Everyone loves eggs. If you don’t love eggs then you are likely missing out on a wide variety of delicious meals. They can be scrambled, poached, fried, boiled, and more. Boiling eggs is one of the easiest forms of cooking yet also one of the least appreciated. This is because nearly everyone who boils eggs (or at least those who don’t like the results) are overcooking the egg. It makes sense too. When you fry an egg you can watch it and stop cooking it when you are happy. When you are scrambling eggs you can look at them, see when they are nice and fluffy, and remove them from the pan immediately. With boiled eggs, it all seems like a bit of a mystery. You can’t see the inside of the egg so it all boils down to luck. Follow our approach and you will be back in control. The secret ingredient is a thumbtack.
Start by grabbing a thumbtack and puncturing a tiny hole in the eggshell. This should be done at the bottom of the egg (the round base). The hole must be very small and not result in the cracking of the egg so use a slow hand movement to avoid creating cracks. This will release the pressure from the egg and mean that it won’t crack during the cooking process.
Boil water in a deep pan. Don’t allow an aggressive boil as this will be too harsh for the eggs. Allow a slow boil and once it arrives gently place your eggs in the water. The water will be hot so it is best to use a pasta or salad spoon to gently lower the eggs into the pan.
Set your timer to ten minutes and wait. This is a great time to check your posture, do some stretching, put away the dishes. Don’t spend the next ten minutes on your phone. Do something better for you instead. Making your bed takes less than ten minutes after all.
Once the timer goes off you should shut off the heat straight away and pour out the water. Don’t worry about damaging the eggshells at this point. Now is the time to damage them a lot. Shake the pot to ensure the eggs all crack as much as possible. Now give the eggs an ice-cold bath in the same pot for ten to fifteen minutes. This will allow the eggs to cool and absorb that ugly sulfur smell that so many people hate about boiled eggs.
Once complete start some running water and place the pan underneath. Peel the eggs allowing the eggshells to fall into the pan. The fresher the eggs the more difficult they will be to peel. If you peel week-old eggs they are probably the easiest.
The eggs should come out with a hard yellow but not too dry. The white on the outside should be solid but not like plastic. If you ever see a grey cover over the yolk it means you have done something wrong and overcooked your eggs. If you are adding the eggs to some larger dish simply add some salt and add. If you are eating the eggs by themselves then throw some black pepper on top and a dash of olive oil. They will taste fantastic.
Science has shown that up to three whole eggs per day is very healthy and creates no risk to cholesterol. Try not to eat eggs everyday especially in hot weather. Look after your body and you will live a long and healthy life, with eggs as a key ingredient. Enjoy!
