How to Boil an Egg

 Yes, it is trickier than you would think…well, you should know because I am sure you have ALL had horrible boiled eggs masked as appetizing devil eggs. Eggs are called nature’s perfect food, good fat, good protein and portion. Perfect. At least it will be if you follow the tips below.

The eggs should be fresh but not too fresh. The fresher the egg, the harder to peel. It’s kinda hard to tell because there is no way of knowing if all the eggs in your carton were laid on the same day…quite unlikely even. I would suggest buying them 2 days before your event if at all possible.

 Cool them at room temperature before boiling. Room temp eggs are less likely to crack.

 Place in pan in a single layer and cover with water by 1 inch. This will ensure even cooking times for the eggs. NO SALT! It increases the boiling point…but you knew that already.

 Bring the water to JUST a boil. I mean it! The second you see a boil, remove the eggs from the stove and cover for 17 minutes. TRUST ME!! THIS WORKS! SET THE TIMER….17 minutes EXACTLY! (This is for large eggs, use 20 minutes for jumbo). You ever had green yolks? Had eggs that were too rubbery? Cracked and spouting little underwater egg titties? That’s because you boiled the hellouttadem!! J It’s going to be hard to do, I know. I knew this trick for 2 years before I gained the courage to go for it, but I did and it has been marvelous ever since.

 Drain them and place them in cool water with ice cubes (ice bath) for at least 10 minutes. This stops the cooking process (refer to trouble with overcooked eggs above) and it helps to separate the egg from its shell thereby making peeling easier. Another trick for peeling is to crack them in the water and peel them under running water.

FOR DEVIL EGGS:

Lie them on their side for a day.  The yolk will then center itself so you have it directly in the middle of the white. No more off centered deviled eggs. (I’d JUST bought my eggs prior to the pics so ummm…yeah. Lol)

 Make at least 2 extra eggs.  This way, if you do have a little trouble with one (rip the whites, have one that is all nasty looking and raggedy etc.) you’ll have a back up. AND, you’ll have a sampler for the kitchen buzzards that tend to come around when you’re cooking.