With the current interest in smoking HB eggs, thought I'd share the 12 minute method Mama taught me for any of you who may dread prepping HB eggs. I know I used to until a couple of years ago when I learned this way.

The yolks are never grey and peeling is a breeze. Little to no wasted egg using this method:


Place eggs in a pot in enough COLD water to completely cover.

Turn burner on high. When pot begins to boil, remove from heat and cover for 12 minutes.

When the 12 minutes are up, run eggs under cold tap water until eggs are completely cool. Peel immediately.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Shawn W,

Shawn,

I started doing them this way recently and you're right - they come out perfect every time!

I was also told that adding a little salt to the water will make the shells peel off more easily.

Mark

I'll have to try a little salt, thanks Mark

The more salt the easier they peel. I put about 2 tablespoons of seasalt in the water. Hope this helps.

I've been using this method since CI published it. I find for quick cooling, to dump out the hot water and replace with cold tap, then top with ice. Thanks for the tip on the salt.

This weekend an author of a James beard winning Egg cookbook advised using this same method. Must work well.

Right on, Bryan and Jane - 10 minutes works best for me (in a heavy pot), and it's best to use older eggs rather than fresh ones.

But I can't resist adding this version to the list for the reaction:

HARD-COOKED EGGS IN THE PRESSURE COOKER

18 eggs will fit in a 4-quart pressure cooker; if cooking more, use a 6- or 8-quart cooker.

It is not recommended to use an electric pressure cooker to hard-cook eggs.

1. PLACE EGGS in the steamer basket or on the trivet and cover completely with cold water by 1 inch. [6/23/08: Since I posted this I cooked 18 large eggs in a 4-quart cooker. Four or five eggs in the top layer were only 3/4 covered with water. They turned out just fine.]

2. COOK at high pressure for 3 1/2 minutes
....QUICK-RELEASE. Use the cold water quick-release method.

3. COOL EGGS in ICE water, then crack and peel from the round end. Even better, roll the egg under the palm of your hand on the counter to crumble the shell around the egg and admit air under it to loosen it further.

~~~~~~

These peel very easily every time, even after several days in the refrigerator, and the yolks have no green rings, even with fresh eggs. After you crinkle the shells by rolling them on the counter, they often come off in one sheet.

Don't knock it until you try it.
Rita

This is the only way I hard-cook eggs any more. In the last 6 months I've only had one egg to crack a little during cooking.

Edit 6/24/08: Changed cooking time from 4 1/2 to 3 1/2 minutes. Added info on 18-egg cook.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Rita Y,

I think that it was Julia who did the 12 minute thing. It turns out it was 11 minutes+1 minute
per egg. Been using it for about 25 years and it hasn't failed yet.

I made two dozen ham and horseradish stuffed eggs yesterday for an event. They peeled like a dream.

Jane, that sounds wonderful...can you share?
Thanks

It's on Epicurious. I, of course, add my own touches, but this is the original. You beef it up as you wish. I use white pepper and way more horsie and meyer lemon juice:

HAM AND HORSERADISH STUFFED EGGS

6 hard-cooked large eggs
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 cup minced cooked ham (about 3 ounces)
teaspoon coarse-grained mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons drained bottled horseradish, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
cayenne to taste

Cut a paper-thin slice of both ends of eggs and halve eggs crosswise. Force yolks through a sieve into a bowl (or mash with a fork) and stir in remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer filling to a pastry bag fitted with a large decorative tip and pipe into whites, mounding it. The stuffed eggs may be made 6 hours ahead and chilled, covered.

Makes 12 stuffed eggs.
Gourmet
The Last Touch
April 1995

My Brother-in-Law Kevin, who used to work/asstiant chef at the Accomac Inn in Wrightsville PA gave me some instructions on peeling hard boiled eggs. Well It was actually a debate over using fresh eggs verses what I've been told to use over the years and that's old eggs. He looked me dead in the eye and said I can peel the freshest of eggs and I really did believe him. Here's what he told me to do. Boil the egss and when done put them in Ice water, not cold water ICE water. Then once cooled down look at the egg and find the fatter end, the end that always has the hollow spot. Crack that end first and then either just start peeling or roll it around on the counter breaking the whole shell, he said makes no difference after breaking the hollow end first. BUT you must start peeling from the hollow end making sure you get under the film at the hollow end and the shell will come right off, so he says. I look at him and said I bought farm fresh eggs up at Roots Market last year and couldn't peel them, wound up with nothing but yolks. So what your telling me is that I could use fresh eggs like that and as long as I cracked the hollow end first and started peeling the egg from there I'll be alright. Looked me dead in the eye and said Yeah! I busted up in laughter and said OK, you're on. I'm going to go buy the freshest eggs I can find and see if this works. Well 36 of the freshest eggs were boiled and peeled last Sat. Eggs had a use by date of July 24th. Not one problem or stuck shell to the white part of the egg. I didn't even put my usual heavy amount of salt in the water, no salt at all. I'm sold. HTH

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Bryan S,

quote:

start peeling from the hollow end making sure you get under the film at the hollow end and the shell will come right off

ya, that's the ticket

I think the ice water is great too. It either stops that film from cooking to the egg or perhaps causes enough condensation to form inside the egg to keep the film, egg and shell seperate.

Bryan,
Did the eggs crack when put in the ice water? That's a heck of a thermal shock and I wonder if water getting inside the shell while cooling aids the peeling?

Thanks,

Bill

I updated the timing on the Pressure-Cooked Eggs upthread.

Bill, the expansion and contraction of the shell is what loosens the shell and membrane. My eggs very rarely crack, but when they do, yes, I do think the water does ooze in. When I cooked the eggs in a saucepan, I'd crack them lightly before I put them into the ice water. I guess it helped, but then the sulphury odor permeated my fridge, even when I bagged the eggs.

But I no longer do that with the pressure-cooked eggs. After the ice bath, I just put them back into the carton and into the fridge until I need them, even as long as a week. They are still easy to peel, which might not be the case with the standard method of cooking the eggs, in my experience.

As I said, don't knock it until you've tried it. I'm dying for someone else to try it! I'm especially interested if there might be a difference in timing using a jiggle-top pressure cooker. Mine is a Kuhn-Rikon, one of the second-generation cookers. I'd suggest doing just a couple of eggs the first time --- then the timing can be adjusted as needed for your type of cooker. In any case, you do have to keep a close eye on your timer and start it immediately when the indicator reaches high pressure (15 psi).

Rita

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Hays:
Bryan,
Did the eggs crack when put in the ice water? That's a heck of a thermal shock and I wonder if water getting inside the shell while cooling aids the peeling?

Thanks,

Bill

What are you Bill, an engineer? LOL

Rita, I completely believe what you are saying. It makes total sense that cook duration is the prime cause in shell-sticking HB egggs.

The thread is a pursuit of perfect (cooked but not grey yolks) and easy to peel HB eggs. Thanks Bryan, Rita, Bill and all for their continued input towards the goal.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Hays:
Bryan,
Did the eggs crack when put in the ice water? That's a heck of a thermal shock and I wonder if water getting inside the shell while cooling aids the peeling?

Thanks,

Bill

Bill, I bought those 18 count cartons for red beet eggs for the grad party I'm doing this Sat. I had one egg crack out of the 36. I'll also say that when I do eggs for red beet eggs I always peel them when still hot/really warm and pour the pickle brine on them hot so it soaks into the eggs faster. It's always trickey trying to peel the eggs when they are that warm but I had no real issues starting at the big end of the eggs like my BIL told me to do. Yes the colder they got the easier they peeled but just like to do them warm for the red beet eggs. I was really impressed with this peeling method. HTH

Rita, I'm going to get the 1940's National No. 7 pressure cooker out and try the pressure cooker hard boiled eggs.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Bryan S,

FWIW, I am a colossal fan of Tony Bourdain's method. I quote verbatim from the Les Halles Cookbook:

quote:

Put your eggs gently into a small pot filled with cold water. Bring the water to a rapid boil. As soon as the water is boiling, shut off the heat and put a lid on top. After 10 minutes, remove the eggs and slide them carefully into ice water to cool. When cool? Peel. Here’s how you know if you’ve done it right: if the egg is cooked through, the shell peels off cleanly, and the yolk is not surrounded by an unsightly gray ring. Gray ring? Try again.

It has worked flawlessly for me.