Don’t laugh. But I don’t know how to boil eggs.
I mean, I can boil eggs. But I forget how to do it every time I make them. Do you boil the water first? Or do you start with the egg in cold water? How do you know when they’re actually done? Do you add vinegar? Or is that just silly? And how in egg’s name do you peel them without losing a whole bunch of the egg white?
If you struggle with hard-boiled eggs as I do, the good news is that there are plenty of people out there — just a Google away — who are happy to help. These are the pros in the egg boiling world who can rattle off instructions as easily as the alphabet. Like the scrumptious Elise Bauer, who’s perfect recipe can be found on her blog Simply Recipes.
So when you stand at that pot and don’t know what to do, rest assured, there’s always someone out there who has your back.
And this rule applies to anything in cooking. Or in life.
Whether broiling, boiling, or shopping for low-sodium snacks, if you find yourself stumped, remember there’s someone else who’s equally savvy. Find them, use them, learn from them, and follow the leader until you too have become an expert.
And here’s your first chance to practice. Next Tuesday the 7th, at the Whole Foods Market San Mateo, I’ll be leading a store tour, showing off all the low-sodium items that belong in your cupboards. There will also be a finger-lickin’ food demo at the end. So even if you’re already a salt-free shopping pro, there will be nibbles that are worth the trip.
Sign up here (RIGHT HERE), bring your reusable bags, come with all your low-sodium questions, and get ready to leave loads of low-sodium answers.
Chow on.
Glad to know I’m not the only one who screws up eggs! But I have an excuse, I am allergic to them.
BUT I am a live in aide for a family, and all three of them (a married couple and her brother) love eggs. So through trial and error (and still alot of errors) I am slowly learning.
Maybe one of these days, lol.
Too bad I’m not in California. It sounds like a great event!
p.s. If you don’t want the egg shells to stick to your egg, run them under cold water after you take them out of the boiling water.
i sure wish i was closer- i’d so love to take your tour! maybe you can make a video for those of us in blogland?! (or you could just come teach at a Las Vegas store someday, take a quick vacation & get the tax write off!)
this is so funny. i hardboiled 18 eggs this morning knowing that if i get 10-12 good ones i am lucky. the problem is getting the shell off without peeling off the white. i do it the way elise says, but i think you have to have the touch!!
You are not alone even I don’t know how to boil eggs my mom always does it for me . The event sounds interesting will for sure visit it next time.
When boiling eggs, you can start them in cold or warm water. After boiling for soft hard or mediam, pour off hot water. Bounce pan up and down till all are cracked. Cover with cold water. Then peal, will have perfect egg.
Here’s a really easy way: place eggs in pot, fill with enough tap water to completely cover eggs by at least an inch, add salt and put pot on and bring to a boil. You want to make sure you watch when it starts to boil, because you only want them to boil for 10 minutes and no longer (with the lid off). Drain in colander, immediately put eggs in ice water to cool in fridge. The salt helps them peel easier. I make eggs all the time, this works!!! :0)
Great tips everyone (just leave out the salt in the water!)
The REAL trick is to have older eggs. I have 9 hens I get my eggs from and if I want hardboiled, I have to save a carton back for several weeks. The fresher they are the more they will resist peeling.
I’ve been cooking for 30 years and STILL have to look up how to boil eggs. Every. Single. Time. I don’t do it that often, especially now that I can’t salt them to death, but sometimes you just have to (like when you want to bulk up the new low-sodium canned tuna!)
A friend of mine some time ago got a job for a year in Papua New Guinea. The job came with a fulltime maid who was also the cook. One day he was explaining to her how to boil eggs so that he could have some the next day. He gave her an egg timer and said boil the water, put the eggs in then set this timer for five minutes. The next day when he got up, excited about the eggs he was about to have for breakfast, he found a pot of boiling water with two eggs in it as well as the egg timer.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who struggles to peel boiled eggs. Lucky for Google and the endless experience at our fingertips!
The trick that I’ve found to taking the shell off an egg is to get water between the shell and the egg white which means making a tear in the membrane. Typical crushing produces tiny shell pieces which are still held firmly together by the membrane. I hold the egg under running water and hit it forcefully against a vertical side of the sink (without smushing the egg, of course!). This usually produces a crack large enough to split the membrane and allow water to lubricate/separate the shell from the egg. Works for me 90% of the time. – Ted
neverfail-perfect boiled eggs everysingle time I promise::
boil the water
lower each egg into boiling water wth a slotted spoon (while wearing oven mitt)
boil for 13 minutes
With slotted spoon remove eggs and place into an ice-bath for 5 minutes
store your perfect eggs in the fridge. They’ll peel with no problems and will be cooked beautifully!