It would seem so simple to boil and peel an egg.
And yet, no.
Sometimes they are rubbery, other times the yolks are too soft. Occasionally they crack when boiling and wispy egg white slips out, forming an ugly blob.
There are reasons that things go wrong and mostly because the egg evolves even after it’s laid. For instance, as an egg gets older, the air pocket at the round end becomes larger, which makes it easier to peel. Knowing how old your eggs are is another matter.
Here are some tips on conquering the hard-boiled egg.
Inspect eggs before you buy them by opening the carton. Do not buy cracked or dirty eggs.
Eggs will keep in the refrigerator for about 4 to 5 weeks. Hard-boiled eggs are good for seven days as long as they’ve been refrigerated.
One way to boil eggs:
1. Put raw eggs in a saucepan in a single layer.
2. Add enough cold water to rise 1 inch above the eggs. Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon salt. (Salt may prevent egg whites from slipping out of cracks.)
3. Cover and bring to a hard boil over high heat.
4. Turn off heat immediately and keep eggs covered.
5. For large eggs, let stand 15 minutes; medium eggs take a few minutes less; extra-large a few minutes more.
6. Cool quickly by running cold water over eggs or plunging them into an ice bath.
7. Peel for immediate use or refrigerate in the shell.
For perfect peeling, the trick to preventing gouged eggs is to make sure the membrane between the shell and egg comes away with the shell. If the membrane sticks, you’ll have to dig harder to peel and eventually ding your egg.
To start peeling, tap the rounder end of the egg on a hard surface to crush the air pocket. Gently peel away shell, starting with the largest pieces.
If the shell doesn’t come away easily, peel under a stream of cool water. The water will glide under the membrane and the shell will slide off.
Sources: American Egg Board, The Good Egg by Michel Roux and Martin Brigdale (Wiley, 2006), Food and Drug Administration
