5 Surprising Tips for the Perfect Hard Boiled Egg. Every Time.
5 Surprising Tips for the Perfect Hard Boiled Egg. Every Time.
They say boiling an egg is one of the simplest, most basic cooking techniques out there. Well, we’re not quite sure who these gods of egg boiling are, because we’d need more than our fingers and toes to count how many times we’ve screwed up this (supposedly) easy kitchen basic.
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There’s the green ring around the yolk. There’s the peel that won’t come off without taking half the egg with it. We also sincerely apologize to all the chickens out there for the countless cracks in boiling water. Boiling and peeling an egg is a treacherous business if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Exhibit A - Eggs have a tendency to be slightly uncooperative
After much testing, a lot of mess, and more accidental scrambles than we’d care to admit, we’ve nailed down five basic tips and tricks that should help you on your way to a better hard boiled egg breakfast, lunch or dinner.
After all, the most pressing question is perhaps not “which came first, the chicken or the egg?” but instead “how on earth do I cook the darn thing, so the chicken doesn’t come after me?!”
Tip 1: The Muffin Tin
If you’re looking to hard-boil a bunch of eggs at one time, but don’t have a pot that’s big enough (or maybe find getting a lot of eggs in and out of hot water at the same time a little stressful) we have a solution for you!
Pull out the mini muffin tin! Stand one egg, upright, in each hole of your tin and bake the eggs at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.
What’s great about this tip is that you don’t have to worry about eggs cracking in boiling water. You can also ensure even cooking of all your eggs, because they all go into and come out of the oven at the same time.
Tip 2: Submerge Them Half Way
If you want to stay traditional and boil your eggs in water, we suggest only submerging them half way and covering the pot with a lid. This way, when the water is boiling, the eggs won’t bounce around and crack - genius!
Tip 3: The Post-boil Ice Bath
When you pull your eggs out of the boiling water, submerge them in ice water immediately. This way, your eggs won’t continue to cook once they come out of the pot, which can result in over cooking and that funky green ring around the yolk. Also, when you cool the eggs down quickly in ice water, they will be easier to peel. Another bonus!
Tip 4: Spin ‘Em!
If you’re not sure which of your eggs have already been boiled and which ones haven’t we’ve got a little trick for you. When you spin an uncooked egg, it will wobble all over the place and spin out of control. If, however, you spin a hardboiled egg, it will spin evenly, in place and in control. No more accidental cracking of raw eggs for egg salad!
Tip 5: Crack the Fat End
Peeling an egg can be a tricky business if you start at the wrong end. When you want to peel a hard boiled egg, identify the skinny and the fat ends of your egg first. Then, crack the fat end on the counter and begin to peel from there. The fat end of the egg will contain a little air pocket, which will make for easier, cleaner peeling, without ripping into the egg white.
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