deglazing.com

I have always wondered why there are so many techniques to make something as simple as a hard boiled egg, although I now understand why it’s quite a science to make a hard boiled egg just right.  Think of all the times you have had a hard time removing the shell or the times you didn’t get the center to come out just right.  Growing up the method I saw most people use was to just boil the heck out of the egg, until they thought it was done.  Today I tried Julia Child’s method for a hard boiled egg and while it was time consuming, the method couldn’t have been simpler.  The texture of these eggs was nothing like anything I had experienced before, the whites were perfectly white and tender.  The yolks came out perfectly with the prettiest yellow color I had ever seen in an egg.  Truly these eggs looked like little works of art, the picture does them no justice.  This method can be scaled down to make a few eggs or 2 dozen at a time.

Here’s the method.

Step 1 - Put eggs in pan.  Add enough water to cover an inch over the eggs.  Bring up to boil.  Once up to a boil remove the pan from the heat.  Put a lid on the pot and allow to sit for 17 minutes.

Step 2 - Put eggs in ice water bath.  Bring the cooking water back up to a boil while the eggs chill for 2 minutes.

Step 3 - Transfer eggs (6 at a time) to the boiling water, bring back up to a boil.  Allow the eggs to boil for 10 seconds.  Remove the eggs and put back in ice bath.

Step 4 - Allow the eggs to chill for 15 - 20 minutes, then peel and use.