Cant cluck-it-up Hard Boiled Eggs

Many of us love boiled eggs but they can be illusive at times to get right. I've made this recipe at least twenty times and they come out perfect each time. I dare anybody to prove me wrong, so I'm calling the technique the no clucked up HBE. It does not matter how many eggs you cook either.

Put a steamer basket in a pan, fill with water to the bottom of steamer. Cover, bring to a boil.

Add eggs from refrigerator. Cover. Cook for:

10 minutes for X-Large eggs
8 minutes for regular sized eggs
2 minutes for quail eggs.

Get an ice bath, add table spoon of salt and a table spoon of baking soda.

After times up, immediately put in cold water until chilled.

They should have a custardy center, very soft whites and just fall out of the shell. I like to eat them before the center cools completely.

go get em.

Why salt and baking soda in ice bath?

Adding salt to an ice bath will lower the temperature below 32*F due the the change in freezing point. Not sure about the baking soda.

Custardy center (yolk) doesn't sound like HB to me... Should be firm! :nunchucks:

TheVincenzo said:

Adding salt to an ice bath will lower the temperature below 32*F due the the change in freezing point. Not sure about the baking soda.

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A table spoon of salt into even 250ml water would not change freezing temps...

TheVincenzo said:

Adding salt to an ice bath will lower the temperature below 32*F due the the change in freezing point. Not sure about the baking soda.

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Baking soda also depresses the freezing point. 2 ions per molecule, just like plain old salt.

spoiledbroth said:

A table spoon of salt into even 250ml water would not change freezing temps...

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Untrue. Assuming 1 tablespoon of salt is 17 grams, it should depress the freezing point of 1 L of water by 2.8 C.

Thanks for sharing the recipe. I understood that the ice water shock was for the purpose of stopping the albumen from coagulating on the surface of the shell which would make it difficult to peel. Ice water shock makes eggs easier to peel, but I don't think the ice water has to be a particular temperature. Not sure on the baking soda purpose....

I like the cooks illustrated method of placing single layer of eggs in pan, cover with water, just bring to a boil, then off heat, put lid on and let them sit for 10 minutes, then shock for 5 minutes in ice water bath. Works well for me and is easy to remember.

panda said:

Why salt and baking soda in ice bath?

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Adjusting for ph balance helps the shells peel off easier.

Castalia said:

Thanks for sharing the recipe. I understood that the ice water shock was for the purpose of stopping the albumen from coagulating on the surface of the shell which would make it difficult to peel. Ice water shock makes eggs easier to peel, but I don't think the ice water has to be a particular temperature. Not sure on the baking soda purpose....

I like the cooks illustrated method of placing single layer of eggs in pan, cover with water, just bring to a boil, then off heat, put lid on and let them sit for 10 minutes, then shock for 5 minutes in ice water bath. Works well for me and is easy to remember.

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A similar method works for me too, I often had bad luck with the eggs cracking if added to boiling water… not from being dropped but during cooking.

Similar to Kenji's recipe at Serious Eats.

Jay

ThEoRy said:

Adjusting for ph balance helps the shells peel off easier.

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No amount of antiquated restaurant superstition will compensate for the wild difference in pH between an egg that sat in storage for 30 days before being shipped, and an egg plucked straight from a hen's ass. Few people have any idea how old their eggs are, how long they've sat, and what their consequent pH is. Suggesting you're "adjusting for pH balance" when you don't know the starting pH makes you sound like a child with a chemistry set.

Adding baking soda to a pot of old eggs will give you eggs that would have peeled easily anyways, but smell like sulfur. Adding baking soda to a pot of fresh eggs won't make a lick of difference. Easy peeling eggs are product of age and temperature control; anything beyond that is **** we do because we're bored.

Sousvideloca, I don't share your experience. I only buy farm eggs that are less than one week old. They cook the same as store bought eggs with this method. I know because I use to use them too. Also, I don't get the suffer smell either.

I just wanted to present a tested recipe that works every time. As I said, prove me wrong

thanks!!

i agree, i like my hardboiled with fully cooked yoke.

my softboiled eggs, yoke runny. i use ATK's method for soft boiled and it is damn near fool-proof.

I use room temp eggs, poke a hole in the bottom and drop them in rolling boil...ten-twelve minutes (large to jumbo)...ice water bath and quick peel. I rarely have issues but my eggs are almost never fresh...even though I eat quite a few, I keep a nice rotating stock.

Love a hard boiled egg sandwich with Duke's mayo (and more recently with fresh homemade bread)...great way to start the day.

Mucho Bocho said:

Sousvideloca, I don't share your experience. I only buy farm eggs that are less than one week old. They cook the same as store bought eggs with this method. I know because I use to use them too. Also, I don't get the suffer smell either.

I just wanted to present a tested recipe that works every time. As I said, prove me wrong

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Oh, sorry Mucho, I should clarify: I have no doubt that your recipe works perfectly well; in fact, as someone who has cooked like ten thousand hard boiled eggs for the buffet line, I'm positive it would work for almost anyone. It's solid. I just don't think alkalinity has anything to do with it.

You have good technique. That's all you need for hard boiled eggs.

Har har. That rock salt or iodized table salt ???