Wow! I was just sitting here thinking about what I could do to pass the time while the eggs I put on the stove to be boiled, well boiled and it hit me!!! Why the heck haven't I put on and shared with you all how I make my fool proof boiled eggs.
After years of hearing how others do it; putting a dash of baking soda in the water while the eggs boiled, let the water boil first then put the eggs in, put the eggs in before it boils, cover the eggs after they are done and let sit, etc, etc, etc. I stumbled upon my way (and maybe others) just on complete accident.
Before I tell my story (hehehe, sounds like the beginning of a 20/20 news event) I want you to know a couple of things: 1. These are not made fast, it is a slower process so if you are looking for a quick hard boiled egg recipe, this is not it. 2. I wouldn't call these hard boiled or soft boiled... more of a slow boiled ending with the results of a hard boiled egg.
Okay back to the story...
One night I decided that I was going to make some hard boiled eggs for the following morning's breakfast and maybe even for the next day. I am a true believer in putting the eggs in before the water is even hot. So I put a pot of water on the stove with my single layer of eggs at the bottom and I let them come to a boil, turned it down a bit and intended to let them boil for about 5-10 minutes and then let them cool off in the hot water with a lid on it because 7/10 times this is a great method of cooking eggs.
Well that is not what happened. I forgot they were cooking!! *GASP*
About 20 minutes after I started cooking them boyfriend asked if I was cooking rubber eggs and that's when I remembered! To play it off nicely I laughed and said, oh no I meant to cook them this long, hehehehe. I waited about another minute because at that point I though that there was no way I was going to get the shell to come off and because I had to play the whole "I meant to do it" scenario. I skipped the covering and drained the eggs and ran them under cold water until the water stayed cool and I could touch the eggs. I then, because I just had to see, cracked the outside of one of the eggs and began to peel. I expected the whites would be stuck badly to the inside of the shell. I expected a tragedy!
I was fooled!!! The egg de-shelled perfectly!!!
Long story short, the best eggs I had ever made occurred on this what began as an unfortunate boiling night!
So here is the how to on these eggs in a little less story telling format...
First fill a pot with enough water to cover how ever many eggs you are going to boil (a single layer of eggs, do not stack). Add the eggs to the water and ensure that the water is covering the eggs, like below I didn't have enough so I added a bit more.
Then bring the water to a boil. Doesn't have to be a rapid boil for you to start the timer and turn down the heat. I turn the heat down to just above a simmer so it continues to boil without overflowing. Set a timer (hehehe because you dont want to forget) for 25 minutes and let the heat and water work its magic.
Once it is done boiling immediately drain hot water (I just drain as much as I can from the pot so I don't dirty any other dishes) and then fill the pot back up with cold running water. Empty once maybe twice, to get rid of the warm water (the eggs and pot will heat the water back up). Once the water is cool and the eggs are cool enough to touch transfer them to a bowl and put in the refrigerator until completely cooled (at least 2 hours maybe a bit longer).
Once cooled you can peel with ease and serve however you planned. Beautifully shelled eggs are great for; breakfast, deviled eggs, cobb salads, egg salad and so much more!!
Now I know that there are a million posts about how to make the perfect egg but I really hope that you do give this one a try. It is the best one I have found, even if it was on accident!
