How do you boil an egg?

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My method, we usually do 4 at a time.
1) boil water in a kettle
2) pour boiling water into sauce pan.(75mm/3in. enuf to cover eggs)
3) add salt to the water
4) preheat eggs from fridge in warm tap water so they dont crack due to temperature change
5) gentley place eggs into saucepan of boiling water.
6) maintain gentle boil for 6 to 7 minutes for a soft centre, which is our preference.
My question
1) is the salt neccessary?
2) is there a better way?
:)
So far this method has been a winner for me.
Place enough water to cover the eggs in a medium sized boiler pot.
Sprinkle a little salt over them and then pour 1/4 cup white vinegar into the pot. Bring the water to a boil cover the pot with tight lid. Turn off the burner leave for 20 minutes. Remove and place eggs in ice water to chill. Then peel and use as desired. So far I've had great results.
From one egg to another....happy summer!
Geri_berry:chef:
 
2006! 2009! ...and again in 2014.

I have found yet another definitive instruction on the best way to hard cook eggs!

Joy of joys, in a moment of magnanimity, I had chosen to share this golden nugget of information with my DC family.

Let the discussions begin!


The Food Lab: The Hard Truth About Boiled Eggs | Serious Eats

I managed to read 3/4's of it. But after taking two pain pills, I am very sleepy and headed for bed. Very interesting reading. And rather thoroughly covering the subject. Will finish it later. :angel:
 
I have found yet another definitive instruction on the best way to hard cook eggs!
...
Let the discussions begin!
No discussion here. The first method described in the article (plunge into boiling water, reduce heat and simmer 11 minutes, then plunge into cold water) is pretty much the same simple, tried-and-true, gimmick-free method my grandmother used 50 years ago. Her hard-boiled eggs always came out perfect.
 
I'll stick with my TNT method of putting the eggs in a basin with a tight fitting lid, cover them with tap water, bring to a rolling boil for one full minute, turn off the gas and let them sit for 15 or 20 minutes in the covered pan. Perfect hard boiled eggs every time.

I believe that older eggs are better for hard boiling than fresh eggs.

I'm still experimenting with pricking the shell with a push pin, sometimes it works and sometimes an egg releases a large part of the white while cooking.

I have found that for me peeling the eggs under running cold water works best.

I am still playing with the idea of hard boiling eggs without the shell.

I can't be the only lazy cook to have thought of this! :ermm::ohmy::LOL:
 
I use the same method. When I made deviled eggs recently, rather than peel them under running water, I filled a mixing bowl with water and peeled them in it. Saves all that water running down the drain.
 
I'll stick with my TNT method of putting the eggs in a basin with a tight fitting lid, cover them with tap water, bring to a rolling boil for one full minute, turn off the gas and let them sit for 15 or 20 minutes in the covered pan. Perfect hard boiled eggs every time.

I believe that older eggs are better for hard boiling than fresh eggs.

I'm still experimenting with pricking the shell with a push pin, sometimes it works and sometimes an egg releases a large part of the white while cooking.

I have found that for me peeling the eggs under running cold water works best.

I am still playing with the idea of hard boiling eggs without the shell.

I can't be the only lazy cook to have thought of this! :ermm::ohmy::LOL:

"I am still playing with the idea of hard boiling eggs without the shell. "

Um, isn't that called poaching?":huh:

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
When I bought a new carton of eggs there were 4 left in the old carton, so I decided to boil them to have on hand. Since they were old, they stood up in the pan of water. When I peeled them, the yolk of the egg was way at the top point of the eggs, one of them to the point that the yolk was showing through the white. I've never had that happen before.
 
That's funny...I just read that article, linked from another cooking site. I never thought I'd say I'd be entertained by reading about boiling eggs, lol.

Steaming seems to work the best for me. I've done old, storebought eggs and really fresh farm eggs this way and they'll peel easily as long as I peel them before they're all-the-way cool. I put them in my old s/s expandable steam basket and let them go for 20 min. or so, run enough cold water over to make them cool enough to handle, crack them lightly all over and the peels fall off every time. So far. ;)

Seems like dropping them raw into a foodsaver bag and boiling would be perfect perfect for ginormous bowls of potato salad.
 
Well, last night I tried the method suggested in the article. I cooked up a half dozen eggs, and steamed them for 11 minutes as suggested, before shocking them in a bowl of ice water. A few observations:

  1. As stated in the article, eggs that are shocked in ice water have relatively undimpled bottoms
  2. 11 minutes was not quite long enough. The inner yolk was just slightly underdone. It would be fine to eat as a snack, but wouldn't be ideal for egg salad or deviled eggs. Next time I'll go 12 minutes.
  3. Three of the eggs I allowed to cool for 15 minutes in the ice water. They peeled relatively easy and the shell popped off in large pieces. The other three eggs, I let sit in the refrigerator overnight and peeled this morning. Contrary to what the article claims, I found the 15 minute eggs peeled significantly easier than the refrigerated ones.

All in all I found this method works great, although I'd tweak some of the recommended times just a bit. Is it better than some of the more gimmicky things I've tried in the past? I'd have to say yes. And steaming saves time because you don't have to bring a large kettle full of water up to a boil.

As "Kleenex" would say, I give this a big thumbs up. :chef:
 
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