My family is hitting the road today…we’re finally moving back to Texas! Woo-hoo! Or should I say “Yee-Haw!” We packed a few groceries to make sandwiches while we’re on the road. I also made some hard boiled eggs for my daughter. She absolutely loves them and so do I. They’re an easy, no-fuss, healthy snack. Anyhoos…as I was preparing the eggs, it got me to thinking about some tips I’ve learned about eggs and how to boil them. I thought I’d share them with you in today’s Quick Tip. Plus…I’ve also got a fun bonus video tip on how to peel your hard boiled eggs in just one step. This is a really fun tip to do with the kids!!!
Test freshness of eggs by putting them in a bowl of water…if they sink they’re fresh. Eggs that are halfway standing on end are still good (they’re actually perfect for hard boiled eggs). Eggs that float are not fresh and should be thrown out.
Fresh egg shells should be rough and dull (not shiny) and the contents should feel firm, not loose when shaken.
You can also look on the egg carton for the freshness of your eggs. Cartons with USDA seal on them require a stamp that shows the plant identification number, the date the eggs were packed and the sell by date. Eggs are still good about 4-5 weeks after the pack date.
To prevent your yolks from getting green around the rim…don’t let them boil. Try this instead:
1. Select older eggs to cook. Fresh eggs will work but are difficult to peel since the shell hasn’t matured enough.
2. Place eggs in a saucepan in a single layer and fill with cold water to about 1 inch above the eggs.
3. Cook on high heat until the water starts to boil. Once the water boils, remove it immediately from the burner.
4. Cover and let eggs stand in the hot water for 15 -18 minutes.
5. You can either drain them and serve warm or run them under cold water and store in the refrigerator.
If an egg is cracked before boiling you can wrap it in foil before hard boiling. This actually works! It won’t be perfectly smooth but pretty darn close.
BONUS FUN TIP
Here’s another way to boil eggs. It actually requires boiling the eggs for about 12-15 minutes (contrary to the instructions above)
What’s fun about this method is that you’ll be able to peel the egg with the shell almost totally intact. Seriously! The key is to add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to the water while it’s boiling. Check out the two videos below.
Disclaimer: Here’s a video of me demonstrating Tim Ferriss’ technique. This tip was done spontaneously, purely out of fun, and we had a blast! We were at my sister’s house and my nephew was recording (thanks, Edison) and he did a really good job…minus a few shaky moments ;o) Oh…and my hair and makeup are a mess too…we all have bad hair days, right? Still, I gotta share it!
Here’s another video, this one from the preeminent “life hacker” Tim Ferriss (who is NOT my nephew), who captures this trick perfectly.
So, like the title of this post says, when I learned these tips I was “shell shocked,” and knew they’d be “a-peeling” to you too. If you like to eat hard boiled eggs, or just ensure they’re pretty when you serve them to others, this is “egg-zactly” the tip for you. Seriously, I’m not yoking’. OK…I know, I know….really, really bad. Couldn’t resist…
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