Eggs. They're nutritious, delicious and cheap. Cooking eggs properly is quite simple, provided you know a few secrets.
A perfectly boiled egg has a yolk that is set all the way to the center and it is clean, beautiful yellow color with no hint of ugly green where the yolk and white meet. A perfectly boiled egg slides smoothly away from the cracked shell.
SIMMER METHOD
Because this is a tedious process, the maximum number of eggs that should be boiled at one time is 12. Bring a pot of water to boil. Lower the prepared eggs into the boiling water and bring the water back to a simmer and set the timer: 12 minutes for large chilled eggs and 13 minutes for extra large ones. Keep the water at a low simmer that produces small bubbles and a very slight movement among the eggs.
CODDLE METHOD
Some great cooks prefer to coddle eggs rather than simmer because the results are more reliable. Place the chilled eggs in a pot of cold water (6-7 cups for 1-4 eggs and an additional cup for each additional egg). Bring the water to a full rolling boil, remove from heat and cover it. Set the time for exactly 17 minutes (or 18 for jumbo or extra large eggs).
INSTANT POT METHOD
If you have an Instant Pot, rejoice. You have exactly what you need to make perfectly boiled, easy-peel eggs super fast, every time. (And you can enjoy so many other cooking miracles, too.) Here's the egg routine perfected by Jillee at One Good Thing:
1. Place the trivet that came with your IP in the bottom of the inner pot.
2. Pour in 1 cup hot tap water.
3. Place eggs (any number that will fit in a single layer) on the trivet.
4. Apply lid, set vent to "Sealing."
5. Pressure cook on HIGH for five minutes, then release as follows:
Soft boiled: Quick release immediately.
Medium boiled (ramen-ready!): Natural release for 2 minutes, and then quick release.
Hard boiled: Natural release for 7 minutes, and then quick release,
MORE BOILED EGG TIPS
Prick the shell
Use a push-pin or needle, push it right into the large end of the uncooked egg, in about 1/4 inch, and into the egg itself. This will pierce the tiny air bubble (present in every egg) that in an un-pricked egg expands as the egg is heated and cracks the shell. This tiny hole allows an escape route for the air.
PEEL HARD-COOKED EGGS
Tap the egg gently so as to break the shell in many places all around the egg. Start peeling the egg by first placing it under a small stream of cold water and begin removing the shell from the large bottom side.
If the shell is resistant and wants to take part of the white with it, simply drop three eggs at a time into boiling water, wait 10 seconds and immediately transfer them to ice water.
This will expand and contract the shell quickly and will release the shell easily.
NO MORE UGLY GREEN RING
This change of color occurs when eggs are allowed to remain warm beyond proper cooking. A chemical reaction between the yolk and the white occurs, causing this discoloration.
The way to prevent this is to chill the eggs as quickly as possible. Once the eggs have completed cooking, quickly pour off the hot water and add a tray of ice into the pan, quickly filling with cold water so they are completely covered.
STORE COOKED EGGS PROPERLY
If you've cooked eggs with a week's worth of lunches in mind, leave them in the shell. The shell is the best form of protection a hard-cooked egg has, according to the American Egg Board.
Stored dry, and refrigerated, the eggs will keep for about 1 week. Once peeled, they should be used immediately.
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