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Arkansas Granny

(31,484 posts)
Wed Sep 29, 2021, 01:37 PM Sep 2021

How to make perfect boiled eggs.

I have not tried this yet myself, but thought I would share and see if anyone else has tried it.

https://www.seriouseats.com/the-secrets-to-peeling-hard-boiled-eggs

Lower your eggs straight from the fridge into already-boiling water, or place them in a steamer insert in a covered pot, steaming at full blast on the stovetop. If boiling, lower the heat to the barest simmer. Cook the eggs for 11 minutes for hard or six minutes for soft. Serve. Or, if serving cold, shock them in ice water immediately. Let them chill in that water for at least 15 minutes or, better yet, in the fridge overnight. Peel under cool running water.


There is some other good info at the site, but this is what interested me the most.
23 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
How to make perfect boiled eggs. (Original Post) Arkansas Granny Sep 2021 OP
My failsafe method jmbar2 Sep 2021 #1
That's my method, too. Staph Sep 2021 #3
I've cooked mine in a similar way for years. The claim is that this method makes the eggs Arkansas Granny Sep 2021 #5
I followed Gordon Ramsey's way and it works. Polly Hennessey Sep 2021 #2
I put the eggs from the fridge into a pot of room temp water & bring to a roiling boil. CrispyQ Sep 2021 #4
I use 5-5-5 Instant pot method SheltieLover Sep 2021 #6
This is my method, too! Dave in VA Sep 2021 #15
Hahaha! SheltieLover Sep 2021 #16
NYT chef test result, steamed eggs are best acantharchus Sep 2021 #7
I got a cooking gadget at Target awhile ago that cooks eggs with steam Clash City Rocker Sep 2021 #13
Hmmm. No one mentioned salt? LakeArenal Sep 2021 #8
IMO - the salt is to avoid a little mess FBaggins Sep 2021 #10
My chef says the purpose of salt loosens the Shell. LakeArenal Sep 2021 #18
Steamed -- bring the water to boiling, put eggs from fridge into steamer basket, fierywoman Sep 2021 #9
I steam mine wryter2000 Sep 2021 #11
Steaming works great for me - and also into ice water. Peels perfectly!!! northoftheborder Sep 2021 #20
Am I the only person whose eggs crack if put directly into boiling water? PoindexterOglethorpe Sep 2021 #12
No. Some of mine do. I wonder if they have tiny pinholes Polly Hennessey Sep 2021 #17
Kanji says 9 minutes Cicada Sep 2021 #14
I've been using this method since 2017 and it has yet to fail me Kaleva Sep 2021 #19
Lost me straightaway The King of Prussia Sep 2021 #21
Kenji (the author of that article) posted a video tishaLA Sep 2021 #22
I heard older eggs peel easier Marthe48 Sep 2021 #23

jmbar2

(4,832 posts)
1. My failsafe method
Wed Sep 29, 2021, 01:42 PM
Sep 2021

- Put eggs directly from the fridge into a saucepan with tapwater, and bring to a roiling boil.
- Let them boil for a minute or two, then turn off the heat, put a lid on the pot, and let it cool on the stove.
- When the water is barely warm, run the eggs under cold water.

Eazy peazy.

Staph

(6,245 posts)
3. That's my method, too.
Wed Sep 29, 2021, 01:44 PM
Sep 2021

Though if I'm in a bit of a hurry, I'll let the covered pot sit on the cold burner for 20 minutes and then put the eggs under running water.


Arkansas Granny

(31,484 posts)
5. I've cooked mine in a similar way for years. The claim is that this method makes the eggs
Wed Sep 29, 2021, 01:50 PM
Sep 2021

easier to peel.

Polly Hennessey

(6,747 posts)
2. I followed Gordon Ramsey's way and it works.
Wed Sep 29, 2021, 01:43 PM
Sep 2021

It is similar to yours. I drop eggs into boiling water and then reduce temp to a slow roll. I leave mine in exactly 13 minutes. Take them out and put in fridge. This has eliminated that yucky grayish green on the outside yolks. The only downside is I am more involved because of the time limit.

CrispyQ

(36,231 posts)
4. I put the eggs from the fridge into a pot of room temp water & bring to a roiling boil.
Wed Sep 29, 2021, 01:47 PM
Sep 2021

Then I remove from the heat, put a lid on the pot, & let it sit for 20 minutes for hard boiled eggs. The yolks are soft & just solidified, not dry & powdery. If you like them harder, let them sit for another 2 minutes. I also add a generous splash of white vinegar to the water to keep the egg whites from seeping if the shells crack while cooking.

SheltieLover

(57,073 posts)
6. I use 5-5-5 Instant pot method
Wed Sep 29, 2021, 01:52 PM
Sep 2021

They are perfect every time & peel effortlessly.

5 min on high, 5 min natural release, 5 min in ice water. 👍

 

acantharchus

(48 posts)
7. NYT chef test result, steamed eggs are best
Wed Sep 29, 2021, 01:54 PM
Sep 2021

Find a lidded saucepan large enough to allow your eggs to comfortably fit on the bottom in a single layer. Add 1 inch of water, cover, and bring to a boil.
Gently lower eggs into the saucepan using a slotted spoon or a steamer basket. (It’s O.K. if the eggs are partly submerged on the bottom of the pot, or elevated on a steamer rack and not submerged at all.) Cover pan and cook eggs, adjusting the burner to maintain a vigorous boil, 6 minutes for a warm liquid yolk and firm whites, 8 1/2 minutes for a translucent, fudgy yolk, or 11 minutes for a yolk that is just barely firm all the way through.
Drain eggs, then peel and eat immediately, or transfer them to a plate and allow them to cool naturally before storing in the refrigerator for up to a week directly in their shell. (A small dot made with a permanent marker on the top of each cooked egg will ensure you don’t mix them up with the raw eggs.) Do not shock them in an ice bath after cooking; this makes them more difficult to peel.
Tip

Clash City Rocker

(3,379 posts)
13. I got a cooking gadget at Target awhile ago that cooks eggs with steam
Wed Sep 29, 2021, 02:57 PM
Sep 2021

It’s fast because it uses a lot less water. I just poke a little hole on top of the eggs, cover to steam and when it’s done I dunk the eggs in ice water for a few minutes to cool. The eggs peel easier than when boiled, in my opinion.

LakeArenal

(28,729 posts)
8. Hmmm. No one mentioned salt?
Wed Sep 29, 2021, 01:56 PM
Sep 2021

Mr Lake was a chef at a fine dining restaurant and he always salted the boiling water a lot.

Otherwise it’s about the same. He wrapped eggs in cloth and lowered into water

FBaggins

(26,697 posts)
10. IMO - the salt is to avoid a little mess
Wed Sep 29, 2021, 02:25 PM
Sep 2021

It increases the temperature at which water boils by a little bit, which would decrease the cooking time by a tiny amount. But it doesn't "season" the eggs the way salt in pasta water does.

IIRC, the main purpose for the salt is in case an egg cracks in the pan. The salt causes the egg white to solidify quicker (avoiding a mess ).

fierywoman

(7,641 posts)
9. Steamed -- bring the water to boiling, put eggs from fridge into steamer basket,
Wed Sep 29, 2021, 02:03 PM
Sep 2021

time for the type of eggs you want (soft or hard boiled) -- it really somehow seems to help with the ease of taking the shell off.

wryter2000

(46,016 posts)
11. I steam mine
Wed Sep 29, 2021, 02:32 PM
Sep 2021

I got that from Cooks Illustrated. Or they suggested dropping them into boiling water. I haven't tried that.

Since I started steaming them, I almost never have any problem with peeling them. Dozens and dozens of eggs and maybe one that was difficult. I do also drop them into ice water after cooking. I'm not sure if that's necessary.

Cicada

(4,533 posts)
14. Kanji says 9 minutes
Wed Sep 29, 2021, 03:19 PM
Sep 2021

He has done hundreds of experiments. Using already boiling water makes peeling much easier. People have different preferences for how hard they are boiled. He prefers 9 minutes.

See

Kaleva

(36,147 posts)
19. I've been using this method since 2017 and it has yet to fail me
Wed Sep 29, 2021, 04:48 PM
Sep 2021

"There's a better way that doesn't require the long wait.

Boil the water. When it's rolling, use a slotted spoon or a mesh skimmer to gently lower the eggs into the water. Set your timer for 13 minutes at sea level, about 15 above 5000 feet. (11 minutes is the SeriousEats sea level recommendation, but I think that slightly undercooks the yolk, and up here, water boils well below 212.)

Dump 1.5 quarts of ice cubes into a bowl, with .5 quarts of water. When the timer goes off, use the slotted spoon to get those eggs into the ice bath and leave them alone for 10 minutes.

Crack and roll to loosen the shell, peel in a strip, and rinse any particles of shell. (I admit I use brown eggs most of the time specifically because it's easier to catch shell bits.) I've used eggs laid that morning, eggs three days old, and eggs bought from the supermarket with a month left on the clock (meaning those eggs were probably already 2-3 weeks old.) The only time I've had a difficult egg or one that popped the shell was when I used extremely cold (bottom of the fridge), laid yesterday eggs with no slight warm-up time. First or second day from the chicken eggs should be cooked from room temp, not refrigerator temp.

I make egg salad or deviled eggs at least once a week. I can't remember the last time I had a popped shell or a ripped egg white. I prefer to use (store)recent eggs now; the yolks stay more in the center, so deviled eggs are prettier.

This works because you want the egg white to coagulate first and draw away from the membrane, and you want that protein to lock up FAST. An egg into hot water cooks from the outside in, while a cold start warms everything at the same pace. It's the difference between dropping a piece of meat on a cold, dry stainless skillet and slowly warming up to 550, or dropping the same meat onto a hot grill."

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1157&pid=65296

In the winter, I don't need the ice as the cold water is not far above freezing.

tishaLA

(14,176 posts)
22. Kenji (the author of that article) posted a video
Wed Sep 29, 2021, 06:35 PM
Sep 2021

the other day on YouTube about perfect hard boiled eggs. Hard boiled eggs gross me out so I haven't watched it, but here it is

Also, almost all Kenji's recipes are worth trying. I love his work.

Marthe48

(16,692 posts)
23. I heard older eggs peel easier
Thu Sep 30, 2021, 03:34 PM
Sep 2021

I use my oldest eggs to hard cook. I start them in cold water, set a timer for 20 minutes, bring them to boil, then reduce the heat until the 20 minutes is up. I put them in cold water and peel them as quick as I can if I'm using them, or cold water and refriderate.

I'll pass your idea along to my daughter who gets fresh eggs from her chickens. She said she had found a perfect method, but hadn't told me the details.

Thank you for posting.

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