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News & ArtsTuesday, May 19, 2009
Chow Hard-Boiled Egg Fail
Posted by Bethany Jean Clement on Tue, May 19, 2009 at 11:22 AM
Look at my egg. The sorrow!
I cooked it the way you're supposed to in order to make it easy-to-peel/unmangled-for-eating: started it in cold water on the stove, let the water slowly come to a boil, turned down the heat and cooked for about nine minutes, then bathed it in cold water.
(My dad has another method he swears by: Use a pin to poke a hole in the bigger end of the egg, where the air pocket is. For some reason, I don't want to poke my eggs with a pin.)
In closing: Damn. It.
1
Your dad is right. The best way to not mangle your egg is to crack the shell before you cool it off.
2
I'm guessing it was not a fresh egg. That makes a huge difference in the ability to peel easily.
My condolences on your visually unpleasant lunch.
My condolences on your visually unpleasant lunch.
3
The age of eggs can influence the success of the boiled egg. Grocery store eggs are often pretty old by the time most people get to them.
5
that is so not the best way to hard boil an egg.
In fact.. the whole boiling process is way too volatile for an egg. You should boil/steam it!
Serious... this works the best and I have never lost an egg or had terrible results.
Place a steamer basket in a pan. fill water just to the bottom of the basket. Bring the water to a boil WITHOUT THE EGGS IN. Once you reach boil, add your eggs and cover the pot. Cook for 9-12 minutes (this is all dependent on your pan and heat dispersal so your first attempt at your normal cooking station will be an experiment)
After cooking transfer eggs to a ice water bath for a couple minutes. Pull them out and enjoy as your normally would.
In fact.. the whole boiling process is way too volatile for an egg. You should boil/steam it!
Serious... this works the best and I have never lost an egg or had terrible results.
Place a steamer basket in a pan. fill water just to the bottom of the basket. Bring the water to a boil WITHOUT THE EGGS IN. Once you reach boil, add your eggs and cover the pot. Cook for 9-12 minutes (this is all dependent on your pan and heat dispersal so your first attempt at your normal cooking station will be an experiment)
After cooking transfer eggs to a ice water bath for a couple minutes. Pull them out and enjoy as your normally would.
7
To peel perfectly: smash the egg down under the palm of your hand on the counter, roll back and forth several times, making the egg as oblate/flat as possible. The membrane between the shell and the egg is flexible and won't rip if you do this right, then the shell comes right off in two or three big chunks. This is how restaurants that serve a lot of egg salad and such things do it.
8
Man, I love steaming food. If you don't have a steamer basket, get a little wire stand so it stands up above the water, and you can use plates and bowls you already have.
9
My copy of the Joy of Cooking, 2000 edition, says that you should give the egg 12 to 15 minutes to cook thoroughly, and it directly contradicts #2 & 3's guess that your egg was old. In fact, the Joy states, "Very fresh eggs (less than 3 days old) are the most difficult to peel. The older the egg, the larger the air cell, and the neater it peels. Thoroughly chilling hard-boiled eggs before peeling helps by firming the white."
It also states that pricking a small hole, "...helps prevent the eggshell from cracking, but it is not essential."
It also states that pricking a small hole, "...helps prevent the eggshell from cracking, but it is not essential."
10
It's not your fault; the egg was too fresh, I believe. The membrane between the white and the shell need about a week to do its thing before you can boil the egg and get a clean peel.
11
Huh. I guess everyone has a different "foolproof" method of hard-boiling eggs. I was taught this one 30 years ago, and still use it. I used to over or under-boil the damned eggs every time, and this method has never resulted in improperly cooked eggs.
Put the eggs in a pan of cold water. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Turn the heat off and cover the pan tightly. Leave the eggs in the hot water for at least 10 minutes. Then drain, cover with cold water for a few minutes, then refrigerate. I've never gotten salmonella, the eggs are easy to peel, and they're always cooked properly. And I totally can't cook.
Put the eggs in a pan of cold water. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Turn the heat off and cover the pan tightly. Leave the eggs in the hot water for at least 10 minutes. Then drain, cover with cold water for a few minutes, then refrigerate. I've never gotten salmonella, the eggs are easy to peel, and they're always cooked properly. And I totally can't cook.
12
Eggs are the major leagues of cuisine. They can be so simple to prepare, but to actually master the techniques is tough! Even something as simple as boiling can go wrong. And scrambling, super simple, but get it wrong by just a few seconds and you go from sublime to nasty. Every time I successfully make a fried egg without breaking the yoke, I consider that a good omen.
13
Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I love making deviled eggs, but hate the unknowable aspect of peeling. I knew about the older egg being better, but I'm gonna try that steaming method.
14
Yeah, I tried the "America's Test Kitchen" method once too- start with cold water, bring to boil, let sit, ice bath (and who wants to go to all the fuss of an ice bath anyway?) and they were the hardest eggs to peel I ever experienced in maybe 30 years of cooking. Then I went back to the way I had always been doing it- put the eggs into water that is already boiling, boil the piss out of them (10 minutes) then pour the hot water out and fill the pan with cold water - works great, easy to peel, no goddam ice bath.
15
Was it a free-range chicken egg? I *always* have this problem with free-range chicken eggs. Its enough to make me want to cage em' twenty to a cage.
16
http://www.deviledeggs.com/step1_how_to_…
Great website with complete instructions and information on a method that works well.
Great website with complete instructions and information on a method that works well.
17
Eggs should be room temp. You can cheat by putting the eggs in hot tap water for 30 minutes.
Bring water to a boil. Should be at least 10x as much water volume as will be egg. Add 1T salt...
When water boils, add eggs and turn down heat so water barely bubbles. Cook 13 minutes for a hard-cooked egg.
Remove and chill to stop cooking ice bath. You can tape each end of the egg to break the peel and then store in the ice bath for a few minutes more...peel will slip off.
The egg will be perfectly cooked without the grey ring between yolk and white.
I learned this method in culinary school and it has never failed me.
Bring water to a boil. Should be at least 10x as much water volume as will be egg. Add 1T salt...
When water boils, add eggs and turn down heat so water barely bubbles. Cook 13 minutes for a hard-cooked egg.
Remove and chill to stop cooking ice bath. You can tape each end of the egg to break the peel and then store in the ice bath for a few minutes more...peel will slip off.
The egg will be perfectly cooked without the grey ring between yolk and white.
I learned this method in culinary school and it has never failed me.
19
Yeah, that's a fresh egg - not a cooking method problem. If what you're going for is hardboiled, go for the oldest eggs on the shelf. I have chickens, and there's just no point in even trying to hardboil the fresh ones. Alternatively, buy them and leave them in the fridge a while.
23
Where did you learn to boil an egg that way? Try filling up the saucer with regular water (luke warm) and placing it on the stove. Crack it up to the highest temp, once the water starts to boil, bring it down to med-high heat and cook for 6-7 minutes. Perfect hard boiled egg every time :)
24
My method is eggs in cold water, bring to boil, remove from heat, cover and let sit 20 minutes. Ice bath to cool. Never a green ring nor difficult peel.
25
Julia Child used a 14-minute firm up. Bring eggs and water to boil, cover, and remove from heat for 14 minutes exactly. The stop cooking process by ice bath or just cold water in boing pain. Perfect HB eggs. I always have better luck bashing the shell on the blunt end before peeling.
26
Don't be discouraged, dear. Practice makes perfect, after all. I've boiled many an egg in my day, and most of the advice I have has already been covered:
1.) Not too fresh on the eggs
2.) Start with room temperature water, bring to a boil, remove from heat and cover for twenty minutes (the Betty Crocker Good 'n Easy Cookbook method!)
3.) Cool them down. (Personally, I cool them in the refrigerator all night)
4.) Roll them like Chicago fan recommends. Shells come right off.
Voila! Perfect hard boiled eggs for egg salad, potato salad or Deviled eggs!
1.) Not too fresh on the eggs
2.) Start with room temperature water, bring to a boil, remove from heat and cover for twenty minutes (the Betty Crocker Good 'n Easy Cookbook method!)
3.) Cool them down. (Personally, I cool them in the refrigerator all night)
4.) Roll them like Chicago fan recommends. Shells come right off.
Voila! Perfect hard boiled eggs for egg salad, potato salad or Deviled eggs!
27
#4 and #10 are correct. most likely too fresh. you're probably using farmers' market eggs. wait a week or so to boil after buying. i have this problem often as i don't want to wait to eat hard boiled eggs.
28
"started it in cold water on the stove, let the water slowly come to a boil"
That part sounds suspicious to me. Maybe a quick drop into the boiling water, a la blanching, would help the white maintain separation from the shell?
That part sounds suspicious to me. Maybe a quick drop into the boiling water, a la blanching, would help the white maintain separation from the shell?
29
My variation (based on a basic french home-economics style cookbook):
1) select a sauce pan big enough to hold the eggs with about 3/4" between them.
2) prick the eggs with a pin on their large end
3) just cover the eggs with cold water - the amount is crucial becuase it determines the cooking time
4) bring to boil over a just silent flame (about medium high)
5) turn flame to low and simmer for 4 minutes for a large egg
6) turn off heat and cover to sit for 4 more minutes
7) pour off water and jostle eggs to crack the shells
8) place the eggs in cold water to cool
9) peel under running water and serve with mayonnaise and Meursault!!
1) select a sauce pan big enough to hold the eggs with about 3/4" between them.
2) prick the eggs with a pin on their large end
3) just cover the eggs with cold water - the amount is crucial becuase it determines the cooking time
4) bring to boil over a just silent flame (about medium high)
5) turn flame to low and simmer for 4 minutes for a large egg
6) turn off heat and cover to sit for 4 more minutes
7) pour off water and jostle eggs to crack the shells
8) place the eggs in cold water to cool
9) peel under running water and serve with mayonnaise and Meursault!!
30
It's so weird how everyone has completely different methods for a perfect hard boiled egg. My problem has always been with overcooking them - so I heard about this timer and bought it off Amazon and it is AWESOME.
http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Egg-Rite-Ti…
http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Egg-Rite-Ti…
31
This is the ultimate way to do it thanks to the New Test Kitchen.
1. put eggs in pot and give them 2" cover with cold water
2. bring to boil
3. take pot off heat. cover. let sit for 10 minutes.
4. put eggs in ICE water (this is key for the shell to come off easy) for 3 minutes.
5. put paper towel in bowl. put eggs in bowl. put in fridge.
And I agree with poster above. Use old eggs!
1. put eggs in pot and give them 2" cover with cold water
2. bring to boil
3. take pot off heat. cover. let sit for 10 minutes.
4. put eggs in ICE water (this is key for the shell to come off easy) for 3 minutes.
5. put paper towel in bowl. put eggs in bowl. put in fridge.
And I agree with poster above. Use old eggs!
32
This is the ultimate way to do it thanks to the New Test Kitchen.
1. put eggs in pot and give them 2" cover with cold water
2. bring to boil
3. take pot off heat. cover. let sit for 10 minutes.
4. put eggs in ICE water (this is key for the shell to come off easy) for 3 minutes.
5. put paper towel in bowl. put eggs in bowl. put in fridge.
And I agree with poster above. Use old eggs!
1. put eggs in pot and give them 2" cover with cold water
2. bring to boil
3. take pot off heat. cover. let sit for 10 minutes.
4. put eggs in ICE water (this is key for the shell to come off easy) for 3 minutes.
5. put paper towel in bowl. put eggs in bowl. put in fridge.
And I agree with poster above. Use old eggs!
33
I hate when that happens, but just dip your mangled egg in some tabasco as you eat it and all will be well.
34
I've found Martha Stewart's method egg-cellent. Put eggs in pan, cove with an inch or more of water. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and cover. Set timer for 11 minutes. Then pour off hot water, shake eggs in pan until well cracked, cover with cold tap water, and peel as soon as you can handle them, or sooner. The yolks are just-set, if eggs very large just a bit creamy in the center. No green, no sulpher smell.
35
I don't think my egg was too fresh—it came from the store a week or so ago (with an expiry date of June 12). It was, however, cage-free... I like these put-the-eggs-in-then-cover-and-take-off-heat methods. On the up side, my egg tasted good: yolk was nice and creamy, white was unrubbery.
36
It seems like the free range/omega 3/organic eggs have thicker shells and are thus more difficult to peel, but that's just my experience.
37
Enough with the "... fail" thing. In 2 years it'll seem as stupid as "da bomb" or "dope". When did this stupid "fail" thing start anyway? Six months ago or so? Nevermind, who cares, fuck it. It's stupid.
And hard boiled eggs are disgusting. Who fucking cares?
And hard boiled eggs are disgusting. Who fucking cares?
38
The Martha Stewart way works best.
Lightly simmer/boil them for 10 minutes, pour off the water, throw some ice and water in for a minute pour that off and shake the shit out of the pan.
All the shells crack and if the egg isn't too cold its very easy to slip it off in a couple pieces.
Lightly simmer/boil them for 10 minutes, pour off the water, throw some ice and water in for a minute pour that off and shake the shit out of the pan.
All the shells crack and if the egg isn't too cold its very easy to slip it off in a couple pieces.
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