Methods for preparing hard-cooked Eggs
From Terry Golson, author of “The Farmstead Egg Guide & Cookbook”:
Is a recipe for hard-cooked eggs necessary? Yes! If you’ve ever had a tough egg that you were tempted to bounce instead of eat, or found an egg with a green yolk, then these directions are for you. Most people boil eggs, but that high heat causes the whites to harden up to a rubbery texture. Also, that unsavory-looking green tinge around the yolk is due to a reaction of the iron and sulfur in the egg yolks that only occurs at high heat. So instead of boiling, use one of the methods here.
Hot Water Immersion Method for Hard-Cooked Eggs
Place the eggs in a pot and cover with 2 inches of water. Bring the water to a simmer. Don’t let the water come to a rolling boil. As soon as the water is simmering, cover the pot and remove from the heat. Set a timer for 12 minutes for small, 16 minutes for large, and 18 minutes for jumbo eggs.
Meanwhile, fill a bowl with ice water.
When the timer goes off, drain the water out of the pot. Immediately immerse the eggs in the ice water.
When the eggs are cold to the touch, remove them from the water and peel. Do this by rolling them to crackle the shells. Or, shake the bowl to crackle all of the shells. Store, peeled or still in the shell, in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days for optimum quality.
Steaming Method for Hard-Cooked Eggs
You can buy adorable egg steamers that look like chickens, and vintage steamers made of porcelain, but I use a pot with a steamer basket in it. For large quantities of eggs, I use my wok and the steamer basket. This method works best when the eggs are in one layer and not piled on top of each other.
Put a steamer basket into a pot filled with water to reach the underside of the steamer. Set the eggs in the basket and cover.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Set a timer for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, fill a bowl with ice water.
When the timer goes off, immediately remove the eggs and immerse in the ice water. When the eggs are cold to the touch, remove them from the water and peel. Do this by rolling them to crackle the shells. Or, shake the bowl to crackle all of the shells. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days for optimum quality.
From “The Farmstead Egg Guide & Cookbook” © 2014 by Terry Golson. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
For more info:
- “The Farmstead Egg Guide & Cookbook” by Terry Golson (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)