The “5-5-5” Method of Making Hard-Boiled Eggs Is a Culinary Abomination
I have not done any formal research, but I believe I have written more about eggs than anything else (besides myself). Eggs are a miracle. They are incredibly versatile, filling and nourishing, and they respond to heat and chemical manipulation in a myriad of exciting ways. I love them, especially the golden yolk, so I have always been annoyed by the popularity of the 5-5-5 instant cooking method.
For those unfamiliar with this method, it’s pretty straightforward: You cook the eggs for five minutes under high pressure, then let them hang in a sealed instant pot for another five minutes, and then refrigerate for another five. I have no problem with the first and last five minutes – they can stay – but these middle five are a problem for me.
Instead of the “creamy golden yolks” promised by so many recipe blogs, you get yolks that are on the verge of something horrible. The aforementioned egg yolk is good when ground with a lot of mayonnaise, but it’s too dry to be eaten with just a little salt, so you should be able to eat a hard-boiled egg.
Eggs that hover in the Instant Pot for five minutes after cooking time are always on the verge of getting a gray-gray ring, which means it only takes one minute of forgetfulness to summon it, but that also means you’re missing out. the beauty of a freshly frozen, truly creamy yolk. Some might call this “medium cooking,” and I think you can do that too if you like, although I still think that the yolk in the above photo is the most difficult thing you should allow your yolk to.
Don’t sell yourself, that’s what I’m saying. It all comes down to preference, but my preference is correct. While countless cookbooks, blogs, and magazines have probably told you that hard boiled eggs look like the second egg photo on this blog, I encourage you to challenge the old ways and think about which tastes better. If you have to cook yolks almost to a powdery consistency in order to eat them, you may not like egg yolks that much! (The only time I agree with a harder yolk is if it’s accompanied by a crispy, butter-fried white, but even that has limited uses .)
Discard “5-5-5” and accept “5-5”. A quick five minutes of high pressure, followed by immediate manual pressure relief and an ice bath (or a cold rinse if you plan on eating them immediately) are all you need for hard-boiled eggs that are so perfect that you you won’t. To make them edible, you have to devil them (they will also do much better egg-flavored, which is a bonus).