Cookbook:Hard Boiled Eggs

From Wikibooks, the open-content textbooks collection

Jump to: navigation, search

Cookbook | Recipes | Breakfast

Inside a hard-boiled egg

[edit] Ingredients

[edit] Warnings

  • Unwashed eggs will keep 4-5 weeks in the coldest part of the refrigerator (NEVER in the door!)
  • Boiled or washed eggs will only keep about a week-the protective cover over the shell is gone.
  • Look at your eggs BEFORE you put them in your grocery cart! Never buy cracked or even dirty eggs.
  • Eggs left out too long should not be eaten, i.e., Easter eggs are left out...

[edit] Method

  1. Put the eggs in a pot.
  2. Fill pot with water. Make sure that the tops of the eggs at covered by at least 25 mm (one inch).
  3. Bring to a rolling boil.
  4. Reduce heat to a low boil.
  5. Cook for 10 minutes.
  6. Drain the pot.
  7. Cool eggs immediately by running cold water over them or putting in iced water.
  8. Crack and peel the eggs under very cold running water, starting by cracking the large (air pocket) end, then taking off the largest pieces first. Lowering the eggs' temperature keeps the shells from sticking, and prevents the greenish tinge sometimes seen on hard-boiled eggs. (The greenish tinge doesn't affect taste or safety, it is due to the reaction between iron & sulphur from the eggwhite & yolk.)

[edit] Tips, Notes, and Variations

  • An alternate method is to turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let stand 15 or 18 minutes.
  • Salt in the water can help keep egg white from seeping out of a crack.
  • Multiple layers of eggs in the pot are more likely to crack: use only a single layer and do another batch.
  • Older eggs will be easier to peel, as the air space is larger.
  • If the peeling becomes tragic, you can always make egg salad or bird food!