The Best Way to Hard Boil Eggs: Steam 'em!
Have you ever gotten this?
When you really wanted this?
How often have you had something that looks like this?
I've tried every hard "boiled" egg technique that I'm aware of. I've brought them to a boil and then removed from heat. I've baked them. I've put vinegar, salt, baking soda in the water; you name it, I've tried it. Today I'm going to share with you the absolute best method. I've been doing eggs like this for years and it works great! I love it because I can precisely control the temperature, which means no green yolk. More great news: they peel more easily! You'll need a pot with a lid and a steaming basket.
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Steamed Eggs
Eggs
Pot
Lid
Steaming Basket
Bowl with Ice water
1. Bring 1 1/2 - 2 inches of water to a boil in a pot.
2. Place cold eggs right out of the fridge, into the steaming basket.
3. Place eggs in steaming basket over the pot with boiling water and cover with a lid.
4. Turn down the heat to medium. It should still maintain a boil, but not a hard boil.
5. Time for 14 minutes, for hard "boiled" eggs.
6. When the time is up, immediately place the eggs in ice water to stop the cooking process. Time for 3 minutes. The shock of cold water stops the cooking process and encourages the cooked egg to separate from the shell. If the eggs are left for a longer period of time, the membrane will begin to relax and they will not peel quite as easily.
7. In the meantime, drain the water in the cooking pot.
8. After the eggs rest for 3 minutes in ice water, place them back in the pot with the lid on. Give them a good shake, back and forth, to break up the egg shells.
9. Run some cool water into the pot and slip the eggs shells off into the water. The wide end of an egg has an air pocket between it and the egg shell. That's usually the best place to start peeling an egg.
10. Place eggs on a kitchen towel, or paper towel to dry. Pat dry and place eggs in a container with a paper towel on the top and bottom of the container. If the eggs are too wet, they will not store as long. Store in the fridge for up to a week. The eggs will release quite a bit of moisture. You may wish to replace the paper towel on top and bottom of the eggs mid-week, to prolong their storage time.
11. You may also store unpeeled eggs in the fridge for up to a week. They will not peel quite as easily as they do right after they are cooked, because the membrane has relaxed, but they will still peel fairly easily. Roll the egg on the counter under your palm, lightly crushing the shell. Peel under running water.
12. Eggs stored in the shell actually store a little better than peeled eggs, but they are not quite as convenient, so I usually peel up a batch for the week right after cooking.
TIPS
Try steaming for 14 minutes your first time, and then adjust the time by a minute more or less, depending on if you like a harder yolk, or a softer yolk.
Some batches will peel a bit easier than others, but steamed eggs that are plunged into ice water for 3 minutes, will ALWAYS peel easier than if you had cooked them using another method. Usually, they will slip right out of the peel.