Zen and the Art of Boiling Eggs

Hard Boiling Eggs  

Don't you love it when you go to make pickled eggs or the perfect Southern delicacy - Deviled Eggs - and when you peel them, you end up with cut fingers AND the ever lovely ripped up, dimpled and ugly eggs?  You end up either eating the "Uglies" or being embarrassed by the 'beauty' of the eggs you serve up to guests (because how many of us make deviled eggs just for ourselves?).

When boiling eggs, there are things you can do to help make the peeling process go a little smoother.

Fresh eggs do not peel easily when boiled.  So, use the older eggs in your fridge!  Choose eggs that are “in date” of course when preparing food.

Start the pot with cold water and the eggs.  Dropping cold eggs into hot water can shock the eggs and cause the eggs to crack prematurely.  I luv the word “prematurely”.

Boil the eggs over medium high heat so as to not “hard/rapidly rolling boil” the eggs because that can cause them to bounce off one another and crack. Stay with a “low” boil.

Pull the eggs from the fridge and put into a pot.  Run enough cold water into the pot to cover all the eggs.

Bring the eggs and water to a low boil for about 1 minute. Turn the temperature down to low-medium heat and simmer for 3 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let the pot sit covered for 10 to 15 minutes. 

Pour off the hot water, cover with cold tap water and cool the eggs quickly.  I often go ahead and crack the shells at this point as I find that helps make peeling easier as well.

Once the eggs are cool to the touch, you SHOULD be able to peel fairly easily at this point.

Short of it: 

• Do not hard boil really fresh eggs
• Place eggs in straight from tap temperature water to start
• Don’t cook the eggs in water at a “rolling boil”
• Cool eggs down rapidly before peeling

If you use the above process and tips, you should have fewer "ugly eggs".

Now get to boiling those eggs because I am hungry...  And don't forget MY invite!

:)