Tips for Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

Getting the right texture with hard boiled eggs

Hard boiled eggs are a tasty breakfast treat which can also be used in a variety of other recipes such as sandwiches, salads, meat dishes, rice dishes, on toast or simply on their own as deviled eggs. However you like your hard boiled eggs, there is a technique to cooking them just right so that you get the ideal texture.

Eggs are a great source of protein (beneficial for muscle building) and can also boost your cholesterol if your levels are low. It is important to remember when cooking your eggs that you do not want to overcook them. This will impair the taste and turn the yolk a dark color.

Tips to make the perfect hard boiled eggs:

• Don’t stack them high in a saucepan – just lay them out in a single layer and ensure they have at least an inch of cold water covering them. Slowly bring to the boil and add one tsp salt. When the water begins to boil, take the pan off the heat for a few seconds and reduce it to a low heat.
• Return the pan to the heat and allow to simmer for one minute. After this time, turn off the heat, remove the pan, cover and let the eggs rest for 12 minutes.
• In order to check for egg doneness, check one of your eggs after 10 minutes by running under cold water and cutting it. If it’s done, great – if not, allow the eggs to sit on the heat for a couple extra minutes.
• Do not overcook – 12 minutes is pretty much the optimum time to cook a proper egg.
• Remember that timings may vary depending on your equipment and the types of eggs and number of eggs you use, so adjust your timings accordingly.
• Don’t try and peel the shell off while they are still hot. Cold water helps the egg set as well as making them much easier to handle. Strain the hot water from the pan and fill with cold water. After a few minutes, discard of this water then add fresh cold water.

Tips for peeling hard boiled eggs

Using a teaspoon is a popular peeling option. First, peel a little of the egg off in order to insert the spoon, then allow the bowl of the spoon to cradle the egg and scoop it round. This should allow the egg to gently pop out of its shell!

Rolling the egg to crack the shell works well too – tap your egg at each end on a board then roll it away from you on its side, ensuring you push down enough to crack the shell. Place the egg in a bowl of water and smoothly slip the shell off.

These are the two best methods of egg peeling, but if you have a tried and tested technique that you want to stick with then that’s fine too. Alternatively, if you want to spend a while picking bits of the shell off, go for it. It just might be a bit tedious!

Find recipes for hard boiled eggs on Recipebridge.