The Perfect Hard Boilded Egg

OK so tonight I decided on some yummy egg and tuna salad for dinner after class; its fast and easy, not to mention I was a bit crabby and didn't feel like really making anything.  I soon discovered that there were only 2 hard boiled eggs left, and my egg maker (aka Caity Kemberling) was not here to boil more.  I have never had to make my own eggs before... dad or mom did them when I lived at home, and I just recently rediscovered how much I love them.  I also felt pressure, because every batch Caity has made while we have lived together these last few month have been perfect!  No gray ring on the yolk, just pure yellow goodness!

So instead of taking the last two eggs and leaving myself with zero, I whipped out my handy dandy phone and searched how to make the perfect hard boiled egg.  Here is what I found:

Method

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. Adding a tablespoon of vinegar to the water will help keep the egg whites from running out of any eggs that happen to crack while cooking, but some people find that the vinegar affects the taste. I don't have a problem with it and I usually add a little vinegar. Adding a half teaspoon of salt is thought to help both with the preventing of cracking and making the eggs easier to peel. (I added the vinegar and the salt; and it really did work! the eggs peeled beautifully, and there were no cracks!) Put the burner on high and bring the eggs to a boil. As soon as the water starts to boil, remove the pan from the heat for a few seconds.
2 Reduce the heat to low, return the pan to the burner. Let simmer for one minute. (Note I usually skip this step because I don't notice the eggs boiling until they've been boiling for at least a minute! Also, if you are using an electric stove with a coil element, you can just turn off the heat. There is enough residual heat in the coil to keep the eggs simmering for a minute.)
3 After a minute, remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let sit for 12 minutes. If you are doing a large batch of eggs, after 10 minutes you can check for doneness by sacrificing one egg, removing it with a slotted spoon, running it under cold water, and cutting it open. If it isn't done, cook the other eggs a minute or two longer. The eggs should be done perfectly at 10 minutes, but sometimes, depending on the shape of the pan, the size of the eggs, the number of eggs compared to the amount of water, and how cooked you like them, it can take a few minutes more. When you find the right time that works for you given your pan, the size of eggs you usually buy, the type of stove top you have, stick with it.
I also find that it is very hard to overcook eggs using this method. I can let the eggs sit, covered, for up to 15-20 minutes without the eggs getting overcooked.
4 Either remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place them into a bowl of ice water (this is if you have a lot of eggs) OR strain out the water from the pan, fill the pan with cold water, strain again, fill again, until the eggs cool down a bit. Once cooled, strain the water from the eggs. Store the eggs in a covered container (eggs can release odors) in the refrigerator. They should be eaten within 5 days.

The finished result:

 The perfect egg! It was cooked all the way, no gray ring, and it peeled great!

I would def. try this out if you have not figured out your own trick to making perfect Hard boiled eggs.

I am no longer afraid of screwing up hard boiled eggs, and I feel like I can take on anything :D I know I am silly, but hey these little babies can make a grown man cry if not done right... no one likes an over (or under) cooked hard boiled egg... it just leads to a disaster of dramatic proportions.

Anyways, that is all for tonight, I will post another amazing accomplishment tomorrow: my first cowl experience!  

Hope you all had a good Tuesday... well I guess its now Wednesday... so enjoy today as well :D