that are wrong with the comment above you're afraid that I'm wasting too much water?
No that's why I makes sure to do at least 4 dozen at a time!
Actually, joe08, I was more afraid that you are trolling here. I just thought I'd stick to the topic.
yes skeptic I was hoping it would be obvious and make someone smile at my joke.
I'm still laughing
Oh my goodness, I'm in tears! Thanks so much for making me laugh so hard I couldn't stop!!! You folks are precious.
I don't know what to say. This is just one of those ideas that you love and hate at the same time. Awesome!
hahaha...thanks for the advice.
I learned more about how best to cook eggs from the comments than I did from the article. Any tips for soft-boiled? Those are my favorite, but I always screw them up.
Soft boiled eggs are even easier! just like I said above except put it on Hot/Cold function of the washing machine!
If you didn't see what I wrote above: "A great and simple ways to cook a hard boiled egg with out getting any dishes dirty! Just go to washing machine and set it on Hot/Hot function and put it on gental cycle! Wait for the water to fill up before putting the eggs in (the more the better) then let it go through the cycles (Even spin!!!!) The eggs will come out cooked and craked! Just eat and enjoy!"
Just in case anyone was wondering I was making a joke, please don't try this.
joe098 – that is priceless! Made me smile, so thank you for that!!
Did I make you.... CRACK a smile? bawhahahahahahaha!
Many ways to do deviled eggs and they are all good except for the guy who puts them in his washer. If I gave out my way of doing them I would have a big problem.. I have a reputation of making the best deviled eggs ever. I'll not argue with that. More fun if everyone did their own thing until they got one they liked. I'd like to be in on the testing them.
But you can't bet the volume of eggs I can cook!
For deviled eggs, try using half mayo & half ranch dressing.
Ewww, the worst deviled eggs I've ever had were made this way. To this day when my friend wants to have them at a bbq I have to volunteer to make them so she will not ruin an entire batch of beautiful deviled eggs with ranch dressing.
Ranch dressing is good on salad, but I honestly can't understand the fascination with putting it on EVERYTHING. I've seen people put it on pasta. Ugh.
peeling eggs can be a bitch sometimes, so i'll take 2 over medium
The fresher the egg – the harder to peel!
in puerto rico where i was born my mom kept one chicken to lay eggs we ate the other hems because we were so poor i was 15
before i knew chicken came whole we ate wings/legs/necks/livers parts were cheaper. cooking one egg for each of 4 kids was a religous endevor boiled for 7 min peeled and spiced with boiled bananas and leftover white rice.
eat your heart out andrew zimmen ha ha
I swear by using about a teaspoon and a half of vinegar(either cider or white), and a pinch of salt my water and I use just tap water,bringing the eggs to boil in the pan.I boil nine minutes and then turn it off.
I LOVE deviled eggs!
I put cold eggs (doesn't matter how many) and tap water in a pot, and bring to a boil. I boil until I see ONE egg with a crack, then I remove from the heat, wait a couple mins, and drain. Never runny yolks, always easy (or as easy as it ever is) to peal. Deviled eggs for me is all about the mayo/mustard combo. I like mine with a tang, so I use miricle whip. Add some peprika and dill. Mush and mix well. TASTE YOUR MIX!
For ease, put mix into a zip-lock bag, cut the corner and pipe into egg halves. Also, I agree with Ann above, older eggs are great for hard boiling!
A great way to tell if they are done without having to cut them is take one out & spin it on the counter. If it spins fast, it's done. If it's still a little slow, it needs more time. I actually find if you peel them while they are still warm they peel perfectly. If there cold, I have trouble & end up loosing a lot of the egg white. So if I boil a bunch and put them in the fridge for later, I run them under hot water before I peel them and they peel perfectly.
Tobi I can honestly say that I cannot imagine a single more accurate, consistent, and repeatable method of telling if the eggs are done than this one you have devised over countless hours of careful consideration and thought. With such a scientific suggestion, I can only assume you are currently employed as a person who devises ways of testing very important products that are mass produced.
Boiling eggs for deviled eggs is so simple. Put as many as you want in a pan with enough cold salted water to cover them by about an inch. Bring to boill, cover, turn off heat, let rest for 15-16 minutes. Put in ice water for a few minutes if you are using immediately. Put in fridge if waiting more than an hour or two. Crack and peal, cut in half, mix yolks with your favorate myao, etc. and put back in the cut halves of the white. I like slivers of jalapino pepper on mine. Hint: eggs that are "older". peal easier.
Try adding a little horseradish to the deviled eggs! Great!
If you put eggs out of the fridge directly into boiling water they will crack and you will have a mess. I put eggs into cold tap water and slowly bring to a boil. Let them boil for about 5 -6 minutes and they will be perfect. Eggs that are a bit older will peel easier. Eggs fresh from the market are much more difficult to peel and the eggs stick to the shell. The salt in the water is just an old wives tale and does nothing to make the egg easier to peel.
Absolutely "2. Gently lower 7 eggs into the water and start a timer.." says the expert.... after the water is boiling. If you do this you'll have a whale of a time getting the shell off. Put the eggs in UNHEATED tap water, THEN bring it to a boil. The shell will come off easier than easy.
Right on. I figured anyone who cooks would know that but apparently not. Your comments came in as I was writing mine. Good advise.
Salt in the water doesn't make the egg easier to peel, but it does do things. It raises the boiling temperature, which could actually make the egg white rubbery. It also helps coagulate any egg white that might leak from a crack.
That's a common myth, that was disproven in my high school honors Chemistry class. You would have to pour cups of salt in for it to effect the boiling temperature even a few degrees. It is in fact, an old wives tale on all accounts. The only time salt should go into boiling water is for flavor (such as pasta), and since the eggs are in a shell, it's pointless.
The salt isn't to make them easier to peel, you add salt because it takes less energy to heat salty water than pure water. The difference in efficiency of course depends on how much salt you add.
Boiling eggs is not an egg-zact science. Depends on altitude, size of the egg, and your attitude about how hard it should be when it is done. This is the only thing on CNN today that did not get under my skin.
The only reason to put salt in the water is it raises the boiling point.
To what? To a high enough temperature to make a difference? I think not.
No. And that's my point. It doesn't do much, but still people insist on adding salt to water for boiling.
Adding salt to water also increase the water temperature conductivity and accelerates the heating of the water.
Your ratio of salt to water would be close to a third of a cup of salt for each cup of water. Google the calculations for exact measurement, but it is simply not true. A few dashes of salt will do nothing.
"Despite what you read in cookbooks, scientists claim that the amount of salt you’d typically add to a pot of boiling water is too small to make any meaningful difference in the boiling time or boiling point."
Haha....you rock Jay. :)
I do the same method of bringing to a boil, turning off the heat and cover but I only wait 10 minutes and the farm fresh eggs I use are always done perfectly.
what does the salt do when boiling the egg itself?
If an egg cracks, the salt seals the crack quicker so the egg doesn't leak as much.
Baloney. The salt raises the boiling point of the water. Nothing more.
Neither is true. See previous posts of mine. Salt in water only serves the purpose of flavor (as for pasta).
This IS true.
Adding salt to cooking water allows the water to be "hotter" than boiling without any ions.
ehow (source):
"An egg that cracks in hot water can cause stringy pieces of albumen to appear. If an egg cracks, salted water (as well as vinegar) can help the egg white coagulate more quickly."
Thanks for explaining it a little better.
1 ounce of salt into 1 quart of water will raise the boiling point by about 35 degrees F. If anything, this extra heat will only over cook the outside of the egg, making the texture of the white (album) rubbery.
The method described here to boil an egg is most incorrect. Granted it gets the job done, but so does a microwave.
I cover my eggs with cold water, bring to a boil, and boil for about 7-8 mins; then dump the hot water out, run cold water over them a couple times; and start cracking and peeling them under running water. They always turn out tender but fully cooked. All I add to mine is Duke's (mayo), a little squirt of mustard, salt and pepper. Occasionally sprinkle with paprika, but I do not like the taste of vinegar in deviled eggs.
Also, you don't need a wire mesh sieve – a good old fork works fine to smoosh the yolks and is a lot easier to wash.
Forgot to mention that using older eggs seems to work better. The shells release much more easily than with fresh-from-the-store eggs.
Missy, your tips are exactly like the ones I received from my grandmother (and I use myself!). My only difference is the ingredients. My ancestors were German, Scottish, and southern! We like slightly tart deviled eggs. Whatever your measuring device is, just use twice as much sugar as apple cider vinegar with the mashed yolks. This makes wonderful deviled eggs!
I use the energy saving method (does not work with gas stoves). Put your eggs in a pot of cold water. Turn stove on high, bring to boil, turn off after good rolling boil, but do not remove from stove until water is cool enough to put your fingers in. Perfect every time.
Another way to cook eggs.....put you eggs in water. Bring them to a boil and then turn off the burner and let them just sit in the hot water for 20 minutes. No cracking of shells and they come out perfect!
This way, no watching them boil!!
Hard boiled egg with a light sprinkle of salt=fantastic. Why would you ruin a perfectly good hard boiled egg by smashing the yolk then mixing it with mayo and mustard?!
The same reason you would take a perfectly good steak and turn it into a hamburger (simplified I know), because we humans like variety, especially in our foods.
Missing an important instruction:
Do we start with cold from the fridge eggs of warmed to room temperature?
experiment
Scrambled is the only way. This article is heresy!!
First, I stage a stealthy Ninja raid on the neighbors fridge in the dead of night. I steal exactly 8 eggs, just to one-up the writer. I make sure to slap their cat in the face on the way out. Once I arrive back at my Dojo I take a mix of water from the toilet (which I haven't flushed in 4 days) and some out of the dog bowl for extra zip to total 4.23 quarts.
Bring to boiling.
After about 6 minutes, I check an egg to ensure I have achieved hot steaming sludge status by pitching it against the kitchen wall. Remove from heat and place in empty bowl. I like to keep it in the garage for about 6 weeks before making Easter Eggs.
My method is a hybrid of the two described. I put the eggs in the cold (salted) water, then bring to a boil. I cook them for 6 minutes after the first big bubbles form, then put them in cold water. This results in a yolk that is fully cooked, but still a bit liquid in the center.
I use an Eggsact Egg Timer. Takes all the guess work out of it if you really don't like runny eggs and you don't have to cut one open to know.
This timer goes into the cold water with the eggs and changes colors as the eggs cook. When they are done to your liking, just remove them from the heat and cool them in tap water.
Thanks for telling us I always have to guess on how long to cook them.
I use my Egg Timer app on my iPhone. Love the details of this app (like a screen to measure your egg before calculating.) It is very accurate.
Boiling those eggs for that long will really overcook the yolk. I'm with everybody else, put the eggs in the water, bring to boil and turn off. Creamy yolks, not dry and chalky. I've made some deviled eggs with curry powder before as well and they are great for a little variety.
Me too! A little curry powder in deviled eggs is yummy!
who wants a still runny yolk in their hard boiled egg?
does it continue to cook after you take it out of the water? long enough to cook the yoke?
i can't see how....since you plunge it into an icy bath.
Unless of course you live in a high altitude... in which case this article is not as helpful... Boil them for 9 1/2-10 minutes where I live!
Thank you for this article. I'm always looking for a new way to make eggs, especially deviled eggs.
I've always heard that you should start with the eggs already in the water before boiling, so they aren't so likely to crack from the sudden heat.
Cover the eggs with at least an inch of water. Bring to a full boil, then STOP and remove them from the heat. Let them sit (covered) in the hot water for about 15 minutes (or longer if you use extra-large eggs). I usually leave them a bit longer because I hate runny centers, but if you leave them too long, the yolk will get green on the outside. Then put them in cold water to stop the cooking.
My husband swears that adding a tablespoon or two of vinegar to the water before cooking helps prevent cracking, too, but I honestly can't see any difference.
Finally, if the eggs are very fresh, they won't peel as nicely. Use your older eggs for hard-boiling.
I was taught to make hard boiled the way you are describing. I never have cracking problems. Just lower the eggs into the pot with a slotted spoon.
You don't need a slotted spoon if you put the eggs in the pan first and then cover with water.
That's the way I hard boil eggs too – eggs in water, bring to boil, turn off stove and let eggs sit, covered, for about 15 minutes.
Another vote for this method, although we go for leaving them covered for 18 minutes as I usually get extra-large eggs. Don't have cracking problems, certainly don't have to cut open an egg to see if they're "done," the yolk is nice and firm with a pretty yellow color, no green ring that can result from overcooking.
I always cook mine for about 20 minutes, never knew how manyminutes for sure. Thanks for your insight. By the way I use vinegar too and see no cracks.
Agreed as well. Amazing everybody has their own trick :^) For an easy peel, I don't take the eggs out of the water until the egg proteins have cooled. If you take them out hot or warm (even if you're transferring to ice water), the water will evaporate and fuse the membrane between the egg white and the shell. To increase cooling times, after the 15 minute rest, I put the warm pot in the sink and flood it with cold tap water and let it sit until the water is room temperature.
This is my method too! I only let them sit in the hot water 12 minutes and they come out perfectly.
Is this article seriously suggesting that every time I boil eggs I use an extra one as a tester? What a waste!
I think you're supposed to eat the "tester".
I'm a professional chef, the method Ann has mentioned is the way any respectable chef would make eggs.
For the perfect egg, bring the water to boiling (from cold with the eggs submerged), let them boil for 30seconds to a minute, remove from stove (but still in hot water). Time EXACTLY 13 minutes and then flush water and add ice water (shock the eggs).
The reason we add salt to the water is because the salt reacts with the proteins in the egg shell to make it easier to peel after.
Your method is the way my grandmother taught me 20 years ago and it's by far the best method I have seen.
For people who want more calcium in their diet, don't peel the egg, eat it shell and all
Absolutely right, Ann. I don't know why the instructions in the article are so complicated.