Let’s get something straight, right off the bat: I am an experienced cook. And while I am the first to toot my own horn, I think most people who know me would go so far as to say I’m a good cook, too.
To the point: Every single year, around Easter, I invariably google “perfect boiled egg” or “how to boil an egg.” I recently bought a beautiful cookbook by James Peterson called Cooking, 600 recipes, 1500 photographs, one kitchen education. I would like to point out that Peterson does not scoff at my ineptitude. Seems boiling eggs (perfectly) gives lots of people problems. He says “when boiling eggs, the trick is to stick to the same method and learn exactly how long to cook them… to your liking.” I don’t actually use his method, but I do agree with him. His method is to put the eggs into already boiling water. Mine tend to crack when I do that, so I put my eggs in a good pot, cover them with cold water and bring them to a slow boil. Once that happens, I take the pot off the heat, cover the pan and leave them in the pot for 15 minutes.
But even doing that, I was still running into problems. And I finally figured it out. My problem isn’t likely to be your problem, but then again, you never know. So here is what I have learned about boiling eggs:
DON’T USE FRESH ONES!!
I have chickens, so I have really fresh eggs. I didn’t use to keep close of track of which eggs were the freshest, but — at least this time of year — I try a little harder. In order to boil eggs that will peel nicely and not leave some ungodly gelatinous ruin like the second egg pictured above, your eggs must be at least 2 weeks old — from hen to pot. Funny, isn’t it, that store bought eggs rarely, if ever pose a problem? It does happen on occasion however, and here is a good way to tell: put the egg into water and see what happens. Psychotic publications bordering on hysteria (you know, the ones that tell you that your frozen hamburger should be thrown out after six months when we all know it lasts forever…) will tell you an egg that floats vertically should be thrown out because it is bad. While I won’t tell you to eat an egg that is seriously floating on top of the water, I will tell you that deviled eggs will be the END of you if you don’t begin the process with an egg that is just on the verge of floating upward off the bottom of the pan. You won’t die, I promise.
To prove my point, I have photographed two eggs: the first is exactly two weeks old. I wasn’t careful about peeling it, so it isn’t perfect, but it was quite easy. The second should give you pause, if not violently turn your stomach. It is the same size, cooked the same amount of time. The only difference was that the second one was laid by one of my obliging hens today.
Actually, given what a pain in the ass deviled eggs are, it might not be a bad idea to use fresh eggs the next time you are asked to make them for a family brunch. I bet they won’t ask you again!
Michelle says
Could it be that one shell is brown and the other green? (You KNOW someone will ask!) Thanks for sharing your egg boiling expertise! You are a kitchen genius! Keep the tips comin’.
Laurie says
If you have really fresh eggs and you want them old in a hurry, you can leave them out on the counter at room temperature. I was taught they lose a grade a day that way (Grade A eggs, etc). Not sure how true the grading part is, but I do know it does age them.
Anyway, the air pocket that is at the fat end of the egg grows and the white shrinks as the egg ages since the shells are porous. That’s why your eggs can sometimes take on the “smell” of the fridge if they are left in there too long. They basically lose moisture as they take in outside air. That’s also why they float – they aren’t necessarily spoiled but they won’t taste too great if they have that much air in them.
In the restaurant we would always just put cold eggs in cold water and bring to a boil. As soon as it would boil we’d turn off the water and go do something else for a water while they sat. They’d come out perfect and not rubbery. I don’t know why a guy who wrote a book about cooking puts cold eggs in hot water. They are more likely to crack that way and also a bit more likely to have textural issues. Imagine an egg overcooking on the outside while waiting for the inside to finally get cooked. If they all heat up slowly together, egg and water, the egg is much more tender.
It takes a tough man to make a tender egg.
admin says
Having had very fresh eggs for a really long time now, I can tell you with some boostful authority that eggs left out on the counter do not get old very fast. It certainly helps speed the process, but it won’t make a freshly laid egg peelable from the hard boiled state any easier for at least a week. I can never plan that far in advance. Never.
My solution is this: I let my sister-in-law bring the deviled eggs.
Beth Klippel says
I have found that it’s not how old or fresh the eggs are, but rather how they’re cooked, that determines the peeling process of making deviled eggs. Deviled eggs have been my contributed dish for family gatherings for thirty or so years now and I finally figured out the secrets. When I began years back, all my eggs came from the store untill we started raising our own chickens. Our own farm fresh brown eggs sent me into a tizzy on the night before we were hosting our parents 50th Wedding Anniversary.
Anyway, today I use same day layed eggs and have to problem what so ever. The water has to be boiling when the eggs are added carefully, using a large spoon or something. Cover them while they simmer and start to come to a boil again but not a hard boil, that may make them rubbery. Remove them from heat and let them set in the pan of water for 10-15 minutes. Then remove the eggs and plunge them into cold water, immediately cracking the shells while running them under cold water. The shells should peel off with ease.
jenmenke says
WOA! Beth: WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I WROTE THIS DAMN POST! I seriously cannot wait to try this. One problem though: my dog killed ALL of my chickens. So: I will not be able to try it with fresh eggs until next year. 🙁 thanks so much for the info!