With Instructions for Perfectly Hard Boiled (and peelable) Eggs
I love egg salad; it always reminds me of making sandwiches at the legion with my grandmother. She would lay slices of white bread on the long counter, and I would go along dolloping scoops of egg salad on every other slice. Grandma would be right behind me with a fork, spreading the filling evenly to the edges of the bread and then shutting each sandwich with its top slice of bread. Later, we would cut the sandwiches on a diagonal, wrap them in cling film and place them in the barkeeper's fridge. I was always amazed that something so simple could make people so happy. It was a good lesson for me growing up in the kitchen.
At the cafe. Egg salad was one of our most popular sandwiches. The egg salad sandwich recipe was modelled after the simple flavours of Grandma's sandwich filling. We would boil dozens and dozens of eggs each week in our tiny kitchen and make fresh egg salad every day. We kept the serving simple - a generous serving of egg salad on good bread, topped with thin slices of cucumber, salt and pepper and some mixed greens - a little fussier than the simple bar sandwiches Grandma and I would make for the legion hall but loved just the same. We always included a fork and extra napkins in the bag because there was no doubt about the messiness ahead.
Egg Salad is Simple if You Can Boil an Egg. Boiling an Egg is the Tricky Bit - and it isn't even that tricky.
The most difficult part of making egg salad is boiling the eggs. If you follow the method outlined below, you will get perfectly peelable, headache-free boiled eggs every single time.
There are all kinds of theories about using older eggs. It only matters if your eggs are really too fresh (laid within a week or two). We use eggs fresh from the farm that are usually a couple of weeks old by the time they get into the rotation for cooking, and I rarely have trouble peeling them using this cooking method. I promise that anything you buy from the grocery store is unlikely to be too fresh.
3 Keys to Boiling Peelable Eggs
There are as many theories about boiling eggs for easy peeling as there are reasons why the chicken crossed the road. Please don't yell at me if your method differs; we’re all winners if the results are perfectly peeled eggs. I’m only sharing my own experience.
Don’t skip the vinegar - it may be the chemical breach of the shell’s calcium or a placebo - I'm not sure - just don’t skip it.
Boil the water first - then add the eggs (room-temperature eggs crack less often than eggs straight from the fridge).
Shocking the eggs with cold water after boiling stops the cooking, preventing that green yolk ring from forming and making the eggs easier to peel.
**What is that green bit anyway? The green tint to egg yolks after you boil them is a chemical reaction between sulphur (from the egg white) and iron (from the egg yolk). Green egg yolks are safe to eat; they just don’t look very pretty or taste pristine. Greening doesn’t happen until the eggs have been cooked for too long. The very simple solution is not to overcook your eggs. This is one of the reasons a cold water bath is so important. It stops the cooking and puts the brakes on this chemical reaction.
How to Hard Boil Eggs
Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to a large pot of salted water and bring it to a boil.
Gently lower 12 eggs into the boiling water. I like using a sieve to gently add all the eggs at once rather than adding them one at a time by hand.
When the eggs are in the water, set a timer for 11 minutes.
The water will come back to a boil, and that’s perfect. Turn the heat down a bit to keep it boiling gently, not frantic. Cover with a lid if the water is splashing about making a mess.
At the end of 11 minutes, remove the eggs from the heat. Drain off the hot water and immediately begin running very cold tap water over the eggs. You can even add a couple of cups of ice cubes to the water if you like. The idea is to stop the cooking and cool the eggs as quickly as possible. Let the eggs sit in the cold water for 10-15 minutes, then remove them from the water and place them in the fridge for storage.
About Time
You can boil an egg for anywhere from 1-12 minutes
1 minute is a pretty runny egg that is barely cooked, to be honest. Not delightful.
3 minutes is ideal if you like a runny yolk perfect for dipping toast points into.
5 - 6 minutes is a perfect egg, in my opinion. The yolk is still runny but starting to set. The result is a jammy yolk that is creamy and rich. You can dip toast, and the yolk clings like gravy. These are the eggs I use for Pho when I don’t want to be bothered poaching.
7 minutes is an egg that is ideal for peeling and snacking whole. The yolk is just cooked enough not to run down your arm.
9 minutes is perfect for eggs you’ll add to a tossed salad or slice for a sandwich. The yolks are firm but still jammy
11 minutes results in a good multi-purpose egg. The yolk is cooked firm, making these ideal for egg salad and devilled eggs and quite suitable for snacking, adding to tossed salads and sandwiches.
12 minutes is pushing the envelope and leaning toward green yolks. You might be disappointed.
Boil Eggs Ahead for Quick and Easy Snacks, Meals and My Egg Salad Sandwich Recipe
Make your life easy by doing up a couple of dozen at the beginning of the week to use in salads, sandwiches, breakfast wraps, snacking or for making egg salad.
Keep hard-boiled eggs in a covered container. The shells are still porous, and the eggs can absorb flavours lingering around in your fridge.
Prepared egg salad should be used within 5 days (if it lasts that long).
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