Julia Child's Hard-boiled Eggs

[NeroW]

In The Way To Cook, Julia Child instructs us to hard-boil eggs like this:

Cover with cold water. Bring to the boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand exactly 17 minutes. Shock in an ice bath.

I prepared them once according to this method, and had no success. The yolks had that lovely green, iron sulfide ring, and they were a major hassle to peel (which I understand could have been partially due to the age of the eggs).

At school, they taught us to cover them with cold water, bring to the boil, and let simmer for exactly 12 minutes from the point of boiling. They've always worked for me when I do them this way.

Does anyone use Julia Child's method? If so, what was I doing wrong? Because it can't be her--it must be me!

[fresco]

I use it, although not with her ironclad exactitude for time. It works for me.

[Mabelline]

I do eggs like that, in a way, because I just let them sit in the water till it's lukewarmish. I pour that water off and save it to pour on my houseplants, stick them in coldwater, then start peeling. Always works.

The plants like this water. Unsalted, of course.

[NeroW]

I'm glad to hear someone does this. The part that struck me as strange was the letting-them-sit-off-heat part.

fresco, for one dozen eggs, about how long would you say?

[fresco]

If you mean how long should they cook, I'd think a dozen, or a hundred, eggs would take the same amount of time as one, but you might want to start timing it from when the water boils.

I've heard, incidentally, that you can prevent the dark ring around the yolk by cracking eggs immediately after you've boiled them and putting them in cold water. This apparently allows the gas which causes the dark stuff to escape. But never bothered with it myself.

[hjshorter]

I do it Julia's way, except for the time. I only let them sit 12 minutes, less for small eggs (for deviled eggs).

[hwilson41]

I do it Julia's way, except for the time.  I only let them sit 12 minutes, less for small eggs (for deviled eggs).

I use Julia's method but for 15 minutes. I just checked a hard boiled egg I had left over from making chopped liver a few days ago - no iron sulfide ring. Of course, then I had a hard boiled egg that I just couldn't waste...so I made myself a deviled egg . Based on the replies in this thread, it doesn't appear to me that the time is all that critical.

THW

[Suzanne F]

I also do it Julia's way, although my timing varies anywhere from 10 minutes (for really soft yolks) up to, umm, whenever I remember them. And I also cool them down asap (assuming the former timing, not the latter), lightly crack the shells, and leave them sit in cold water in the fridge until I'm ready to peel use them. No problems peeling, that way. And rarely a dark ring, unless the eggs are very old.

When I worked (briefly) in a Russian restaurant, we make dozens of hard-cooked eggs at a time, to use for caviar garnish. I used the same method, and pretty much the same timing -- about 15 minutes no matter how many eggs -- and it worked fine.

[marie-louise]

Ever since I ate a salad at Chez Panisse Cafe that had an absolutely incredible egg in it, I've been using the method out of the CP Cafe Cookbook. Note-this is really for those times when you want to cut an egg in half and eat it. It is a little soft for egg salad sandwiches and such. But for anyone who thinks they hate hard-boiled eggs-just try this:

Bring enough water to cover the eggs to a full boil.

Lower the eggs gently into the water with a slotted spoon, turn down the heat slightly, and cook for exactly 9 minutes (8 for softer eggs, 10 minutes for a firmer yolk).

Prepare a bowl of water and ice.

When the time is up, remove the eggs and immediately plunge them into the ice bath to cool. After a minute or so, when the eggs are cool enough to handle, crack them all over on the countertop and return them to the ice water for another 5 minutes. Remove from the ice bath & peel.

The egg yolks should be a deep golden orange and slightly moist at the center; and the whites will resemble a firm custard.

[fifi]

I have used Martha Stewart's method and it always seems to work. You cover room temperature eggs with one inch of water. Heat to boiling over medium heat. As soon as the water boils, remove from heat, cover and let stand for 12 minutes. Put the pan under cool running water to stop the cooking. I also saw somewhere that pricking a small hole in the big end before you start this lets the sulphide gas escape and you don't get that green ring. It works. (Somewhere around here I even have a little tool that does that. What? Doesn't everyone have an egg pricker? )

[Mabelline]

Had some down in Texas, but we called 'em raccoons and skunks

[fifi]

Had some down in Texas, but we called 'em raccoons and skunks

[hwilson41]

Somewhere around here I even have a little tool that does that. What? Doesn't everyone have an egg pricker?

Of course. I have two, but the unwashed call them ice picks .

THW

[Mabelline]

Or needles.

[torakris]

I use the Cook's Illustrated method which is the same at Julia Child's but they only sit off the heat for 10 minutes, I get perfect eggs with just hardened yolks every time.

[Suzanne F]

I thought the pricking was to let some water in, so the membrane would be easier to remove when shelling them. Since I don't have a prick, I roll them around to crackle the shells.

Although I really don't think gender has anything to do with it.

[KarenS]

I use the Chez Pannise method; I simmer them for 14 minutes (after bringing a pot of acidulated water to a boil and adding the eggs with a slotted spoon). I drop them in an ice bath and crack all the shells under water- then let cool. Lovely results!

[sparrowgrass]

I just boiled a dozen--brought them to a boil for a minute or so, turned off the heat and let them sit till I remember them--a hour or so. So far I have peeled and eaten 2.

One was impossible to peel--ended up with a quarter inch of white--the rest of the white stuck to the shell. The yolk was nice and yellow. The other peeled nicely, but the yolk was green ringed.

Should I do a spread sheet on the status of the rest of the eggs?

I marked the box with the born-on date (the day I picked them out of the nests)--December 1--so they were 25 days old when I boiled them.

And I do love hardboiled eggs.

[marie-louise]

I use the Chez Pannise method; I simmer them for 14 minutes (after bringing a pot of acidulated water to a boil and adding the eggs with a slotted spoon). I drop them in an ice bath and crack all the shells under water- then let cool. Lovely results!

Next time you do it, try taking one out at 8, 9 and 10 minutes. The yolk is just barely set, and the taste is incredible. I have made egg salad sandwich w/ 10 minute eggs; I'd guess you would need 12 minutes for deviled eggs.

[jhlurie]

I'm bumping this topic in case Julia's passing creates a sudden desire in any of us to try and boil an egg.

There will be more on Julia, and her passing, in the Food Media and News forum over the next few days...

[Duvelus]

I can not believe it. Yesterday I pulled out The Way To Cook for the first time in a year or more. So I could make sure I had the remembered the proper timing to make hard boiled eggs “Julia’s way”

Of course they came out perfect .

But I’m at such a loss right now, rest in peace.