Funeral/Wake Food...

[Kris]

...I'd make deviled eggs, but I really don't have a good way of transporting them all the way across the city, not to mention as well that all my fridges will be stuffed with this other food!

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For storing and serving deviled eggs for a crowd, you definitely need to get these from Tupperware:

http://order.tupperware.com/pls/htprod_www...er=P10054498000

I have three of them and they each hold 2 dozen deviled eggs. They keep them fresh and are stackable, which is perfect for storing in the fridge.

[Marlene]

I do have one set of these in fact. I just don't have enough to transport as many deviled eggs as I would need. Tupperware also used to have a deviled egg tray that fit inside the cake taker, but I don't see it anymore.

[judiu]

Marlene, consider taking the (empty) whites and the yolk mixture separatly, and stuffing the eggs at your destination. After you mix your yolks and whatever, spoon them into a zip bag for transport, then, at your destination, cut a tiny corner off the bag, you'll have a ready made piping bag to fill the whites and then array them on whatever type of platter you wish. My sympathy indeed.

[snowangel]

In the way simple, but really great, do you have access to a mess of local tomatoes? Slice, lay out on a platter, drizzle with great olive oil, some snipped basil and voila! A celebration of late summer, and as great a simple food as your brother would have loved, I'm sure.

[Anna N]

Marlene, consider taking the (empty) whites and the yolk mixture separatly, and stuffing the eggs at your destination. After you mix your yolks and whatever, spoon them into a zip bag for transport, then, at your destination, cut a tiny corner off the bag, you'll have a ready made piping bag to fill the whites and then array them on whatever type of platter you wish. My sympathy indeed.

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This is the way I do it and it works great! Doesn't take long at all to fill the eggs when you reach the venue.

[Jaymes]

Marlene, consider taking the (empty) whites and the yolk mixture separatly, and stuffing the eggs at your destination. After you mix your yolks and whatever, spoon them into a zip bag for transport, then, at your destination, cut a tiny corner off the bag, you'll have a ready made piping bag to fill the whites and then array them on whatever type of platter you wish. My sympathy indeed.

This is the way I do it and it works great! Doesn't take long at all to fill the eggs when you reach the venue.

Not to turn this into the 'deviled egg' thread, but this sounds like such a good idea, I want to know a little more.

like, how do you transport the whites? Do you put them into your deviled egg serving platter, or a plastic container or what?

[Anna N]

. . .

like, how do you transport the whites?  Do you put them into your deviled egg serving platter, or a plastic container or what?

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I put the whites in a plastic container that is just large enough to hold them so they don't "slosh" around too much. I stack them with their hollow centres up. When I arrive at my destination, I put the whites in the devilled egg platter and squeeze the filling in from the ziplock baggie. If I am feeling particularly festive then I might take along a few chopped chives or other garnish to finish them off.

[Lori in PA]

. . .

like, how do you transport the whites?  Do you put them into your deviled egg serving platter, or a plastic container or what?

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I put the whites in a plastic container that is just large enough to hold them so they don't "slosh" around too much. I stack them with their hollow centres up. When I arrive at my destination, I put the whites in the devilled egg platter and squeeze the filling in from the ziplock baggie. If I am feeling particularly festive then I might take along a few chopped chives or other garnish to finish them off.

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What she said.

[KitchenQueen]

The egg transport idea is great. I never thought of filling them later.

But the thing I find extremely time consuming is peeling the hardboiled eggs.

When making a lot, I always end up with thumbs hacked from sharp eggshells.

Is there a secret that no one ever told me?

[srhcb]

The egg transport idea is great. I never thought of filling them later.

But the thing I find extremely time consuming is peeling the hardboiled eggs. 

When making a lot, I always end  up with thumbs hacked from sharp eggshells.

Is there a secret that no one ever told me?

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I use older eggs and Shirley Corriher's method: eggs cover the bottom of a heavy pan, cover by 1" with cold water, bring to a rolling boil, remove from heat and let sit covered for 16 minutes, then rinse in cold running water 10-15 minutes.

I crack the shells on a towel on the counter and usually the shells come right off in 1-2 pieces!

Some people use the "Dutch Method" of poking a hole in the shell, but I never found that to matter much.

SB (not much of a "secret")

[judiu]

The egg transport idea is great. I never thought of filling them later.

But the thing I find extremely time consuming is peeling the hardboiled eggs. 

When making a lot, I always end  up with thumbs hacked from sharp eggshells.

Is there a secret that no one ever told me?

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I use older eggs and Shirley Corriher's method: eggs cover the bottom of a heavy pan, cover by 1" with cold water, bring to a rolling boil, remove from heat and let sit covered for 16 minutes, then rinse in cold running water 10-15 minutes.

I crack the shells on a towel on the counter and usually the shells come right off in 1-2 pieces!

Some people use the "Dutch Method" of poking a hole in the shell, but I never found that to matter much.

SB (not much of a "secret")

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Poking a hole in the shell really DOES work; it keeps the shell from breaking and makes the peeling MUCH easier! I use a lancet from my diabetic test kit.

[racheld]

like, how do you transport the whites? 

Styrofoam egg cartons can be washed, top-rack on a short or gentle cycle. Remove them before the heat/dry cycle comes on, give them a shake over the sink, and dry upside down on a towel.

Then you can put the whites back together and carry them safely, to be filled on arrival, plastic bag, ditto. Sometimes whites get a little moisture in the yolk-holes, so check before filling and pat with a bit of paper towel.

Do not try this with the cartons made of that cardboard stuff they used to make Easter Bunnies out of.

[KitchenQueen]

My shells usually come off in 173 pieces.

Living alone, I don't HAVE old eggs. If I'm asked to bring stuffed eggs, there's usually little notice.

And the yolks always end up at the thin end, so the whites are especially fragile and frequently crack and split when the yolks are removed, or while they're being peeled.

Damn. I have great tasting mangled ugly eggs. About 20% usually look like a cat has been at the whites.

The only way I've found is to cook an extra dozen, and toss the whites. Make so much stuffing you hide all your errors with an overload of filling.

Any better ideas?

[srhcb]

And the yolks always end up at the thin end, so the whites are especially fragile and frequently crack and split when the yolks are removed, or while they're being peeled.

Any better ideas?

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If you set the egg carton on its side overnight before use the yolks will center themselves and will remain centered while cooking.

SB (that should help a little?)

[judiu]

My shells usually come off in 173 pieces.

Living alone, I don't HAVE old eggs.  If I'm asked to bring stuffed eggs, there's usually little notice.

And the yolks always end up at the thin end, so the whites are especially fragile and frequently crack and split when the yolks are removed, or while they're being peeled.

Damn. I have great tasting mangled ugly eggs.  About 20%  usually look like a cat has been at the whites.

The only way I've found is to cook an extra dozen, and toss the whites.  Make so much stuffing  you hide all your errors with an overload of filling.

Any better ideas?

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First, I live in south Florida and shop at Publix. In the deli department they sell peeled hard boiled eggs; instant deviled eggs! Second, if you pierce a hole in the shell before cooking the eggs, then put them in cold water (or ice water) as SOON as the cooking period is done, they're much easier to peel. Laying the egg carton on its side as mentioned before is also a big help to keep the yolks centered. HTH!

[emilyr]

Once the eggs are cool, if you crack them all over or gently roll them on your countertop, they peel off in mostly one piece. Just don't crack too hard, or you break the white. Also, peeling under running water helps get all the little bits off.

[MelissaH]

Sorry to be such a downer at this time of year.

The end of my FIL's journey is imminent. In times like this, I generally head for the kitchen. But this time I'll be in my in-laws' kitchen, not my own. I'm looking for things to do that are fiddly enough to keep me busy, possibly things that could be done with kids (10 and 3) to help keep them busy, but that generate a minimum of craziness.

Any suggestions? I'd thought about maybe pounding on some bread dough, but the kitchen is carpeted and flour everywhere, combined with my MIL's neatnik tendencies, tells me this may not be a good idea.

There are friends and relatives galore in the area. There will be lots of people to feed, but everyone who comes will probably also bring something. Anything I make is not necessarily because we'll need more food (probably the opposite, in fact).

MelissaH

[Catriona]

Sorry to hear that, Melissa.

How about soups? Almost always welcome, particularly at this time of the year... (and can then be frozen later if not needed).

I have memories of long-drawn out soup cooking sessions after my grandmother died. A surprisingly nice time with my family.

[judiu]

Melissa, you have my sympathy, and my kudos for wanting to keep the kids involved. How about cookies? 'Tis the season; all kids love to help with cookies and there's always something that "little" hands can do. Just don't try rolled cookies, the drop kind are great, or slice and bake, that can be kept in the fridge, and when the kids get bored and whiney (and it will happen) you can say, "Let's go bake some cookies for (add appropriate occasion here)!" HTH!

[MelissaH]

My FIL died last night, peacefully and relatively quickly. I don't know if arrangements have been finalized yet, other than all the services etc. should happen during the time we were planning to be there anyway for the holiday.

Catriona and judiu, thanks for the suggestions. We may wind up doing either, both...or neither. My goal is really to keep my nieces from feeling like their holiday's been wrecked, so anything I can do on that front will be good. And so much the better if we can come up with something that could then be served after a memorial service---maybe something like white bread with very thin flabby crust, the way Poppa liked it best, or cookies of any kind (which he also loved). Or maybe even lemon slices dipped into chocolate fondue, which he suggested we do over Thanksgiving when we were looking for weird things to dip and feed each other with our eyes closed, as a guessing game. But I'm going to play it by ear when we get there.

MelissaH

[judiu]

My FIL died last night, peacefully and relatively quickly. I don't know if arrangements have been finalized yet, other than all the services etc. should happen during the time we were planning to be there anyway for the holiday.

Catriona and judiu, thanks for the suggestions. We may wind up doing either, both...or neither. My goal is really to keep my nieces from feeling like their holiday's been wrecked, so anything I can do on that front will be good. And so much the better if we can come up with something that could then be served after a memorial service---maybe something like white bread with very thin flabby crust, the way Poppa liked it best, or cookies of any kind (which he also loved). Or maybe even lemon slices dipped into chocolate fondue, which he suggested we do over Thanksgiving when we were looking for weird things to dip and feed each other with our eyes closed, as a guessing game. But I'm going to play it by ear when we get there.

MelissaH

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My condolances. Try orange slices in the fondue, or even canned peache slices, drained and dusted with nutmeg.