The perfectly cooked egg

[Pea-n-Me]

DH and I managed to overcook another batch of hard boiled eggs last night. I hate when the shells don't peel off easily. Someday I would like to figure out how to cook them perfectly. I like them when they're just cooked through, not overcooked.

Growing up, when I was sick, my mother always made me a soft boiled egg on toast. Somehow those always seemed perfect, too. I don't think I've ever tried to make one but I might try. Does anyone make these?

What "boil" times work for you? Any tips welcome.

I am pretty good at making eggs otherwise - scrambled eggs, fried eggs, and (not sure I know the right term) eggs cooked in those little cups that go in a steamer. Have never poached an egg.

So, let's hear it, how do you like your eggs and how do you cook them? (Egg haters welcome, too.)

 

[mom2rtk]

I finally decided the timing doesn't impact the ease of peeling eggs. Maybe it's related to the age of the egg or some other factor, but I don't think it's related to how long you cook them.

I cover the eggs with cold water, bring to a boil, take it off the burner, cover and let sit for 19 minutes. Some batches peel like a dream. Others are a nightmare.

We love them for deviled eggs and in salads.

 

[perditax]

Hard boiled eggs: I use an Instant Pot pressure cooker, 6 minutes at pressure then 6 minutes before releasing pressure, then ice bath. These days it's literally the only way I ALWAYS get perfect peelable HB eggs. I've tried every other trick including using eggs that aren't fresh.

(Side note: am I nuts or did hard boiled eggs used to be easier to peel? Like, when we were kids? Maybe it's something about the suppliers in my region.)

Soft / poached: I use a sous vide bath for 13 minutes at 167 degrees.

For traditional methods, keep in mind that the size/weight of your egg does matter.

 

[Cinnabunny]

Easy way to peel an egg: take a tiny piece of shell off one end, a slightly large piece off the other end and blow the egg out of its shell.

I can't cook eggs properly. I always, always over cook them. I love soft boiled, but I hate runny white, and I can never get the balance right the way my gran used to do. Scrambled is always too dry, omelettes too. Poached eggs end up all over the place, not the neat little things I see others make.

 

[Cinnabunny]

Hard boiled eggs: I use an Instant Pot pressure cooker, 6 minutes at pressure then 6 minutes before releasing pressure, then ice bath. These days it's literally the only way I ALWAYS get perfect peelable HB eggs. I've tried every other trick including using eggs that aren't fresh.

I've also heard the trick of using an ice bath. It's supposed to work for tomatoes and potatoes too after you've had them in boiled water for a minute or two - sort of like a cold shock. I've never tried it though.

 

[tvguy]

I too, have never seen an overcooked hardboiled egg. I have them for lunch everyday at work. My DD bought me a Henrietta the Hen egg cooker. You can poach, soft boil, or hard boil eggs. You just put the right amount of water in, and Henrietta does the rest. Generally speaking, the fresher the eggs, the harder they will be to shell when hard boiled. I shelled 6 last night, 4 were perfect, 2 the white stuck to the shell. Same carton of eggs, who knows?

 

[Poohlove]

I boil the eggs with a splash of white vinegar in the water. When the water comes up to a boil I cover the pot and turn off the heat and let them sit for 12 minutes (sometimes a bit longer if I get sidetracked) and then I pour out the hot water and immediately cover with cold water. I change the water as it gets warm until the eggs are cool enough to handle and then I peel them with the help of cold barely running water. I seem to have better luck this way than any other way I used in the past.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Ha, Cinabunny's post just made me remember my mother kept an egg timer on the shelf in the kitchen. Not sure whether that was for hard boiled eggs, or soft boiled eggs, or what. Does anyone still use one of these? I think I might have picked one up not too long ago but I have no idea where it is now.

Perditax, seriously impressed with your post! Wow! I don't have a pressure cooker. Will have to google sous vide bath. I think I do have a thermometer somewhere but not sure if it's for water or meat or whether there's a difference. Only do the most basic of cooking!

Interesting idea about blowing the egg out of it's shell. Mom2, it never really dawned on me that older eggs could be the problem. I do tend to boil them when and if we have too many, and I use the older ones to boil (never out of expiration or anything like that).

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I too, have never seen an overcooked hardboiled egg. I have them for lunch everyday at work. My DD bought me a Henrietta the Hen egg cooker. You can poach, soft boil, or hard boil eggs. You just put the right amount of water in, and Henrietta does the rest. Generally speaking, the fresher the eggs, the harder they will be to shell when hard boiled. I shelled 6 last night, 4 were perfect, 2 the white stuck to the shell. Same carton of eggs, who knows?

That's a cute little thing! Is there a setting for hard boiled or soft boiled?

 

[perditax]

Ha, Cinabunny's post just made me remember my mother kept an egg timer on the shelf in the kitchen. Not sure whether that was for hard boiled eggs, or soft boiled eggs, or what. Does anyone still use one of these? I think I might have picked one up not too long ago but I have no idea where it is now.

Perditax, seriously impressed with your post! Wow! I don't have a pressure cooker. Will have to google sous vide bath. I think I do have a thermometer somewhere but not sure if it's for water or meat or whether there's a difference. Only do the most basic of cooking!

Interesting idea about blowing the egg out of it's shell. Mom2, it never really dawned on me that older eggs could be the problem. I do tend to boil them when and if we have too many, and I use the older ones to boil (never out of expiration or anything like that).

There's a pretty big "Instant Pot" thread here on the Community board, they were on sale for about $60 over the holidays. HB eggs have come up in that thread before.

Souls vide is a bit more of a food-nerd thing but it can be incredibly useful for things like making cheaper cuts of steak tender while not overcooking them. It used to be very niche, but I notice I see sous vide circulators at Best Buy now. They're not super cheap but they're still way cheaper than a kitchen aid stand mixer, for example. I love making poached eggs in them because you just poach them right in the shell, the trick is that the sous vide allows you to cook the eggs at a very precise time *and temperature* for whatever result you want.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/10/sous-vide-101-all-about-eggs.html

 

[tvguy]

That's a cute little thing! Is there a setting for hard boiled or soft boiled?

Not a setting. There are water lines in the portion below the eggs. To the first line with water for poached...to the second water line for soft boiled, all the way to the third line for hard boiled. Plug it in, and 10 minutes later you have hard boiled eggs, never done soft or poached eggs, but time would be less.

 

[Tinijocaro]

DH and I managed to overcook another batch of hard boiled eggs last night. I hate when the shells don't peel off easily. Someday I would like to figure out how to cook them perfectly. I like them when they're just cooked through, not overcooked.

Growing up, when I was sick, my mother always made me a soft boiled egg on toast. Somehow those always seemed perfect, too. I don't think I've ever tried to make one but I might try. Does anyone make these?

What "boil" times work for you? Any tips welcome.

I am pretty good at making eggs otherwise - scrambled eggs, fried eggs, and (not sure I know the right term) eggs cooked in those little cups that go in a steamer. Have never poached an egg.

So, let's hear it, how do you like your eggs and how do you cook them? (Egg haters welcome, too.)

I make perfect hard boiled eggs in my pressure cooker. I actually had a teacher track me down after a teacher breakfast to ask what I did to make the eggs so tender and easily peelable. 6 minutes on manual pressure, quick release and ice bath. That's it. No waiting for water to boil and turning off heat to sit for 15 minutes. They peel so easily every time.

I've baked them in the oven but the result is not nearly as good as the pressure cooker eggs. I also soft boil them in the pc for 4 minutes. Perfect every time. It's best to use eggs that are not really fresh, older eggs do better when hard boiled.

 

[Tinijocaro]

Hard boiled eggs: I use an Instant Pot pressure cooker, 6 minutes at pressure then 6 minutes before releasing pressure, then ice bath. These days it's literally the only way I ALWAYS get perfect peelable HB eggs. I've tried every other trick including using eggs that aren't fresh.

(Side note: am I nuts or did hard boiled eggs used to be easier to peel? Like, when we were kids? Maybe it's something about the suppliers in my region.)

Soft / poached: I use a sous vide bath for 13 minutes at 167 degrees.

For traditional methods, keep in mind that the size/weight of your egg does matter.

Haha-great minds think alike. I haver an IP too. It also makes amazing cheesecakes too,if you haven't tried that yet.

 

[porschegrl]

it never really dawned on me that older eggs could be the problem. I do tend to boil them when and if we have too many, and I use the older ones to boil (never out of expiration or anything like that).

Older eggs are, generally speaking, easier to peel than fresh eggs.

ETA: Fresh eggs are best for poaching. I love it when I find a still-warm egg in the coop and take it straight to the kitchen to poach!

 

[kimblebee]

I'll be the token egg hater here. I used to eat them scrambled growing up but now I can barely stand to smell them. I can eat them in something, but not on their own. For me, it's the thought that you're eating an unborn chicken that just grosses me out.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Older eggs are, generally speaking, easier to peel than fresh eggs.

Alright, maybe I'll switch it up, then. Thanks

 

[mom2rtk]

I'll be the token egg hater here. I used to eat them scrambled growing up but now I can barely stand to smell them. I can eat them in something, but not on their own. For me, it's the thought that you're eating an unborn chicken that just grosses me out.

I hadn't even thought of it that way. But then, I seem to be ok with eating full grown chickens, so I guess I'll keep eating the unborn ones.

 

[Cinnabunny]

Ha, Cinabunny's post just made me remember my mother kept an egg timer on the shelf in the kitchen. Not sure whether that was for hard boiled eggs, or soft boiled eggs, or what. Does anyone still use one of these? I think I might have picked one up not too long ago but I have no idea where it is now.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Colour-Cha...UTF8&qid=1485351097&sr=1-2&keywords=egg+timer
Mum has one of these and swears by it.

I used to hate eggs, but I got given an egg mayo sandwich where the egg hadn't cooled down 100%, rather than straight out of the fridge and I fell in love. I still can't eat more than two in a day without feeling ick, but I'm discovering all kinds of new awesome - though I have to get others to cook them for me...

 

[mjkacmom]

Hard boiled, bring them to boil from cold, cover and remove from heat, for 15 minutes, then run under cold waster.

Soft boiled, bring water to a simmer, gently lower eggs in, simmer for 6 minutes, rinse under cold water.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Easy way to peel an egg: take a tiny piece of shell off one end, a slightly large piece off the other end and blow the egg out of its shell.

I can't cook eggs properly. I always, always over cook them. I love soft boiled, but I hate runny white, and I can never get the balance right the way my gran used to do. Scrambled is always too dry, omelettes too. Poached eggs end up all over the place, not the neat little things I see others make.

The "blow" method doesn't really peel the egg, it's more a way to get a raw egg out of its shell, and keep the shell intact. I do this with eggs in the weeks leading up to Easter--then you can dye the shells and use them for projects. My personal favorite is filling the shells with glitter or confetti, (glue tissue paper over the holes), and then having an egg fight.

For hard-boiled eggs, I do the cold water, heat to boiling, let sit for 15-20 minutes method. That's from Joy of Cooking--I have to look it up each time, I don't make boiled eggs very often. I'm actually not a big egg fan, but my family is.