With Easter right around the corner, boiling eggs is a ritual that many people practice, especially those with children. The eggs are to be boiled for the purpose of decorating in pretty Easter colors and designs. Seems simple, however, its surprising that so many of these eggs never pass inspection. They are either over or under boiled, which makes for a not so decent boiled egg after Easter has passed. Or, for decorating purposes, a busted egg is so very unattractive. At the end of the day, we end up with a garbage can full of unusable, inedible eggs.
So, where can we start to make sure we have perfect eggs for both decorating, peeling and, of course, deviled eggs.
Below are some step by step instructions for getting it right. ▪Make sure the eggs are room temperature before boiling them. ▪The pot should be large enough so the eggs have room and are not hitting each, as this can cause the eggs to crack. They may be hairline cracks as they are boiling, but can get wider as boiling continues. ▪Always fill the pot with cold water to cover the eggs by about 1 inch water coverage.
▪Cover the pot with a lid that is tight fitting. ▪Bring the pot to a boil, allow 6 minutes to get to a medium boil. A high boil can cause the eggs to collide with each other. Note: try to avoid the water with eggs coming to a rapid boil, as the sudden change in temperature from cold to hot can put added stress on the eggs and cause them to split. ▪Let the water come to a full boil, then take the pot off of the burner and move it to a cold burner. ▪There is no need to boil the water hard for an extended duration to cook the eggs.
As soon as there are large bubbles and steam, take the pot off of the burner and move it over to a burner that's turned off. ▪After moving the pot, put 1 teaspoon of salt over the water and eggs. (This will make the eggs easier to peel) You don’t have to stir. The peeled eggs will not taste salty. After doing this, only leave the eggs in the water for about 30 minutes. Leaving them in the water longer will cause the eggs to toughen and the yolks will be lighter.
▪Peeling the eggs. The eggs must be cooled, quickly, prior to being peeled. They need to be cooled quickly because this will avoid that greenish ring from forming around the yolk. ▪The fastest way to cool the eggs is by putting them in a bowl of ice water. Move them from the pot of hot water to the ice water. Let them stay in the ice water for about 25 minutes. ▪After 25 minutes (the eggs should be cool) remove the eggs one by one and gently crack their shells by tapping them lightly on a hard surface.
▪Return each egg (once you have cracked the surface) to the bowl of water for another 10 minutes or so to allow a bit of water to seep under the shell to make peeling easier. ▪Find a spot on the egg where the shell is starting to come off. At this point, the egg shell can almost be smoothed right off. ▪If the shell is sticking, you can hold the egg under water to help get the start you need. The gentle force of the water can be enough to loosen the shell from the egg surface
Finally, be patient if the shell doesn't start to pull away immediately, as some delicate massaging with your fingers might be necessary. After you have peeled the shell off of the egg, give the egg a rinse under cool running water to get rid of any little bits of shell that may be left on the egg.
Good Luck!
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So, where can we start to make sure we have perfect eggs for both decorating, peeling and, of course, deviled eggs.
Below are some step by step instructions for getting it right. ▪Make sure the eggs are room temperature before boiling them. ▪The pot should be large enough so the eggs have room and are not hitting each, as this can cause the eggs to crack. They may be hairline cracks as they are boiling, but can get wider as boiling continues. ▪Always fill the pot with cold water to cover the eggs by about 1 inch water coverage.
▪Cover the pot with a lid that is tight fitting. ▪Bring the pot to a boil, allow 6 minutes to get to a medium boil. A high boil can cause the eggs to collide with each other. Note: try to avoid the water with eggs coming to a rapid boil, as the sudden change in temperature from cold to hot can put added stress on the eggs and cause them to split. ▪Let the water come to a full boil, then take the pot off of the burner and move it to a cold burner. ▪There is no need to boil the water hard for an extended duration to cook the eggs.
As soon as there are large bubbles and steam, take the pot off of the burner and move it over to a burner that's turned off. ▪After moving the pot, put 1 teaspoon of salt over the water and eggs. (This will make the eggs easier to peel) You don’t have to stir. The peeled eggs will not taste salty. After doing this, only leave the eggs in the water for about 30 minutes. Leaving them in the water longer will cause the eggs to toughen and the yolks will be lighter.
▪Peeling the eggs. The eggs must be cooled, quickly, prior to being peeled. They need to be cooled quickly because this will avoid that greenish ring from forming around the yolk. ▪The fastest way to cool the eggs is by putting them in a bowl of ice water. Move them from the pot of hot water to the ice water. Let them stay in the ice water for about 25 minutes. ▪After 25 minutes (the eggs should be cool) remove the eggs one by one and gently crack their shells by tapping them lightly on a hard surface.
▪Return each egg (once you have cracked the surface) to the bowl of water for another 10 minutes or so to allow a bit of water to seep under the shell to make peeling easier. ▪Find a spot on the egg where the shell is starting to come off. At this point, the egg shell can almost be smoothed right off. ▪If the shell is sticking, you can hold the egg under water to help get the start you need. The gentle force of the water can be enough to loosen the shell from the egg surface
Finally, be patient if the shell doesn't start to pull away immediately, as some delicate massaging with your fingers might be necessary. After you have peeled the shell off of the egg, give the egg a rinse under cool running water to get rid of any little bits of shell that may be left on the egg.
Good Luck!
http://www.digitalbooksandmore.com
