I'm So EGGS-cited!

EGGS!

Eggs are always abundant in the Spring.  Eggs are also one thing that everyone seems to identify with farms and Farmers’ Markets.  You can find big eggs, little eggs, chicken eggs, duck eggs, quail eggs…even colored eggs.  (The Staunton Market used to have a vendor who sold Ostrich eggs!)

It’s a regular Spring “egg-stravaganza”! (sorry)

But, there is a down-side to all these wonderful FRESH eggs.

Fresh eggs are notoriously hard to peel.  As in…no can do…not neatly anyway.

As an egg ages, it dehydrates slightly. This makes a little separation between the shell and the membrane and the egg will peel easily.  So, the common recommendation is to buy eggs in advance and let them “age” prior to boiling.  Someone invariably forgets and uses the “aging” eggs for other purposes, aggravating the cook. (not that I would know about that aggravation or anything)

You can leave them on the counter for a couple of days to speed up the "aging" process, but when I give that advice, customers tend to freak out just a little. (Although,I have been told that they never refrigerate eggs in Europe.)

But, all this aging calls for some advance planning which isn’t always convenient or practical.

There had to be an answer.

Over the years, I think I’ve tried a lot of different methods.  Hot water, cold water, salt in the water, soda in the water, even vinegar, no luck. I boiled them hard, boiled them gently, pot lid on…pot lid off.  It didn’t seem to matter, I was still digging the eggs out of their shells with a spoon, muttering under my breath. I just can’t stand misshapen, ugly deviled eggs!

I must admit, I have not tried the current fad of baking eggs in a muffin tin. I can only imagine an explosive outcome on that one, and cleaning the remains of egg bombs out of my oven doesn’t sound appealing.  (I have a similar fear of microwaved eggs)

Last week, I was reading one the many blogs I follow and she was describing her attempt to re-create deep-fried deviled eggs.  (can I just say….ewwww…?)  The whole fascination with deep-frying everything (oreos, pickles, butter--?) escapes me.  However…

She had a new way to boil eggs.  Maybe it’s not new, but I hadn’t tried this one.

So, I did.  And it worked. Every. Single. Time.  Even with really fresh eggs.  Really fresh as in the Boss just got them from the henhouse fresh!

I’m not sure why this works and the other ways I’ve tried didn’t (consistently)…but, it does.  And, the eggs don’t have that dark ring around the yolk that they sometimes get when you boil them too hard. The yolks stay pretty, which is very important when making devilled eggs, or even egg salad (and these made some delicious egg salad!)  

I’m so EGGS-cited! (sorry, I did it again) I needed to share it with you.  

Our customers will be happy to learn this one, too.

To make the hard-boiled eggs:

For a dozen deviled eggs, you’ll need six hard-boiled eggs. Before boiling, bring eggs to room temperature. To make perfect, incredibly easy to peel hard-boiled eggs, bring a pot of water to a rapid boil. Add a dash of salt then gently lower the eggs into the boiling water with a slotted spoon.

Replace the lid and boil hard for 14 minutes. Drain and place immediately in cold water. Ice water is even better.

Lightly crack each egg all over then gently roll it between your hands. The eggs will practically leap out of the shells on their own, leaving the most perfect hard-boiled eggs you’ve ever seen.

Rinse the eggs in cold water to make sure you didn’t leave even the tiniest bit of shell on the eggs then allow the eggs to cool thoroughly before slicing. You want to be sure they are chilled all the way to the center. Pop them in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour. Eggs slice much more cleanly when they’re cold. Once chilled, slice eggs lengthwise with a smooth-bladed knife. Squeeze gently to pop out the yolks and you’re ready to make deviled eggs.

Now…you’ll have to try it.  I hope that you will be “eggs-cited”, too!

For the full post about deep-fried deviled eggs, visit  Chickens in the Road.

Hey...I shared this over at the Tales of A Kansas Farm Mom.  She's hosting a County Fair Blog Party.  Check it out!  Kansas Farm Mom County Fair Blog Party