The Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

Since becoming a clean eater nearly a year ago, hard-boiled eggs have become a staple snack.  Since beginning my dairy-free experiment in an attempt to reduce headaches, they have become almost a required part of my diet.  They are great on their own, with sprinkles of sea salt and black pepper, or with the yolks replaced with a dollop of your preferred hummus.  Eggs are a great source of protein, and the whites have very few calories.

As fabulous as boiled eggs are, they are not without their frustrations.  My aggravation with them comes mostly when it is time to peel them.  There are few things worse than having the majority of a much-anticipated yummy snack stick to its own shell and wind up in the garbage.

I’ve tried lots of ways to make eggs easier to peel: vinegar and/or baking soda added to the cooking water; microwaving for a few seconds before peeling; making sure to use older eggs.  Nothing seems to work CONSISTENTLY well; in the same batch of cooked eggs, some may peel flawlessly, while others look like I peeled them with a cheese grater.

But FINALLY… I have found a method that seems to work about 98% of the time.  I got this method from Serious Eats, but here is my version, in an eggshell (ha!).

11.        Taking into consideration the number of eggs you want to boil, fill a sauce pan ¾ of the way with water.  Heat on the stove top until water reaches a rolling boil.

22.       CAREFULLY, using a spoon, lower the eggs one at a time into the pot of boiling water.  Make sure not to drop them in, or you will have cracked and/or broken eggs!  I’ve had several boiled eggs that were cooked OUTSIDE of the shell!  No good!

33.       Let the eggs boil for 30 seconds, then lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and set a timer for 11 minutes.

44.       After the timer goes off, drain the hot water from the pot, fill the pot with ice and cold water and give your eggs an ice bath for 15 minutes.

Yep, see:  That one floating at the top?  I didn't lower it into the pan gently enough, and I broke it.

55.       I have had the best luck with easy peeling by putting the eggs in the fridge over night after their bath.

And this is what you get:  creamy yolk, tender white, easy-to-peel eggs!

The shell comes off in nearly one piece!

EAT YOUR EGGS, WALTER LEE!

(Probably only high school language arts teachers will get that).

BE FIERCE!