Hard Boiled Eggs

Boiling an egg is considered one of the most trivial tasks in a kitchen. Often we hear the joke “at least she knows how to boil an egg" or “he cannot even boil an egg." Well truth is that, if you care for the result as you should, boiling a hard-boil egg is a simple but remarkable tricky cooking task. And once you start paying attention like I do, you will see many restaurants, some in expensive hotels, that failed at this task. A perfectly boiled hard egg shall have not even the faintest darkening of the yolk skin. The darkening of the skin is due to the formation of sulfur when the yolk stays for too long at a high temperature. This procedure here was developed by Georgia Egg Board and appears in Julia Child’s The Way to Cook.

Ingredients:

 

• Up to four eggs
• 2 quarts of water
• If cooking 5 to 12 eggs use 3 1/2 quarts of water

Procedure:

 

1. Cook the eggs
   • You will need a bowl with icy cold water with ice by the end of this cooking time.
   • If you will serve the eggs whole or in halves and want them to have a nice shape, make a tiny hole with a needle in the larger end of the egg for the air to escape. Do not break the internal membrane
   • Gently lay the eggs into the cold pan.
   • Cover the eggs with cold water.
   • Set over high heat and bring just to a boil.
   • Remove from heat.
   • Cover the pan, and let sit for exactly 17 minutes.
2. Two-minute Chill
   • Transfer the eggs to the bowl of icy cold water.
   • Immediately put the pot where the eggs were boiled back under high heat.
   • Let the eggs chill in the cold water for exactly two minutes.
3. Ten-seconds boil
   • Transfer the eggs, a few at a time, to the now boiling water.
   • Let the eggs be in the boiling water for exactly 10 seconds — the reason is to expand the shells and make it easier to peel.
   • Crack the shells gently in several places and submerge the eggs into the icy cold water.
   • Leave the eggs in the icy water for 15 to 20 minutes before peeling
4. Peel the eggs
   • Crack the egg shell all over by gently tapping it against the counter.
   • Hold the egg under a thin stream of water.
   • Starting peeling on the large end.
   • Return each egg back into the icy water as soon as it is peeled.
5. Storing
   • To store, keep the eggs submerged in cold water in the refrigerator and keep it uncovered.