Anne boils eggs the way the Egg Board advises its being done.
The following site explains it better tha the Egg Board does:
*********
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggs/BoiledEggs.htm
How To Boil Eggs
Soft-Cooked Eggs, Medium-Cooked Eggs, and Hard-Cooked Eggs
The simple and classic boiled egg, is one of the finest and easiest edible delights known on earth, with just 70 calories, and full of natures most perfect form of protein. It used to be that people were scared of eating eggs because of the cholesterol in the egg yolks. Now research has found that eggs also raise the good cholesterol that bodies need.
According to the American Egg Board, the terms hard- and soft-boiled eggs are really misnomers, because boiling eggs makes them tough and rubbery. Instead, these eggs should be hard- or soft-cooked in hot (still) water.
Check out my informative article on Poaching vs. Simmering vs. Boiling.
To Correctly Cook Hard-Cooked Eggs:
Boiling an egg is really very simple! After reading many different opinions about the best method for making perfect hard-cooked (boiled) eggs, I have discovered, through my own personal testing, the following easy method which gives great results. This way of cooking is also known as "coddling." It does not toughen the whites as boiling does. This will also assist with the peeling process, as the cold water creates steam between the egg white and the shell which makes the shell easier to remove.
1. For perfect cooking, start with eggs that don't have any visible cracks:
There are two problems you'll want to avoid: cracked shells and the ugly green layer that can form around the yolk.
Note: Do not add salt to water. The salt will raise the boiling point of the water making the egg whites rubbery
2. To get perfectly peeled hard-cooked eggs, use eggs that are at least 3 to 5 days:
Eggs that are too fresh are difficult to peel. The fresher the eggs, the harder it will be to peel them because the white membrane is just not mature enough. Hard boiling farm fresh eggs will invariably lead to eggs that are difficult to peel. First, figure out if your eggs are fresh, because looking at the date on the carton is not always the best indicator of freshness, as eggs within the same carton with the same sell-by-date could have been laid on different days. Check out Sell Date of Eggs.
· In a fresh egg, the yolk stand tall and the white is thick and cloudy. In an older egg, the yolk looks flatter and breaks easily, and the white is thing and watery.
· A simple test in water will answer the freshness question for you. Place the egg in a bowl of water; if it lays on its side, it is very fresh. As it ages, the air pocket inside the egg grows, which buoys the egg up so it stands on one end. If the egg floats to the top, it is ready for the trash
· The best eggs for boiling are the ones on their way to standing up because that extra air makes peeling easier. That's why you should buy eggs for hard-cooking at least a week ahead of time
· When making deviled eggs, place carton of eggs on its side for a day. The yolk will then center itself so you have it directly in the middle of the white. No more off centered deviled eggs.
3. Bring your eggs to room temperature before cooking:
· If the egg has been stored in the refrigerator it can be warmed gently under a flowing hot tap water. By bringing the eggs to room temperature, they're much less likely to crack in the hot water. Also the temperature of the egg at the start of the cooking process will affect the cooking time.
· An egg that is at room temperature at the start of the cooking process will require about 1 minute less cooking time than eggs taken directly from the refrigerator.
4. Technique for hard-cooking eggs:
· Gently place the eggs in a single layer in a pan with enough cold water to cover eggs completely (approximately by 1 inch).
If you have 2 or 3 layers of eggs stacked up in a small pot, they may cook unevenly. Use a tall pan, and limit cooking to 2 dozen eggs at a time.
Too much water will take too long for things to get boiling, which can throw off the timing and give you overcooked eggs. Too little water causes parts of the eggs to be exposed and end up undercooked.
· Over high heat, bring water JUST to a rapid boil.
· As soon as the water reaches a rapid boil, remove pan from heat and cover egg pan tightly with a lid.
· Set timer for 17 minutes for large eggs or 20 minutes for jumbo eggs.
· After 17 or 20 minutes (depending on size of your eggs), remove from heat and drain off water from the eggs. Transfer the eggs to the bowl of ice cubes and cold water. NOTE: While they're in the cold water, a layer of steam develops between the shell and the egg white. The steam helps make peeling an egg much easier.
· Let eggs cool at least 10 minutes in cold water, then drain. Either store in refrigerator or peel the eggs (see below for How To Peel Hard-Cooked Eggs Easily).
Watch the time when cooking the eggs carefully. Overcook causes a green layer to form around the yolk. This layer is caused by a reaction between the iron in the yolk and the sulfur in the white. Heat speeds up this reaction, so the longer your eggs cook, the greater the chance of discoloration.
Use the following cooking times as a guide for the desired firmness for the yolk of each egg size (the whites will be firm):
Egg Size Degree of Doneness Time Required
Medium Soft-cooked yolk 3 minutes
Medium-cooked yolk 5 minutes
Hard-cooked yolk 12 minutes
Large Soft-cooked yolk 4 to 5 minutes
Medium-cooked yolk 6 minutes
Hard-cooked yolk 17 minutes
Extra Large Soft-cooked yolk 5 minutes
Medium-cooked yolk 7 to 8 minutes
Hard-cooked yolk 19 minutes
Soft-cooked eggs:
A soft-cooked egg has a firm white and runny yolk.
To serve in egg cup, place egg in cup small end down, slice off large end of egg with knife or egg scissors and eat from shell with spoon. You can also buy a good egg topper from a kitchen store. They're very quick and practical. I finally bought myself one, and now my eggs look beautiful when I top them!
Medium-cooked eggs:
A medium-cooked egg has a firm white and a slightly firm yolk.
Hard-cooked eggs:
A hard-cooked egg has both a firm white and yolk.
Hard-cooked eggs should never be boiled - simmer them in water. If boiled or cooked too long, the protein toughens or becomes rubbery and a greenish or purplish ring forms around the yolk.
Extremely fresh eggs are not recommended when making hard-boiled eggs. They are very difficult to peel. This is the best use for eggs nearing their expiration date.
Refrigeration is necessary for hard boiled eggs if they eggs are not to be consumed within a few hours. Hard-cooked eggs in the shell can be refrigerated up to one week.
Photo of the different eggs courtesy of Hormel Foods.
How To Peel Hard-Cooked Eggs Easily: This is what I do:· I place the eggs in the pan they were cooked in and add cold water. · I then crack the eggs under water (this seems to help loosen the membrane under the shell). · Start peeling at the larger end, (the flat side) where the air pocket is, and remove the shell under running water to make the shelling easier. You must get a hold of the membrane under the shell when you remove the shell. Very fresh eggs are harder to peel. The fresher the eggs, the more the shell membranes cling tenaciously to the shells.
The following site explains it better tha the Egg Board does:
*********
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggs/BoiledEggs.htm
How To Boil Eggs
Soft-Cooked Eggs, Medium-Cooked Eggs, and Hard-Cooked Eggs
The simple and classic boiled egg, is one of the finest and easiest edible delights known on earth, with just 70 calories, and full of natures most perfect form of protein. It used to be that people were scared of eating eggs because of the cholesterol in the egg yolks. Now research has found that eggs also raise the good cholesterol that bodies need.
According to the American Egg Board, the terms hard- and soft-boiled eggs are really misnomers, because boiling eggs makes them tough and rubbery. Instead, these eggs should be hard- or soft-cooked in hot (still) water.
Check out my informative article on Poaching vs. Simmering vs. Boiling.
To Correctly Cook Hard-Cooked Eggs:
Boiling an egg is really very simple! After reading many different opinions about the best method for making perfect hard-cooked (boiled) eggs, I have discovered, through my own personal testing, the following easy method which gives great results. This way of cooking is also known as "coddling." It does not toughen the whites as boiling does. This will also assist with the peeling process, as the cold water creates steam between the egg white and the shell which makes the shell easier to remove.
1. For perfect cooking, start with eggs that don't have any visible cracks:
There are two problems you'll want to avoid: cracked shells and the ugly green layer that can form around the yolk.
Note: Do not add salt to water. The salt will raise the boiling point of the water making the egg whites rubbery
2. To get perfectly peeled hard-cooked eggs, use eggs that are at least 3 to 5 days:
Eggs that are too fresh are difficult to peel. The fresher the eggs, the harder it will be to peel them because the white membrane is just not mature enough. Hard boiling farm fresh eggs will invariably lead to eggs that are difficult to peel. First, figure out if your eggs are fresh, because looking at the date on the carton is not always the best indicator of freshness, as eggs within the same carton with the same sell-by-date could have been laid on different days. Check out Sell Date of Eggs.
· In a fresh egg, the yolk stand tall and the white is thick and cloudy. In an older egg, the yolk looks flatter and breaks easily, and the white is thing and watery.
· A simple test in water will answer the freshness question for you. Place the egg in a bowl of water; if it lays on its side, it is very fresh. As it ages, the air pocket inside the egg grows, which buoys the egg up so it stands on one end. If the egg floats to the top, it is ready for the trash
· The best eggs for boiling are the ones on their way to standing up because that extra air makes peeling easier. That's why you should buy eggs for hard-cooking at least a week ahead of time
· When making deviled eggs, place carton of eggs on its side for a day. The yolk will then center itself so you have it directly in the middle of the white. No more off centered deviled eggs.
3. Bring your eggs to room temperature before cooking:
· If the egg has been stored in the refrigerator it can be warmed gently under a flowing hot tap water. By bringing the eggs to room temperature, they're much less likely to crack in the hot water. Also the temperature of the egg at the start of the cooking process will affect the cooking time.
· An egg that is at room temperature at the start of the cooking process will require about 1 minute less cooking time than eggs taken directly from the refrigerator.
4. Technique for hard-cooking eggs:
· Gently place the eggs in a single layer in a pan with enough cold water to cover eggs completely (approximately by 1 inch).
If you have 2 or 3 layers of eggs stacked up in a small pot, they may cook unevenly. Use a tall pan, and limit cooking to 2 dozen eggs at a time.
Too much water will take too long for things to get boiling, which can throw off the timing and give you overcooked eggs. Too little water causes parts of the eggs to be exposed and end up undercooked.
· Over high heat, bring water JUST to a rapid boil.
· As soon as the water reaches a rapid boil, remove pan from heat and cover egg pan tightly with a lid.
· Set timer for 17 minutes for large eggs or 20 minutes for jumbo eggs.
· After 17 or 20 minutes (depending on size of your eggs), remove from heat and drain off water from the eggs. Transfer the eggs to the bowl of ice cubes and cold water. NOTE: While they're in the cold water, a layer of steam develops between the shell and the egg white. The steam helps make peeling an egg much easier.
· Let eggs cool at least 10 minutes in cold water, then drain. Either store in refrigerator or peel the eggs (see below for How To Peel Hard-Cooked Eggs Easily).
Watch the time when cooking the eggs carefully. Overcook causes a green layer to form around the yolk. This layer is caused by a reaction between the iron in the yolk and the sulfur in the white. Heat speeds up this reaction, so the longer your eggs cook, the greater the chance of discoloration.
Use the following cooking times as a guide for the desired firmness for the yolk of each egg size (the whites will be firm):
Egg Size Degree of Doneness Time Required
Medium Soft-cooked yolk 3 minutes
Medium-cooked yolk 5 minutes
Hard-cooked yolk 12 minutes
Large Soft-cooked yolk 4 to 5 minutes
Medium-cooked yolk 6 minutes
Hard-cooked yolk 17 minutes
Extra Large Soft-cooked yolk 5 minutes
Medium-cooked yolk 7 to 8 minutes
Hard-cooked yolk 19 minutes
Soft-cooked eggs:
A soft-cooked egg has a firm white and runny yolk.
To serve in egg cup, place egg in cup small end down, slice off large end of egg with knife or egg scissors and eat from shell with spoon. You can also buy a good egg topper from a kitchen store. They're very quick and practical. I finally bought myself one, and now my eggs look beautiful when I top them!
Medium-cooked eggs:
A medium-cooked egg has a firm white and a slightly firm yolk.
Hard-cooked eggs:
A hard-cooked egg has both a firm white and yolk.
Hard-cooked eggs should never be boiled - simmer them in water. If boiled or cooked too long, the protein toughens or becomes rubbery and a greenish or purplish ring forms around the yolk.
Extremely fresh eggs are not recommended when making hard-boiled eggs. They are very difficult to peel. This is the best use for eggs nearing their expiration date.
Refrigeration is necessary for hard boiled eggs if they eggs are not to be consumed within a few hours. Hard-cooked eggs in the shell can be refrigerated up to one week.
Photo of the different eggs courtesy of Hormel Foods.
How To Peel Hard-Cooked Eggs Easily: This is what I do:· I place the eggs in the pan they were cooked in and add cold water. · I then crack the eggs under water (this seems to help loosen the membrane under the shell). · Start peeling at the larger end, (the flat side) where the air pocket is, and remove the shell under running water to make the shelling easier. You must get a hold of the membrane under the shell when you remove the shell. Very fresh eggs are harder to peel. The fresher the eggs, the more the shell membranes cling tenaciously to the shells.
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