Thursday, September 07, 2017

How to make perfect, easy-to-peel hard-boiled eggs


Let me start off by saying I am no chef! I don't cook much at all - mostly because my wife loves to cook - and she is very good at it. However, I do eat a lot of eggs, and in an effort to lose some weight (cutting out carbs) I have been trying to find a better way of making hard-boiled eggs. I hate trying to peel them and getting eggshell all over my hands and tearing out big hunks of the white. I think I've finally found a better way!

I had actually never even attempted hard-boiled eggs until a week or so ago. Usually I just let my wife do it, or I went without. It's not that she didn't know what she was doing, but they were still difficult to peel. So I did a little internet research and tried several different methods. This one seems to work the best - regardless of whether you're using new eggs or old!

So, how did I make the perfect, easy-to-peel hard-boiled egg?
  1. Use a medium-sized saucepan of water and add 1/4 tbsp of vinegar for every 4 cups water. Bring the water to a boil, then gently lower the eggs into the water. I used a pair of tongs but a strainer would be good too.
  2. Once the eggs are in the water, lower the heat to a simmer. You don't want a full-blown boil but just a gentle raising of bubbles. Leave the eggs like this for 14 minutes.
  3. When the eggs are finished (after the 14 minutes), place them in a separate bowl of ice water for 5 minutes (an ice bath).
  4. After 5 minutes, the eggs are ready to peel. Tap them on the counter all over, and slide off the shells.
  5. After peeling, store the eggs in a sealed container in the refrigerator. They can usually be stored for up to 5 days, and I recommend a sealed container to keep down the odor.
If I do say so myself, I was quite amazed at just how nice and easy this was. Not only are they easy to peel, but the yoke is nice and fluffy as well. Also, I always used to store the eggs with the peel still on, but it's much more convenient - and easy to peel - when the work is done up front. Afterward, when you want a snack, you simply open the refrigerator, grab an egg, and eat away!

I'm a little bit proud of myself. I hope it works for you as well as it has for me.