What's for Dinner?

[Fear The Spear]

Food question here, that I thought would be appropriate for this thread.
Having a cooking problem, and it's kind of embarrassing to admit, because it involves the easiest thing in the world to cook, second only to toast ; it's boiled eggs.
This actually never used to happen before, but happens all the time now.
My boiled eggs come out crappy now, for a couple reasons, and can't figure out why.
First of all, they used to de-shell very easily - like the shell would practically slide right off, in just a few large pieces. Now, the shells only come off, mainly in a gazillion small pieces, which takes forever to peel the egg.
The other problem, which is equally frustrating, is that the few pieces that actually do come off the egg in large shell pieces - they have huge chunks of boiled egg white that stick to the shell as I peel it off. And no matter how careful I am, the egg white sticks to the shell before and after peeling, rendering large chunks of egg useless and wasted.
I have no idea why these things are happening. Is it the type or quality of eggs I'm buying ? Or is it the way I'm cooking them ?
I usually put 3 eggs in a pot, then fill it with hot tap water. Then bring it to a boil, and then continue to boil the 3 eggs for 15 minutes. Is there anything wrong in that process or something else, that's causing the annoying results ?

 

[Goaldeje]

Fear, first off, it's Monsanto's fault. Or High Fructose Corn Syrup. One of those.

I have found that by peeling the eggs quickly, even when they are REALLY hot, it helps with a "cleaner" egg peel. Just personal experience, for what it's worth.

 

[Goaldeje]

Tried something new for lunch today. Made a three egg omlette, and added in some leftover pulled pork in a mustard sauce. Thought it was gonna be weird, but it was delicious.

Oh, and John, Em tried your corned beef hash suggestion and it was terrific. She hates thymne, so I'm sure she left that part out, but pretty much everything else was spot on. Thank you, sir.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

The hard-to-peel thing is because the eggs are fresher, believe it or not. Older eggs peel easier than fresher eggs. If you had access to eggs right out of a chicken, they'd be almost impossible to peel once boiled.

Also, just in case you're not doing this, after they're done you should immediately pour off the hot water and cover them with cold water and a few ice cubes. The rapid cooling will create steam between the shell and egg, making them easier to peel.

EDIT: I've never tried the peeling immediately thing...

 

[Fear The Spear]

Fear, first off, it's Monsanto's fault. Or High Fructose Corn Syrup. One of those.

How or why does High Fructose Corn Syrup get into pure, raw eggs ?
What's the purpose, and how do they apply it ?
So, it's mainly the quality of eggs ?
Would it help to get organic, cage-free, special eggs ? Those cost so much, so instead of getting organic, cage-free, I usually get the ones that only say "Vegetarian Fed" as a compromise, because they are "moderately" expensive, about $3.50 compared to those other "super eggs" which are super expensive, about $5 a dozen.

I have found that by peeling the eggs quickly, even when they are REALLY hot, it helps with a "cleaner" egg peel. Just personal experience, for what it's worth.

I usually soak them in cold water for a couple minutes before peeling, so they're easier to handle.
So, you're saying, if you don't cool them like that, and just peel them hot, and enduring that, then the shells come off easier ?

 

[Goaldeje]

The peeling immediately thing has always worked for me, for what it's worth. My wife has mixed success with it.

 

[Fear The Spear]

Thanks guys. I'll experiment with different cooling and non-cooling methods

 

[Lanky Livingston]

Thanks guys. I'll experiment with different cooling and non-cooling methods

Try using older eggs also; as in buy them and let them sit in the fridge for a week or two before boiling them.

 

[Elephant]

Man oh man do I love the zucchini casserole I cook for us! I have listed it before, but will again.

portion size is your preference and it depends how much you want, but I take sliced zucchini and red onion, layer it like a lasagna in a pan that I drizzle enough olive oil so it won't stick to the pan and add sliced vermont cheddar cheese. This time I added yellow squash to the mix! Mmmmmm....

It's my mom's recipe that I removed the chopped tomatoes and made it the way I like. Just had leftovers for lunch. It's one of those dishes that are better the day after...

 

[Nobody]

Food question here, that I thought would be appropriate for this thread.
Having a cooking problem, and it's kind of embarrassing to admit, because it involves the easiest thing in the world to cook, second only to toast ; it's boiled eggs.
This actually never used to happen before, but happens all the time now.
My boiled eggs come out crappy now, for a couple reasons, and can't figure out why.
First of all, they used to de-shell very easily - like the shell would practically slide right off, in just a few large pieces. Now, the shells only come off, mainly in a gazillion small pieces, which takes forever to peel the egg.
The other problem, which is equally frustrating, is that the few pieces that actually do come off the egg in large shell pieces - they have huge chunks of boiled egg white that stick to the shell as I peel it off. And no matter how careful I am, the egg white sticks to the shell before and after peeling, rendering large chunks of egg useless and wasted.
I have no idea why these things are happening. Is it the type or quality of eggs I'm buying ? Or is it the way I'm cooking them ?
I usually put 3 eggs in a pot, then fill it with hot tap water. Then bring it to a boil, and then continue to boil the 3 eggs for 15 minutes. Is there anything wrong in that process or something else, that's causing the annoying results ?

Wait until the water is boiling to add eggs, then lower them into the pot. Add salt to the water. Don't overcook (10-12 minutes is usually enough depending on the stove). The salt keeps the flesh part of the egg from adhering to the lining of the egg, and adding them after the water is boiling keeps them from overcooking.

And since hot tap water takes just as long to boil as cold tap water due to the rate of heat exchange, you're essentially cooking the eggs even before you're cooking them.

The other suggestions aren't right or wrong. It's all circumstance. I've had successes and failures with every way listed. But my grandma taught me the salt trick and adding after boiling, and it has a 100% success rate because it has a scientific basis. Supposedly Baking soda works too. The way it's cooled makes no difference, I cool mine in a bath of ice water. But technically speaking, if you don't cool it, it keeps cooking. Making it more likely to stick.

 

[Elephant]

Wait until the water is boiling to add eggs, then lower them into the pot. Add salt to the water. Don't overcook (10-12 minutes is usually enough depending on the stove). The salt keeps the flesh part of the egg from adhering to the lining of the egg, and adding them after the water is boiling keeps them from overcooking.

And since hot tap water takes just as long to boil as cold tap water due to the rate of heat exchange, you're essentially cooking the eggs even before you're cooking them.

Eggs burst when you add them to boiling water...

 

[Nobody]

Eggs burst when you add them to boiling water...

I eat boiled eggs for breakfast almost every day. I've cooked them this way for years, never once had one explode. But I have the carton sitting out while I wait for the water to boil, that might be why.

edit: A quick google search shows the top page of links for boiling eggs all tell you to put them in boiling water. You got some brittle eggs buddy

 

[Lanky Livingston]

Bull**** - 5 of the first 6 recipes for hard boiled eggs tell you to put them in cold water and slowly bring it to a boil.

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_perfect_hard_boiled_eggs/

1 Put the eggs in a single layer in a saucepan, covered by at least an inch or two of cold water. Starting with cold water and gently bringing the eggs to a boil will help keep them from cracking.

http://www.marthastewart.com/354061/perfect-hard-boiled-eggs

Place eggs in a large saucepan. Cover them with cool water by 1 inch. Slowly bring water to a boil over medium heat; when the water has reached a boil, cover and remove from heat. Let sit 12 minutes.

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/eggsdairy/r/Hard-Boiled-Eggs.htm

Place eggs in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cover them with cold water. Make sure the tops of the eggs are covered by at least an inch of water.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggs/BoiledEggs.htm

The eggs must not be stacked but be in one (1) layer only. Gently place the eggs in a single layer in a pan with enough cold water to cover eggs completely (approximately by 1 inch of water over the top of the eggs).

http://www.wikihow.com/Hard-Boil-an-Egg

Fill the pot with enough cold tap water to cover the eggs completely. There should be about 1 inch (3 cm) of water over them. Although it increases cooking time, be sure to use cold water. This will help keep the eggs from overcooking. Likewise, do not place cold eggs in a pot of hot water, the shells will crack immediately and the egg will run.

 

[Nobody]

Really? Because this is what comes up when I google it....

If you add the eggs directly to boiling water, they will peel perfectly every time when they are done. Just let them cook in the boiling water for a couple of minutes and then turn the heat off. Let them get to room temperature before you add them to the water or the shells will crack.

Hard boiling an egg isn’t difficult in theory: just boil some water, add your eggs, let them boil, and take them out. So why are hard-boiled eggs often so overdone that the that the yolks are chalky, or so underdone that the whites are almost runny? The answer is all in the timing and the temperature. Here’s how you can cook a hard-boiled egg perfectly, consistently, every time you want one.

1. Using eggs which are more or less at room temperature (i.e., not straight from the refrigerator), place in water that has been brought to a "furious" boil.
2. After one minute, remove from heat and allow eggs to stand in the hot water in the pan for 5 minutes.

1. Mix ½ tsp salt into enough water to cover your eggs, and bring the water to a soft boil.
2. Put your eggs in the water and boil for 4-5 minutes.
3. When they're done, immediately run them under cold water so they stop cooking.

Bring water to a rolling boil
Put eggs in water
Remove from heat, cover pot.
Let Sit for 8 minutes

Not that it matters, it's not worth arguing about. Do them however you want. And we already had the discussion in the past about how google doesn't return the same result for everybody. Regardless, your argument has nothing to do with what was being discussed, I was responding to Brian saying putting eggs in boiling water makes them burst. My whole point was that it doesn't, because I've done it for years and never had any eggs explode. But if you wanna go on a boiled egg crusade, feel free.

 

[HOF44]

You two need to move in together and start your own TV show, you'd be better than Felix and Oscar!!

 

[Fear The Spear]

Place eggs in a large saucepan. Cover them with cool water by 1 inch. Slowly bring water to a boil over medium heat; when the water has reached a boil, cover and remove from heat. Let sit 12 minutes.

Very interesting. Never even heard of this method - to not even cook them in boiling water, but to remove it as soon as it boils and let it sit. Hard to believe they can fully cook this way, especially since it's not telling you to cover the pot while it sits.

And difficult to imagine that letting it sit in that hot water off the stove uncovered, can cook it to the same degree as if it was in boiling water for about the same amount of time - 12 minutes in both cases.

 

[Nobody]

You two need to move in together and start your own TV show, you'd be better than Felix and Oscar!!

Oh, you didn't hear? We're opening a restaurant together. There will be a reality show, and it will break records. It's still in the imaginary stages though.

Besides, I'm sure Lanky has a good friend that's an expert on moving in together that will be there to tell me I have no idea what I'm doing, and who wants to deal with that headache?

 

[Boone]

Day of yard work under my belt...going to do some bleu cheese burgers on the grill. Keeping it simple tonight

 

[Burgundy Burner]

Keeping it simple too...

Chicken breasts, cannellini bean salad, jello, ocean spray cranberry juice.

 

[Goaldeje]

Homemade meatballs tonight with my wife's homemade tomatoe sauce. Good stuff.