How to Make the Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg
Hard-boiled eggs may not get as much love as scrambled eggs , fried eggs, or poached eggs, but they are a versatile workhorse that can add a large dose of protein to everything from salads to sandwiches if you do it right.
One of the reasons hard-boiled eggs don’t get much liking is because too many people overcook them. If you’ve ever opened a boiled egg and found a grainy, light yellow center with a grayish green ring around it, then you know it’s overcooked. With the method I’m going to show you, you never have to worry about it. I learned this technique fromJacques Pepen’s cooking iodine in one of his cooking demonstrations over five years ago, and it’s so reliable that I’ve boiled eggs just that way ever since.
You’ll need:
- Sharp object like a pushpin
- Any number of eggs, preferably stale.
- Thick bottom pot
- Pasta fork or slotted spoon
- Water and ice
First, poke a hole in the rounded end of each egg with a pushpin. This is where the air chamber is, and by punching a hole in the egg, pressure is released inside it, so the shell will not crack.
Apply light pressure with duct tape to avoid breaking the egg! The hole should look like this:
Bring the water to a very low boil and then quickly toss the eggs one at a time. I like to do this with a pasta fork, which, with its upside-down sides, is ideal for gently dipping an egg into the water.
Set a timer for 10 minutes. Check your hob to make sure it isn’t set too high; Once it comes to a gentle simmer, I usually reduce the heat to medium and close the lid, leaving it slightly open. If you boil eggs at too high a temperature, the whites will be tough and the yolks will be more elastic.
Once the timer has kicked off, turn off the heat and drain off the boiling water, leaving the eggs in the saucepan. Shake the pan of eggs to split the shells.
Submerge the eggs in an ice water bath for 15 minutes. (I kept the eggs in a saucepan and added ice and water to avoid washing other dishes.) The ice bath allows the eggs to cool down and also release their smelly sulfur into the ice water.
Place an ice bath under running water and remove the skin. Running water makes it easy to remove the thin outer shell of the egg. Note that the fresher the egg, the harder it will be to peel. I have found that eggs from a week ago are ideal.
The final product should look like this:
Enjoy! Preferably with a little truffle salt to make you feel extraordinary.
Your eggs are now ready to be used in an Italian tuna sandwich or whatever you like.
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