Cooking hard boiled eggs
I am shocked at how many restaurants do not know how to properly hard cook an egg. A sulfurous-smelling hard boiled egg with a rubbery white and a greenish/black-ringed yolk is unappetizing. I can excuse the home cook, but not a professional.
Jacques Pepin's method is so easy and foolproof. I am posting this as a tribute to the chef who has taught me so much in his books and on his TV shows.
Pierce the end of the egg with a thumbtack to release the air when cooking. Gently lower the eggs into a pot of rapidly boiling water, reduce heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 10 min. Drain the cooking water, shake the pan to crack the eggshells slightly, then drop the eggs into an ice-water bath for 10 min. to cool and dissipate the sulfur. Peel under running water.
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14 Comments:
To peel them, I tap them on the counter and then roll them with my palm. The shell usually comes off in two halves.
gingercookiewithlime at 6:40PM on 07/06/09
I put mine in cold water, bring to a rolling boil... keep them covered and remove from heat and let set for 12 minutes...comes out perfect every time.
Alm25 at 6:59PM on 07/06/09
I do the same as @Alm25 except for 10 minutes instead of 12. I find that turning off the heat after the water boil makes them a lot creamier.
embolini9 at 7:35PM on 07/06/09
I do the same as @alm25 and @embolini9 for perfect eggs every time.
tapioca at 7:48PM on 07/06/09
I do the same as the 3 posts above me, for 10 mins as well. Comes out great each time.
NYCEater at 8:24PM on 07/06/09
do you start with room temperature eggs, or right from the fridge?
andshewas at 9:54PM on 07/06/09
I find it doesn't matter what temp the eggs are, but I place them in room temperature water and slowly bring it up to a simmer - that way the eggs don't get shocked to boiling and it reduces the chance of them bursting out of their shells. I keep it at a simmer for 10 minutes and then ice bath them. a rolling boil is too much, I think.
unarata at 11:19PM on 07/06/09
I hate to tell you but the restaurant probably doesn't cook the eggs, they buy them already cooked in a bucket of liquid (not sure of the contents of the liquid. the only time I can think a regular restaurant would actually cook an hard boiled egg is when it is served fresh to the table hot.--one restaurant did this and the other maid them fresh. I would rather them fresh.
dragonfiregrill at 12:12AM on 07/07/09
Yep on the last comment. Restaurants often buy them already cooked, and sometimes they are okay, and sometimes they are funky and discolored.
It can be scary.
I do the same as most of the posters. Eggs in room temp water, bring to simmer, 10-12 minutes then I leave the pan under cold running water for awhile, and then either put them in the fridge for another day or peel them right there under running water. Peel slips right off.
sadiepix at 1:05AM on 07/07/09
I do like above with the 10 minutes in the boiling water, after 10 ,inutes I dump out the hot water and rattle the pan with the eggs in them to crack them, then run cold water for about 5 minutes and peel them with the cold running water going, works everythime.
pjracz10 at 1:10AM on 07/07/09
I also do the same as most of the posters, but I'm going to try the Jacques Pepin's method since it doesn't require hovering around the stove waiting for the water to boil to start timing.
overw8 at 9:02AM on 07/07/09
the coffee shop I worked at served alot of egg salad and cooked eggs in many other ways, but we always cooked out own fresh. same method as many above, in cold water, brought to a boil and shut off. we left them in the hot water for about 15 min and then the ice bath, and despite peeling litterally hundreds of eggs we never had a sulpher smell or a green ringed yolk.
huneybumper at 11:04AM on 07/07/09
That has always been one of my pet peeves about being served hard cooked eggs: if the yolk is green, the cook that prepared it doesn't know the proper method. And that happens more times than not. It's actually easier to cook eggs by submerging them in cold water, cover the pot, bring to a boil, and turn off the fire for 10-15 minutes. And I always say "hard cooked" rather than "hard boiled." Because they're not boiled.
SavtaShayna at 4:05PM on 07/07/09
I do the same as most of the other posters - eggs in cold water to a boil, let sit for 12 minutes.
Though speaking of hard boiled eggs, I always have issues with slicing these with the egg yolk staying intact. It's not normally an issue as I most commonly hard boil eggs for egg salad, but on the occasion that I want to use them as a part of a salad or some other presentable manner, I find it extremely difficult to slice through the yolk cleanly. I've tried using both smooth and serrated knives with no real difference, and I usually refrigerate the eggs for awhile before attempting to slice. Any suggestions on what I'm doing wrong??
minji at 2:26PM on 07/12/09