277874 Wed May 11 08:05:57 -0700 2005 24 31 Home Cooking 0 1469462 I just can't seem to hard boil an egg to perfection. I've thrown away dozens of eggs lately because they are underdone and the shells won't peel off. What I do is place the eggs in a pan with cold water, bring it to a boil, remove the pan from the heat and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 10 minutes. Then I place them in a cold bath until they cool. It's not working...so what's the secret?????? Wed May 11 08:05:57 -0700 2005 0 Chili_girl 1 1469465 Chili Girl, are you putting a lid on the pan after you take it off the heat? Try that, and try giving it an extra 2 minutes. Susan Wed May 11 08:19:22 -0700 2005 1469462 0 Miss Sue 2 1469487 spot on with what I do. Sometimes if they are large eggs, I need an extra minute or two for the yolks to be perfectly set. So that would be about 12-14 minutes sitting (covered) off the heat after it's been brought to a boil. Try it and you should find it pretty foolproof. Wed May 11 11:11:42 -0700 2005 1469465 0 adamclyde 2 1469571 i go for the whole 15 minutes. otherwise, exactly the same. works for me! Thu May 12 09:14:49 -0700 2005 1469465 0 kristen 1 1469466 Good Morning, I suggest that you access the website of the American Egg Board. The website has loads of information about eggs including recipes and cooking methods. That website probably will be of more help than I can give you. www.aeb.org Wed May 11 08:20:47 -0700 2005 1469462 0 ChiliDude 1 1469470 It also helps if the eggs are "old". I find that very fresh eggs are hard to peel after being hard boiled. I'd also leave the eggs off the heat and covered for 15 minutes, at least. Wed May 11 08:55:54 -0700 2005 1469462 0 sudiepav 2 1469477 Definitely. As eggs age, they lose liquid, causing the membrane between the albumin and the shell to tighten and pull away from the shell. A very fresh egg will not have that teeny bit of space between the membrane and the shell that a slightly older egg will have. I always keep my eggs organized by age so that I know which ones to grab if I'm frying versus boiling. Wed May 11 09:45:43 -0700 2005 1469470 0 Adrienne 1 1469473 I was just watching an episode of Jacques Pepin Fast Food My Way last night. He was making a Tomato and Egg Gratin - with hard boiled eggs and this is what he did for the eggs. -Poke a pin hole in the rounded part of the raw egg. -Drop in boiling water and cook for ~8 min -Drain the water out from pot and shake the pot to crack eggs a little ( he said so it will be easier to peel later ). -He put the eggs in cold water/ice to cool down. -He peeled the eggs fairly easily and mentioned if air/water seeps in thru the membrane, the shell will peel very well Two things he mentions about good hard boiled eggs: egg whites should not be hard and overcooked and there should be no green sulphur around the yellow yolk. I think the cool down helps that. Jacques mentioned he judges how good a restaurant is by how they cook hard boiled eggs. So I think it's not as easy as it seems!! p.s. I am a novice cook so please correct the above info/add to it - I don't have my notes with me. Wed May 11 09:07:58 -0700 2005 1469462 0 tff 1 1469475 Dear lord, don't throw away those under done eggs!! Send them to my house so I can mash it up with some butter and salt! Nothin' I like better in the morning than a good soft-boiled egg (or medium is typically how they end up). Cooking for dummies says to do exactly what you're doing but that you should be giving it 12-18 minutes off heat depending on the size of the eggs (lid on, of course). I like the pin hole idea that another poster mentioned. Good luck. Wed May 11 09:25:59 -0700 2005 1469462 0 krissywats 1 1469479 You have it down mostly right. You must use old eggs (I mean near or past the expiration date) to make peeling easier. Newer eggs are the devil to peel. And, after chilling the eggs, you can crack one end slightly and treat to a quick hot water bath before peeling. The rapid change in temperature helps loosen the shell from the egg. Wed May 11 10:00:38 -0700 2005 1469462 0 Karl S. 1 1469483 Never thought I would see so many different theories about boiling an egg. I never bother as to the age of the egg (old vs new). Your method is correct : 1. Put into a cold water pan on high heat making sure the water is just above the eggs, and also ensuring that excess water does not drip down causing your flame to go out (this can be dangerous, so reduce flame if necessary). 2. Let them bubble, froth, and bang against each other for about 10-12 minutes. 3. Switch water with cold water. 4. Wait about 2-3 minutes not for anything else but only to save your hands from experiencing the hot eggs. 5. Take an egg from the pan, place on counter and roll gently with the palm of your hands, then slightly tap the egg against your kitchen counter (gently please -break the egg and not the counter). 6. peel away 7. Enjoy egg. If I had to wait for 15 or 20 minutes more I would starve, besides which it would anycase then be time for lunch. If this still doesnt work, switch your eating habits. Good luck / Amin Wed May 11 10:28:08 -0700 2005 1469462 0 Amin (London Foodie ''OrientRice@aol.com'') 1 1469495 I'm not sure if this is an old cook's tale, but I've heard that adding salt to the water at the start will make it easier to peel the eggs, esp. newer ones. Haven't tested it out myself since I never have had problems peeling mine. Wed May 11 12:13:05 -0700 2005 1469462 0 Carb Lover 1 1469508 We go through eggs in my house like there's no tomorrow, so I guess mine are pretty fresh, depending on store shelf time, and I don't have any problems peeling eggs using this method: Place eggs in cold water with a splash of white vinegar. Bring water to rolling boil, and boil for 2 minutes. Shut the burner off, cover, and leave for 11 minutes. Transfer to an ice water bath to cool. The egg yolks always seem to be centered and never greenish. Give it a try. Wed May 11 13:51:52 -0700 2005 1469462 0 Pat Darnell 1 1469512 The people who have said that old eggs are the trick to easy peeling are absolutely correct. If you don't believe it, do an experiment and boil in two separate pots, an old egg and a new one. Boil it at the same amount of time with the same heat input. Once they are both done, compare how easy it is to peel the older egg versus the newer one. I do mine by starting them cold, bringing the water to a boil, then I cover it the pot, and let sit for 17-18 minutes. Then dump out the hot water and pour in cold tap water. Let sit until cool and then I peel. Wed May 11 14:12:09 -0700 2005 1469462 0 elmomonster 1 1469517 Your time is too short for hard-boiled eggs. Put them in cold water, bring to a boil, uncovered. Take off the heat, cover, and allow to stand 20 minutes. AS SOON as 20 minutes are up, drain and put in a bowl of very cold water (preferably ice water). Sometimes I've overdone the eggs a little if I've forgotten and not taken them off the heat when they come to a boil, but they're never underdone. Wed May 11 14:40:39 -0700 2005 1469462 0 Geogrrl 2 1469526 Actually, 10 minutes will be firm cooked yolk and white. A little less (8.5-9 minutes) and you get what I prefer - a firm but saffron gold/orange (and still slightly moist) yolk, rather than a bright yellow crumbly yolk. Wed May 11 16:15:04 -0700 2005 1469517 0 Karl S. 3 1469544 You're right. The amount of time you let them stand for hard cooked depends on the texture you want. I don't mind if the yolks are creamy, but some people object, insisting it's still not "cooked". Pot-tay-to, po-tah-to. Wed May 11 18:05:31 -0700 2005 1469526 0 Geogrrl 1 1469524 I have done millions... The rule for perfect hard boiled chicken eggs is: Boil eggs in cold salted water. Start timing when they begin to boil, ten minutes only, if you go longer, green yolks happen. Cool in ice bath. This doesn't always mean you can peel easily. Old eggs peel nicely. Wed May 11 16:00:17 -0700 2005 1469462 0 Pablo 1 1469525 I share your frustration with the peeling! I have recently discovered that it makes all the difference in the world if I wet my fingertips before peeling. It seems to help the membrane adhere to my hands rather than the egg. (As for cooking method, I actually bring to a boil, let boil for a minute or so, then turn off heat and leave covered for only 8 minutes. I rinse in cold water and then peel. My yolks tend to be creamy and most of the time they're fully cooked. If the boiling time was less than usual, sometimes they're ever-so-slightly soft, but we like them that way, too). Wed May 11 16:06:33 -0700 2005 1469462 0 Laurella 1 1469533 I finally found a way that works everytime (Thank you Jacques Pepin) Put eggs in a pot. Cover with cold water. As soon as the water starts to boil, put you timer on for 8 minutes (9 for really jumbo eggs). You keep the water boiling the entire time. When the timer goes off, put them in an ice bath for a few minutes. No matter what you do, you will always have a tough time peeling eggs if they are really, really fresh. Wed May 11 16:29:57 -0700 2005 1469462 0 Tugboat 1 1469535 Chili_girl, After reading all the other suggestions and theories, I think you oughta go back to my reply and do as I suggest. Try the American Egg Board website. Would ChiliDude steer Chili_girl wrong? Wed May 11 16:50:19 -0700 2005 1469462 0 ChiliDude 2 1469540 See link for exact page. And, I agree that one should use older eggs (at least a week - or set them on the counter outside of refrigeration and they will age faster). And, the pin hole in the larger end (where the air pocket is) lets it form beautifully for devilling. I think it also gets little water in there. I use a safety pin. Oh, and a chowhound told me they are not called hard boiled because one shouldn't boil them. They are termed "hard cooked" because - tah dah. For other egg cooking, see http://www.aeb.org/recipes/basics/index.html Link: http://www.aeb.org/recipes/basics/hard-cooked_eggs.htm Wed May 11 17:37:40 -0700 2005 1469535 0 kc girl 1 1469542 Chili girl--- Try using a pan thats just large enough to hold the amount of eggs you want to cook, heavily salt cold water-just to cover. Bring to boil and boil for 1 minute,take them off the burner- then cover and let sit 12 min. This will give you eggs that are completly cooked, not green, but also with no softness what-so-ever. (If you want slightly soft, just let them sit for a min. or so less) Plunge into ice water or let them sit in pan and run cold water on them until they feel cool to the touch. Roll around a bit on counter and then peel. Older eggs will peel pretty easy, but I've found if you run under the tap as you peel, it's lots easier. Good Luck! Wed May 11 17:55:26 -0700 2005 1469462 0 jackie 1 1469590 Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the advice. So far I have about 8 different methods of "hard cooking" an egg. I am going to try them all in search of the most perfect one and I'll let you all know what worked best. Thu May 12 13:32:05 -0700 2005 1469462 0 Chili_girl 1 1469602 Bear in mind that if you're up in the mountains somewhere, you'll have to boil longer. If you're up around 9,000 ft or so (Vail, etc) just give up - you can't boil an egg there, because the water just doesn't get hot enough. Thu May 12 17:01:20 -0700 2005 1469462 0 John