| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/7/2007 1:19:52 PM | how to boil eggs, shouldnt be rocket science should it.
well actually it is, i being someone that has had a little too much time on his hands at some point have come up with an easy way to boil your breakfast eggs just the way you like them.
wether you like them runny, semi hard or depth charges i have the solution.
to get your eggs perfect depends on several variables.
size of eggs, quality of eggs, amount to cook, size of pan, temp of eggs before cooking, temp of water prior to cooking, method of cooking electric or gas and poss a couple more.
all of these can be taken into account when using this simple method, millions of people already do this, but millions more just cant get it right.
the most important tool will need is a clockwork kitchen timer, digital ones are ok as well, an hour glass style timer is not up to the job.
most important rule in this is.......do not cook your eggs in already boiling water it has to be cold from the start! i have tried several times and it ends up in disaster, the shells cant take the instant heat and will crack, there is no eveness in the cooking process.
right here we go.
example will be for 2 eggs only large size, places eggs in your pan, cover with cold tap water, but just cover place over heat and set your "egg timer " for say 10 mins.
you can now prepare your toast or bread whilst the eggs are cooking, at about 5mins give the eggs a little stir, when your egg timer rings or dings remove ONE egg only, this will be your 2nd eating egg, count in you head approx 60 seconds then remove remaining egg, this will be your 1st eating egg.....enjoy. this method produces around 95% firm white with the majority of the yolk in a fluid creamy state, just the way i like them. adjust your timings to suit
variables ............10 mins is an approximate time which works for me, but you may find after 3 or 4 attempts 9 mins for first egg is better for you or 11 mins, this all depends on the variables listed above, if your are cooking more than 2 eggs for breakfast you may need to increase the timings slightly.
tip.......if you only 2 eggs for your breakfast, cook 4 - use the other 2 for sandwhiches or in a salad, all you need to do is when removing your 2nd eating egg leave the other two in the pan BUT turn off the heat and leave untill you have had your breakfast. these will make lovely moist yolks without being over dry.
problems peeling/shelling eggs.....empty the hot cooking water (ideally to your washing up water) with eggs still in the pan roll them around inside pan until they crack several times, you can assist this by gently squeezing them if not too hot, then cover with cold water, this will help break the membrane between shell and egg white.
boiled eggs take ages to cool down completly, so after a few mins in cold water you can remove shells (if you roll the eggs around between thumb and forefingers of both hands, gently squeezing until you have been all over the egg you should be able to remove shell in large pieces) then break up the eggs add mayo or whatever and this will help them cool down quicker still.
i still however do get the problem eggs when it comes to shelling, whereby most of the cooked egg white remains on the shell, the only thing i can think of in this case is that the eggs are very fresh, i dont seem to have a problem the older the eggs are.
hope you find the above usefull. | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/7/2007 2:12:24 PM | I absolutely agree with you.......you have too much time on your hands. (j/k)
I, too, have found that the fresher the eggs the harder they are to peel.
my boiling method:
Place eggs in cold water, bring to a boil.....remove from heat and cover for 10 minutes. This is for hard boiled eggs.
Also, if you stir the eggs (starting as soon as the water gets hot) it prevents one side of the egg white from being real thin...which is a pain when you want to make deviled eggs.
I don't know if adding salt to the water really helps in making them peel any easier but I do it anyway....it doesn't hurt anything. Some people swear by a few drops of vinegar in the water??? | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/7/2007 2:19:33 PM | Get one of these : http://www.backtobasicsproducts.com/pages/products/toasters.php
perfect eggs in 4 minutes. also does the toast. | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/7/2007 3:26:13 PM | Hey Rusty, just thought you might like to know a quick and easy
way to shell hard cooked eggs...........give the egg a sharp tap on
the wide end of the egg, on your kitchen counter ~ one sharp tap
only. The egg will peel quickly and easily in large bits of shell,
no tiny pieces sticking to the egg white. I learned this little tip
from a Japanese friend. 
P.S. The fresher the eggs, the harder to shell. Fern | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/7/2007 3:53:50 PM | You can do cold eggs into hot water, but it helps if they are room temp eggs. Use a large metal tablespoon and take 30 seconds to slowly immerse them.
A lot of folks swear by a tiny amount of vinegar in the water, too. Stops that greening around the yolk and keeps them more appetizing and eye appealing.
But if you really like runny yolk eggs just get a poaching pan. I've even done eggs in teacups put into a half an inch of water. Much easier to deal with the shell when the egg is liquid to begin with!
But you're definitely headed in the right direction. | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/7/2007 4:32:02 PM | | I, too, have done a few experiments as far as preparing eggs. The most spectacularly-unsuccessful results are to be had in the microwave oven... | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/7/2007 8:25:07 PM | My God, you can certainly tell I wasn't fishing this evening!!
The egg in the cold pan of water, bring to boil remove from heat and cover for 10 minutes is the absolute best method. If you want soft boiled half the time to 5 minutes turning the egg over at 2 1/2 minutes. This eliminates all the green ring and tough , rubbery areas you may find. To shell the egg, rinse in cold water. Tap the fattest part of the egg with a teaspoon to crack and use the tip of the spoon to peel the shell.
To crack eggs, never hit on the side of a bowl or pan. Always crack the egg on a completely flat surface. No shells in these babies!!
Get Crackin! | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/7/2007 9:39:42 PM | 
All are great tips on boiling eggs in each persons geological region... altitude plays an integral part of boiling eggs as the higher you go the less time it takes to reach boiling point... but that doesn't neccessarily mean the eggs will be cooked the way you want them in that time. Adjustments need to be made. | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/8/2007 5:32:17 AM | I've never had a problem with the boiling. They come out the way I like them every time.
I would say that not having an egg on its side is helpful to the process though-- when they are "standing up" there's usually an air pocket... which makes pealing a lot easier. | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/8/2007 4:04:22 PM |
, too, have done a few experiments as far as preparing eggs. The most spectacularly-unsuccessful results are to be had in the microwave oven... 
Two ways around that:
Use a pushpin and poke a hole in the narrow end then try to keep it up. It will release the pressure. Also use a non high setting, about 70 percent.
My favorite ultraquick way is to butter a teacup and crack the egg in there. Done in about 40 seconds on high in most microwaves. | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/8/2007 4:07:25 PM | | I have a fast boil electric kettle that I use for tea that'll do half a dozen eggs. | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/8/2007 4:54:44 PM | Some people swear by a few drops of vinegar in the water???
I use vinegar when boiling eggs ....it works all the time they never crack
I make sure the starting temp of water is not higher than the eggs and then add vinegar.
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/8/2007 5:52:25 PM | thanks folks for your comments on egg boiling, i too have done microwave eggs in the past (with butter) but still find em a bit wubbery.
tapping the boiled egg on the "ahem" butt is a good idea i'll try that one next time.
moving on....... did you know that its possible to fry a fat free fried egg... well i've tried it but with limited success, the most succesfull method is too place a plate over a pan of water, put water on plate, crack egg into plate/water bring pan of water to boil and wait for egg to cook.
i did this yonks ago and after several attempts the egg still stuck to plate and ended up a mess, any suggestions on this folks, perhaps its the type of plate as in china plate or other.
toodle pip
rusty | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/8/2007 9:04:16 PM | | Rusty, to make boiled eggs peel easily, add about a teaspoon of salt to the water when boiling. Works great. | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/8/2007 9:37:28 PM | luther peacock's cookbook (the georgia chef) has the simplest way to boil eggs and it works every time:
bring water to boil then put eggs in and let sit for 10 minutes
put the vinegar in the water and make sure water is not bubbling when you lower eggs into the water and to peel tap the butt and insert a teaspoon the shell will slip right off | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/8/2007 10:00:20 PM | sounds like you have a bit too much time on your hands........lol | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/8/2007 10:21:38 PM | | ..Ya have to ask an old farmer about what kind of eggs make the best ones for boiling...It's always ones more than a few days old...they can be weeks old...and they're still good if they have been kept well refrigerated....So..Use the old eggs for boiling....and the fresh for sunnyside up.. ;) | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/17/2007 10:39:33 AM | Funny. For the first time i decided to check on the forums on here. Are people really talking about how to boil eggs???? lol.
Eggs, no matter how you want to serve them, should always be cooked on low heat. When I boil mine, in order to prevent having that ugly grren aroudn the yolk, I put them in cold water, bring to a boil for about 4 minutes. I then remove the pan with the eggs in the water still from teh heat. I let them sit for about 15-20 mins. I pour out the hot water and run cold water over them immediately so they are easy to peel. And YES if you tap them on the wide end, they do peel easier. There is an air pocket at that end of every egg. This lessens your chances of damaging the appearance of your beautiful egg inside of the shell. ;-)
Good grief...did I just write something in the forum here. ok...back to my work! | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/17/2007 10:40:59 AM | | By the way....to find out if your egg is boiled or not....give it a spin! If the egg spins, and isn't just wobbley....it has been boiled! | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/17/2007 10:50:08 AM | | Good advice, never ever forget the egg's They will explode, no shit beent here done that. Not that long ago eitehr, just before the grease fire.. | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/17/2007 10:53:36 AM | | Which reminds me to say, dont leave grease unattended, Tends to catch of fire and burn stuff, separates teflon from the pan too. | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/17/2007 11:10:26 AM | Eggs, no matter how you want to serve them, should always be cooked on low heat. When I boil mine,...
just curious.....how do you get water to boil on low heat?
Kelly...step away from the kitchen...
but, you're not really talking from experience, right?  | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/17/2007 11:12:40 AM | | Oh no..little birdie told me...;).. cooked at 375, for 30 minutes, served on rice... | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/17/2007 1:12:34 PM | you should first warm them under the hot tap water and then put salt in the water so the heat rises less rapicly and they are less likely to break. compliments of my deceased dad, a chemist. there is now also some gadget to boil or poach in the microwave. the older versions were not great, but i hear this one is good. again, the eggs cannot be cold to start. even if you start with cold water on the oven, it still gets too hot too fast so soak first.
oh yes, also bring down the temp, rinsing in cold water first.
regarding fat free frying, the only pan that ever has worked for me is one that is something like "diamond" coated. don't have the name offhand, but it was expensive and the best investment i ever made in trying to diet. this one allows it to brown and not just be soupy --let alone has no questionable residue. i can check it out, if you are really interested and get back to you. | |
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| How to Boil Eggs
Posted: 12/17/2007 1:57:03 PM | This is too funny! Boiling eggs is supposed to be the easiest thing in the world, but apparenty not! Mine always would turn out with green around the yolk, which means I overcooked. Finally I found the perfect recipe:
Put eggs in pan, cover with water, medium heat until the water just starts to bubble; turn off heat; put lid on pan and allow eggs to sit in water for EXACTLY 22 mintues, then immediately rinse eggs with cold water. Put lid back on pot, shake like crazy, which will crack the eggs to give you a head start on the peeling. Peel under cold water, keep in fridge. If you peel right after they have been cooked, they are always easier.
I've also heard that fresher eggs don't cook as well. FYI! :) | |
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