How to Make a Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg
May 21, 2012
•Le Cordon Bleu
•Dallas
• 0 Comments
How to Make a Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg
For something that is no more difficult than boiling water, you’d think that we could all make egg-cellent and eggs-traordinaryhard-boiled eggs. But, the fact is, we can’t. What should be a creamy and smooth egg-flavored experience usually ends up being too hard with a distinct sulfur flavor that isn’t fit for consumption. How does this happen?
The biggest problem may be what we call them: hard-boiled. Students of Texas culinary schools might be better off calling them hard-cooked eggs. To make the perfect hard-cooked egg you mustn’t boil them to death. The egg whites will set up too firm and the proteins in the yolk create sulfur compounds that smell and taste bad.
The perfect hard-boiled egg requires a more finessed approach that applies the right amount of heat and cold for the right amount of time.
Perfectly Egg-ceptional Hard-Boiled Eggs
This method of preparation calls for six eggs, but you can easily increase the amount of eggs for Easter eggs or your Aunt Laverne’s egg salad recipe. Some people have problems with eggs cracking while they cook. This method should prevent that. If not, the vinegar will at least keep the egg white from oozing out all over your pan. Using vinegar is an old cooking school trick to help coagulate eggs for poaching.
Ingredients:
- ½ dozen large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 4 to 6 cups of water
- A large bowl of ice water
Preparation:
- Let the eggs sit out of the refrigerator for a half hour before cooking. Room temperature eggs, like meat, cook better and produce more pleasing results
- Place the eggs in single layer in the bottom of a heavy-bottomed sauce pan
- Cover completely with water with about an inch or two extra
- Add the vinegar
- Place the pan on medium-high heat and bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute
- Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand for 15 minutes
- After 15 minutes remove the eggs from the hot water and place them in the bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking further
- After about 10 minutes in the ice bath, the eggs will be perfect and ready to handle and eat
An Eggs-tra Special Secret to Peeling Eggs
You may already know that rolling a hard-boiled egg on a hard surface is the best way to get those pesky shells off. Did you also know, however, that using older eggs will help too? That’s right. Using eggs that are close to their expiration date will result in eggs that are easier to peel once cooked.
Try these easy to follow steps to perfect hard-boiled eggs this Easter or any time you want egg salad, deviled eggs, or a tasty portable treat.
This article is presented by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Dallas. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Dallas offers culinary arts and pâtisserie and baking training programs in Dallas, Texas. To learn more about the class offerings, please visit Chefs.edu/Dallas for more information.
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