Perfect Eggs!

We have an abundance of eggs right now and I have been seeking easy ways to use them up.  Everyone loves rice pudding made with a creamy custard sauce, and eggs for breakfast are always a staple, but I wanted something that uses a lot of eggs at once and not a lot of work on my part.  Hard boiled eggs make a quick snack and I find that when I leave a container of peeled eggs in the fridge they are more likely to be eaten than those still in the shell.

Over the last few weeks I have been experimenting with the best method of cooking these little gems so that they are easy to peel and don’t taste like a rubber puck.  I always used to follow the cold water method; placing the eggs in the pot, covering with cold water and then bringing up to a boil for 8 minutes.  Fresh eggs do not peel very well using this method and there seemed to be quite a lot of variation in the final product.  Sometimes the yolks were perfect, other times they were encircled by a thin purplish film which did not detract from the taste at all, but dissuaded picky eaters from making use of this quick snack item.  And the whites, I must confess, tended towards the rubber puck side of done.

I then found a method where the eggs started in cold water, were brought to a boil, and immediately removed from the heat. They rested in the hot water for 8 minutes, and then were cooled in cold water until manageable.  Slightly better results.  The cooking was more consistent, but the shells were still hard to remove.

I read somewhere that it is the gradual warming which causes the shell to stick.  The solution?  Bring the water to a boil, add the eggs and follow either method one or two above.  The result?  Cracked eggs and whites that oozed out into the water.

Finally, I found the ideal way to cook eggs.  In fact, I have used a variation on this method for some time to make perfect soft boiled eggs.  Put an inch of water in a pot with a steamer basket or wire rack.  Bring the water to a rolling boil.  Using a pair of tongs, place the eggs in the pot.  Cover and keep the water boiling.  The suggestion was to boil for 11 minutes and then remove the eggs to a bowl of ice water for 15 minutes.  Almost perfect eggs!

The eggs were very easy to peel.  The white was cooked perfectly; solid, but not rubbery. The yolk, however, was ever so slightly moist.  It still mashed up quite well for egg salad and was pleasant to eat, but next time I will cook for 12 minutes and see if that solves the yolk issue.

For those of you who are wondering, the soft boiled version requires only 6 minutes in the pot and 30 seconds in the ice water.  Peel and serve over sautéed spinach for a mouth watering breakfast!

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