PBear42
Assistant Cook
One of my continuing projects is the search for a perfect hard-boiled egg. By perfect, I mean fully-cooked yolks, firm (but not rubbery) whites, easy-to-remove shells and a minimum of green ring around the yolks. Some time ago, I worked out an ideosyncratic method (which I'll describe presently) that satisfies all these criteria to my satisfaction, except easy-to-remove shells. Sometimes it works fine, other times not so well. I'm aware that older eggs generally are easier to peel, but want a method that works with fresh eggs.
Recently, I was thumbing through Shirley Corriher's Cookwise and noticed her explantion that the reason older eggs peel more easily is that they're slightly alkaline, because they have less carbon dioxide. She mentions this by way of debunking the notion, which I've seen suggested from time-to-time (by analogy to poached eggs) that one should add vinegar to the cooking liquid. I wondered whether we can force the process, in effect aging the eggs, by taking the opposite approach and adding baking soda to the cooking liquid. I've tried it now half-a-dozen times and think it works. But I'm mindful this might just be good luck and/or the power of positive thinking.
So, what I'd appreciate would be for any of you to whom the question appeals to try the technique. If you have some other solution to the problem, I'm happy to hear about that too. But what I'm really looking for is feedback on this one. Not in the abstract, but based on actually trying it. Importanly, I'm not asking that you follow me on every point. If you prefer to incorporate the soda into your usual recipe, that's fine. Whether soda helps with peeling is the question. Just tell us what you did, so we can compare notes. If anyone is interested, I'm happy to explain the rationale for the rest of my recipe. But, as mentioned, for present purposes, the focus is on whether soda helps with peeling.
Anyhoo, here's my current recipe. Layer a dozen eggs in a 4 qt pot, preferably over a shallow rack. Stir 1 tbsp salt and 1/2 tsp baking soda into 1 qt water until dissolved; pour over eggs; pour in another 1 qt water (i.e, 2 qt total); let stand one hour. Bring quickly to a gentle boil; continue 7 minutes; take off heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Run tap water in pan to cool eggs quickly. Working one at a time, crack all over with a spoon and use to remove membrane just under the shell. Use immediately or chill until needed.
Any takers?
Recently, I was thumbing through Shirley Corriher's Cookwise and noticed her explantion that the reason older eggs peel more easily is that they're slightly alkaline, because they have less carbon dioxide. She mentions this by way of debunking the notion, which I've seen suggested from time-to-time (by analogy to poached eggs) that one should add vinegar to the cooking liquid. I wondered whether we can force the process, in effect aging the eggs, by taking the opposite approach and adding baking soda to the cooking liquid. I've tried it now half-a-dozen times and think it works. But I'm mindful this might just be good luck and/or the power of positive thinking.
So, what I'd appreciate would be for any of you to whom the question appeals to try the technique. If you have some other solution to the problem, I'm happy to hear about that too. But what I'm really looking for is feedback on this one. Not in the abstract, but based on actually trying it. Importanly, I'm not asking that you follow me on every point. If you prefer to incorporate the soda into your usual recipe, that's fine. Whether soda helps with peeling is the question. Just tell us what you did, so we can compare notes. If anyone is interested, I'm happy to explain the rationale for the rest of my recipe. But, as mentioned, for present purposes, the focus is on whether soda helps with peeling.
Anyhoo, here's my current recipe. Layer a dozen eggs in a 4 qt pot, preferably over a shallow rack. Stir 1 tbsp salt and 1/2 tsp baking soda into 1 qt water until dissolved; pour over eggs; pour in another 1 qt water (i.e, 2 qt total); let stand one hour. Bring quickly to a gentle boil; continue 7 minutes; take off heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Run tap water in pan to cool eggs quickly. Working one at a time, crack all over with a spoon and use to remove membrane just under the shell. Use immediately or chill until needed.
Any takers?