New Way To Batch Cook Hard Boiled Eggs: Yes or Yuck

[divalasvegas]

In the never ending streaming of trivia that comes across my Smartphone, I noticed this:

 

 

Apparently this shortcut -- the article uses the word "hack" which I loathe and avoid like the plague -- has been making the rounds within the IP Facebook community with mostly positive reviews.

 

My initial reaction was "Eewwww!" There was just something creepy to me about the end result that reminded me of all of those gagtastic examples of 1950s/1960s retro recipes (Lemon Jello/Tuna Mold anyone?). Or was it salmon? However, when it was explained that this was a better way to batch cook a dozen eggs for egg salad or use in making potato salad, I could see the genius in this approach. Personally, I have never needed to make a dozen eggs worth of egg salad in my life, but for those who need to make a lot of it for their families, I think it's a great idea.

 

Here's a link to the article:

 

https://ruinmyweek.com/trending/weird-instant-pot-egg-hack-hard-boiled/

 

BTW, the banner running across this image is the author's not mine.

 

As for presenting this in it's entirety as a brunch or lunch item, I think I'll pass on that but what do you all think?

[rotuts]

Outstanding !

 

I love it !

 

Id add this would work for PS or EggSalad 

 

for a day or so keeping the cooked eggs cold.

 

for longer refrigerator life

 

do your 18 eggs in the shell

 

iPot or Steamed 

 

rapidly iced , dried off and put back in the refrigerator

 

they last in their original casing for Some Time.

 

not forever !

[rotuts]

a P.S.:

 

I just thought of @Shelby

 

and The Hunters

 

Fowl or Venison :

 

a doz eggs this way

 

probably at lower temps to get the eggs perfect

 

would make

 

PotatoSalad

 

Egg Salad Sands. for the Hunt

 

and etc.

 

very very interesting.

[divalasvegas]

7 minutes ago, rotuts said:

a P.S.:

 

I just thought of @Shelby

 

and The Hunters

 

Fowl or Venison :

 

a doz eggs this way

 

probably at lower temps to get the eggs perfect

 

would make

 

PotatoSalad

 

Egg Salad Sands. for the Hunt

 

and etc.

 

very very interesting.

 

Indeed, quite interesting. All chopped up is fine but I just can't warm up to using it in it's entirety.

 

Would you have a use for it whole?

 

Actually, I just thought about slicing it and alternating each slice with say fresh basil leaves and rainbow heirloom tomatoes arranged on a platter and served alongside some kind of sauce.

[rotuts]

And

 

ill say so myself :

 

if bulk perfectly cooked eggs are on your agenda :

 

the result , as you have paid very careful attention to

 

time and temp :

 

has been pre-peeled ! 

 

 

Edited September 27, 2019 by rotuts (log)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I just immediately submerge hard boiled eggs in ice water or ever cold tap water.   Then immediately bash them on the big end, letting water into the shell.    Peels easily regardless of age of egg or how hard boiled.    Just my mileage...

[divalasvegas]

57 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

I just immediately submerge hard boiled eggs in ice water or ever cold tap water.   Then immediately bash them on the big end, letting water into the shell.    Peels easily regardless of age of egg or how hard boiled.    Just my mileage...

 

Hello Margaret. I do the same steps every time with mixed or even awful results. Since I am just cooking for myself, I normally only cook between one to four eggs in a pot as follows:

 

1. Take out the eggs and let them sit on the counter for about an hour (read somewhere that eggs should be room temperature before cooking);

 

2. Don't use fresh eggs since they're harder to peel;

 

3. Place them in cold water and let the water come to a boil, then turn off the heat, cover the pot and let them steep;

 

4. Dunk them in icy cold water, cracking them as you said and then:

 

Some or all of them stick to the shell anyway!😕

 

Alas, I will keep trying since I am not breaking out my Instant Pot for a couple of eggs but will definitely try the steam cook method with those egg holders in the IP when I need a lot of boiled eggs.

 

As for the egg ring thingy, I still think it's pretty cool.

[dscheidt]

3 hours ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

I just immediately submerge hard boiled eggs in ice water or ever cold tap water.   Then immediately bash them on the big end, letting water into the shell.    Peels easily regardless of age of egg or how hard boiled.    Just my mileage...

 

About 20 years ago, I had a tour of an egg processing factory.  They had, among other things, an hard boiled egg line.  The eggs weren't actually boiled, it's just 180ish water.  They get dunked twice, and then go into a very cold water bath.  That cools them to 40 degrees or so iin very short order, which pulls the membrane away from the egg.  Then they go through a peeling machine, which is a bunch of rollers, that crack the shells and squeeze the egg out. 

 

the other thing I saw was a machine for making loafs of hardboiled eggs.  about a foot long, suitable for slicing for salad toppings, etc.  same things as the pictures in the first post, but tubular. 

[Kim Shook]

I think this is why the phrase "horrified fascination" was coined.  Maybe if I needed bulk eggs for something?  Or...no.  I just don't think I could manage to touch this thing.  LOL

[pastrygirl]

Clever, but if you were going to chop the eggs for salad, a square or rectangular loaf would be easier to dice. 

 

Otherwise, I think the hole should be filled with hollandaise. 

[weinoo]

I actually just tried out the J Kenji-Alt method he wrote about recently in the NY Times...

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/23/dining/how-to-hard-boil-eggs.html

 

It worked even better than the Instant-Pot method.

[Anna N]

58 minutes ago, weinoo said:

I actually just tried out the J Kenji-Alt method he wrote about recently in the NY Times...

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/23/dining/how-to-hard-boil-eggs.html

 

It worked even better than the Instant-Pot method.

Can you paraphrase for those of us not prepared to buy our way into the New York Times? I understand if you choose not to. 

[FauxPas]

8 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Can you paraphrase for those of us not prepared to buy our way into the New York Times? I understand if you choose not to. 

 

Steam them. Maybe @weinoo or someone else can fill in the timing details, I can't get back to the actual 'recipe' part. But this was in in the 'cover' story (basically, heat up your water before you put the eggs in the steamer basket):

 

Here’s the real trick, and it confirms the data I’ve been collecting for years now: By far the most important factor in determining whether a boiled egg will peel cleanly or not is the temperature at which it starts cooking. Starting eggs in cold water causes egg-white proteins to coagulate slowly, bonding tightly to the inner membrane of the shell. The difference is night and day: Cold-water eggs show nearly nine times more large flaws and double the number of small flaws.

There are two stovetop cooking methods that allow preheating for a hot start, and produce eggs that are equally easy to peel: boiling and steaming.

[Yaneidi]

5 - 6 minutes for runny yolks, 8 - 12 minutes for creamy or firm. Depends if they're room temperature or out of the fridge.

[weinoo]

18 hours ago, Anna N said:

Can you paraphrase for those of us not prepared to buy our way into the New York Times? I understand if you choose not to. 

 

Saucepan 1 inch of water bring to boil, add cold eggs either in steamer basket or on bottom of pot.

 

Cook covered about 11 minutes for hard boiled. Don't shock.

 

P.S. times gives you 10 free articles a month, I think.

 

Edited October 8, 2019 by weinoo (log)

[Katie Meadow]

Okay, I'm all in with steaming. I did as instructed, which was to subtract one minute from the the steaming time because my eggs were room temp. I don't recall if I missed any note about this in the text, but the eggs are awfully hot if you try to peel them right away. I let them air cool for about five to ten minutes, and they were still plenty hot. Given that the eggs continue to cook when not shocked by ice water it may be useful to note that, depending on what yolk you are aiming for, you may need to adjust a bit to include a little cooling time. My eggs, which were very fresh, peeled easily and were delicious. I did use a steamer basket, with water coming almost but not quite up to the level of the basket.