We have tried different eggs: white, brown, free range, etc. All seem to have the same problem. Hmm.... maybe it is the cook? With that fleeting thought, and eggs on the menu, I wanted to see what I am doing or not doing right.
The NY Times has a pretty sweet article on How to Boil an Egg: So Simple, but not Easy. Not bad, they reference Julia Child and others. Must be something to it. But guess what? Even they can't really agree. There seem to be LOTS of ways to boil an egg. I do think I am sometimes lax on the cold water bath immediately after boiling. That will be my first plan to change. Then, oh dear, working my way through other options:
- the 10 minute egg
- the 10-17 minute egg
- the bring to boil then rest in hot water egg
- the four hour egg????
An entire post about eggs and simply boiling them. Even in the NY Times.
Maybe it isn't so simple after all?
Maybe it is finding the simple way to do things that works for you and yields results. Like, I wonder why all those fancy diets and workout programs don't work, especially when there are so many experts insisting their way is best. Somehow I think a simple set of tools, consistency and being honest about what works and doesn't is best.
So, here is to simply jumping rope, strengthening muscles, eating "food" and avoiding what isn't food. And hoping peeling eggs gets easier.
What I have found to be the key to an easy to peel boiled egg is cold water. Boil the eggs for however long you like, let it sit in the hot water for a little bit longer (or not it doesn't really matter). But at some point before the water actually starts to get close to room temperature, pour out the hot water and poor in cold. Let that sit for a minute, pour it out and replace it with cold again. Do this a couple of times, basically flash cooling the eggs, and they will not stick to the membrane anymore. Peeling 10 stuck to the membrane eggs a day would have turned me right off the PCP, so this worked.
ReplyDeleteI've also heard that the fresher the egg, the harder it is to peel.
ReplyDeleteThanks guys.
ReplyDeleteEmily, I heard the tip about fresh eggs as well. One of the posts said if you keep your eggs a few days before boiling them, they will be easier to work with.
Seabass. Congrats on your 90+ Yep, totally trying the cold water bath. I remember my mom peeling eggs under cold water just out of the boiling, but I just can't see wasting that much water these days? Wow. times change.
Yes, the key is not-too-fresh eggs. That alone will make all the difference. If you're hardcore about easy to peel eggs boil the suckers with a teaspoon of baking soda. Makes your pots messy though.
ReplyDeleteDon't you think eggs can be the simplest things to cook, yet at the same time, the most complicated things to cook??!!
ReplyDelete