Yes we all do it and it's hard to get just right, so here are some helpful tips. The simple and classic boiled egg, is one of the finest and easiest edible delights known on earth, with just 70 calories, and full of nature's most perfect form of protein.
According to the American Egg Board, the terms "hard-" and "soft-boiled" eggs are really misnomers, because boiling eggs makes them tough and rubbery. Instead, these eggs should be "hard-" or "soft-cooked" in hot (still) water. To Correctly Cook Hard-Cooked Eggs: There are two problems you'll want to avoid: cracked shells and the ugly green layer that can form around the yolk. For perfect cooking, start with eggs that don't have any visible cracks. Bring your eggs to room temperature before cooking. If the egg has been stored in the refrigerator it can be warmed gently under a flowing hot tap water. By bringing the eggs to room temperature, they're much less likely to crack in the hot water. Also the temperature of the egg at the start of the cooking process will affect the cooking time. An egg that is at room temperature at the start of the cooking process will require about 1 minute less cooking time than eggs taken directly from the refrigerator. NOTE: In case small cracks do develop, add salt to the cooking water. The salt will help to speed up the denaturing of the egg white, causing less of it to feather into the water. Use at least a tablespoon of table salt per two quarts of water. Place them in a single layer in a pan with enough cold water to cover eggs completely (approximately by 1 1/2 inches). Bring the water to a boil, remove from heat, cover tightly with a lid, and allow to remain in the water approximately 15 to 20 minutes. NOTE: Watch the time when cooking the eggs carefully. Overcook causes a green layer to form around the yolk. This layer is caused by a reaction between the iron in the yolk and the sulfur in the white. Heat speeds up this reaction, so the longer your eggs cook, the greater the chance of discoloration. Then done cooking, place under running, cold water to cool quickly. This way of cooking is also known as "coddling." It does not toughen the whites as boiling does. This will also assist with the peeling process, as the cold water creates steam between the egg white and the shell which makes the shell easier to remove. Use the following cooking times as a guide for the desired firmness for the yolk of each egg size (the whites will be firm): Egg Size Degree of Doneness Time Required Medium Soft-cooked yolk 3 minutes Medium-cooked yolk 5 minutes Hard-cooked yolk 10 to 12 minutes Large Soft-cooked yolk 4 to 5 minutes Medium-cooked yolk 6 minutes Hard-cooked yolk 12 to 15 minutes Extra Large Soft-cooked yolk 5 minutes Medium-cooked yolk 7 to 8 minutes Hard-cooked yolk 18 minutes Soft-cooked eggs: A soft-cooked egg has a firm white and runny yolk. To serve in egg cup, place egg in cup small end down, slice off large end of egg with knife or egg scissors and eat from shell with spoon. You can also buy a good egg topper from a kitchen store. They're very quick and practical. I finally bought myself one, and now my eggs look beautiful when I top them! Medium-cooked eggs: A medium-cooked egg has a firm white and a slightly firm yolk. Hard-cooked eggs: A hard-cooked egg has both a firm white and yolk. Hard-cooked eggs should never be boiled - simmer them in water. If boiled or cooked too long, the protein toughens or becomes rubbery and a greenish or purplish ring forms around the yolk. Extremely fresh eggs are not recommended when making hard-boiled eggs. They are very difficult to peel. This is the best use for eggs nearing their expiration date. Refrigeration is necessary for hard boiled eggs if they eggs are not to be consumed within a few hours. Hard-cooked eggs in the shell can be refrigerated up to one week. Hormel Foods. How To Peel Hard-Cooked Eggs Easily: This is what I do: . I place the eggs in the pan they were cooked in and add cold water. . I then crack the eggs under water (this seems to help loosen the membrane under the shell). . Start peeling at the larger end, where the air pocket is, and remove the shell under running water to make the shelling easier. You must get a hold of the membrane under the shell when you remove the shell. Very fresh eggs are harder to peel. The fresher the eggs, the more the shell membranes cling tenaciously to the shells. Hints and Tips: When buying eggs, open the carton to be sure none of the eggs are cracked; discard any that are, they may have bacteria that might contaminate the egg. Be sure to store you eggs in the original egg carton in the refrigerator. Don't take them out and put them in the door. Every time the refrigerator door is opened it exposes the egg to the room temperature. To tell if an egg is hard-cooked or raw, place the egg on its side and spin it evenly on a level surface; if it wobbles, it is raw. If an egg is accidentally dropped on the floor, sprinkle it heavily with salt for easy clean up. You cannot hard-cook eggs in a microwave (they'll explode), but if you find after peeling an egg that it is not quite done at the center, pierce it once or twice with a fork, set microwave to medium power and cook the egg for 10 to 20 seconds before checking for doneness. Did You Know? A hen requires 24 to 26 hours to produce an egg. Thirty minutes later, she starts all over again. White shelled eggs are laid by hens with white ear (sort of a cream color) lobes. While brown eggs are laid by hens with red ear lobes. the color of the feathers is immaterial. Eggs/RawEggs Yolk color depends on the diet of the hen. Natural yellow-orange substances such as marigold petals may be added to light-colored feeds to enhance colors. Artificial color additives are not permitted. A hen will sometimes produce double-yolk eggs at the very beginning or near the end of her reproductive life due to hormonal changes. When this happens, the shell forms around two yolks instead of one, creating a double-yolk egg. Double-yolk eggs are safe to eat and cook with. If substituting them for large classic eggs in a recipe, their additional volume may affect the outcome of the recipe.
