The Culinary Works

In my family, deviled eggs are a holiday staple.  I have to admit that getting the eggs cooked perfectly used to be a frustration for me.  Recently, my mother complained about them turning out either over or under done.  I shared my 'fool proof' method with her and realized that many other people probably experience the same thing.  So, to ensure your holiday eggs are always perfect, here is what you do!

The moment comes to slice the egg in half and you hold your breath, hoping the egg doesn't have that weird gray streak around the yolk, which occurs when it's overcooked, or the center of the yolk is under-cooked.  The key is to always ALWAYS start the cooking process by putting the raw eggs into a pot of COLD water.  If you start the process using warm or hot water, the outside of the egg cooks before the center.  Starting with cold water means the egg comes up to temperature evenly as the water heats up. 

Note:  This same principle applies to boiling potatoes, for even cooking outside in, start with cold water.

Here is my easy no fail way to get perfectly boiled eggs.  Place the eggs into a pot with cold water and put on a medium high burner.  When the eggs come to a boil, allow to boil for 2 minutes.  After 2 minutes, cover the pot, turn the burner off and let them sit for 20 minutes.  Perfect eggs, not over or under cooked every time.

Another excellent trick is that once they are done, empty the hot water shake the pan around, cracking the shells.  Then, fill the pan with cold water and allow cold water to run into the pan until the eggs are cool.  This separates the shell from the egg, making it much easier to peel later.  You can store them covered in water in your refridgerator until you are ready to prepare them.  The water limits the 'eggy' smell your fridge gets.

What do you use hard boiled eggs for?