Here's how to avoid the nasty green ring on boiled eggs and ensure they are easy to peel. If you're making deviled or classic egg salad, you'll want to take note of these tips!
How to boil
The perfect hard-boiled egg is true white, without a gray-green ring, and has a fluffy yellow yolk, and takes about 14 minutes to cook. Soft-boiled cook in about 8 minutes, so the actual cooking time varies from 8 - 14 minutes. Believe it or not, "hard boiled" doesn't really mean "hard-boiled"-- it means simmered or steamed. There are three basic preparation methods:
- Two Hot Start Methods
- A Cold Start Method
After many years of experimenting with these three methods, I find the Cold Start method the most reliable. The hot start methods seem to vary when cooked on an electric stove, but were consistently successful on a gas stove. If you're unsure as to which method to use, I recommend the Cold Start Method.
2 Hot-start methods
Method 1: Simmering
- Remove eggs from refrigerator and allow to sit for 15 minutes to avoid cracking
- Bring water to boil
- Add eggs to water
- Turn down heat to simmering (where a few bubbles form on the bottom and rise gently, but barely get to the surface) NOTE: this works great on a gas stove, but when using an electric stove, gently lift the pan above the burner, turn it to simmer temperature, wait a few seconds then return pan to stove.
- Simmer eggs uncovered 10-14 minutes
- Place boiled eggs in a cold ice-water bath for 10 minutes
Method 2: Steaming
- Remove eggs from refrigerator and allow to sit for 15 minutes to avoid cracking
- Bring water to boil
- Add eggs to water
- Once the eggs are submerged in the boiling water, place a lid on the pan
- Remove pan from heat, and allow to stand for 17-20 minutes
- Place boiled eggs in a cold ice-water bath for 10 minutes
Cold-start method: recommended
- Place eggs in a pan with enough cold water to cover them by about one inch
- Bring water to boil
- Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer for 14 minutes, uncovered
- Immediately transfer to cold ice water bath for 10 minutes
Regardless of the method used, the most important thing to do is to submerge them in icy cold water after they've simmered. This stops the cooking process and prevents the ugly greenish-gray ring around the yolk.
How to avoid the nasty green ring
The nasty green ring is caused by the reaction of hydrogen sulfide (from the white part) with the iron from the yolk. A green ring will occur more often in older and over-cooked eggs. Avoid the green ring by using eggs that are at least five days old and, once they're boiled, immediately submerge them in an ice cold water bath for 10 minutes.
How to peel
Often, the shell sticks and this is due to the shell membrane that is between the shell and the egg. If the egg is too fresh, this thin, almost transluscent coating sticks to the egg--not the shell, making it really hard to get a smooth peeled egg.
I've found peeling hard-boiled under a light stream of cold water helps release the shell membrane and results in a smoother surface.
How to get the yolk out
A hard-boiled egg has a light-yellow, fluffy yolk; an easy way to remove the yolk out is to slightly bend the egg white and use the edge of a spoon to loosenit...just a nudge with the spoon edge and the yolk falls right out!
How to determine freshness
Another important facet is the freshness. There a couple of ways to determine this; however, you'll want to buy eggs that are at least five days old...why? Read on...
Julian Date
On the end of each carton are three-digit numbers called the Julian date. These numbers range from 001-365, representing the days of the year with January 1 being 001 and December 31 being 365. Additionally, these numbers represent the day the eggs were packed. For eggs packed on March 28th, the Julian date would be 087. (Additional numbers on the egg carton represent the manufacturer's plant identification.)
When you buy eggs, check the Julian date and select a carton that has eggs at least five days old. Very fresh eggs (under five days old) are more difficult to peel when boiled because the shell membrane is still very intact with the shell.
Does it Float?
Another way to determine freshness is to place the egg in water. Fresh eggs will sink and stand more upright because their air sac is small. Old eggs will float.
Does it Spread Out?
If you need to test an egg from the carton, use this technique to determine freshness. Crack an egg onto a plate; a fresh egg will produce a yolk that is centered, stands up in a rounded form and has a large proportion of thick white around the yolk. If the egg spreads out on a plate with an off-center yolk and a lot of clear, thin yolk white yolk it is an old egg.
Grade AA? A? Jumbo? Large? Regular?
This is always an interesting choice at the grocery... what size and grade do I buy? Eggs are graded as U.S. AA, A or B, according to USDA standards, however, the grading of eggs does not take into account weight or shell color.
Without going into the complex world of egg candling, let's just agree that Grades AA are near perfect eggs, ideal for making the perfect boiled egg. Grade A are good and Grade B are generally used for commercial uses such as egg powders, etc.
When a recipe calls for an egg, it is usually based on large.
Storage
Store eggs in their original carton on the top shelf and not in the egg bin on the door! If you store them in the door, air flows around the eggs and facilitates the loss of carbon dioxide and moisture, aging the eggs faster.
Store the cartons at 40° F or below and never rinse an egg. Rinsing permeates the protective shell, allowing gases to escape, and the egg ages faster. An egg at room temperature will age more in one day than in one week in the refrigerator. Generally, eggs that are 3-5 weeks old are safe to use in foods
Fun Facts
- The color of the shell is determined by the breed of the hen. Hen's with white feathers produce white eggs; hens with red feathers produce brown eggs
- It is not possible to determine the vitamin content of vitamin A based on color because the pigments in the shell are not precursors for vitamin A
- The color of the yolk is based upon what is fed to the hens
Deviled Eggs
Ingredients
- 1 dozen large eggs
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 3 T yellow mustard
- 2 T relish sweet or dill, drained
- ½ teaspoon white vinegar
- ½ T minced raw onion not dried
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Hard boil eggs (see The Perfect Boiled Egg)
- Cool and peel eggs; slice eggs in half lengthwise
- Remove yolks and place in bowl
- Add remaining ingredients and mix well; refrigerate mixture for about 10 minutes to avoid a runny yolk filling
- Scoop egg yolk mixture back into hard boiled egg whites
- Garnish with paprika and serve
Notes
- Deviled eggs are always nice to have at Thanksgiving and Easter, but we serve them at Christmas, too!
- Perfect for brunch!
Nutrition
Lisa K. says
Excellent! I love all the tips on how to make everything, it makes it so much easier. Thank you!!