Food expert’s unusual tip for making a ‘perfect’ boiled egg that’s easy to clean every time

Boiling eggs may sound simple enough. After all, it’s something we often think should be as easy as pie – just pop them in water for 10 minutes and they should be perfect.

That’s why we have the phrase, “they couldn’t even boil an egg,” suggesting that it’s an unusual idea for everyone from toddlers to grandparents. However, anyone who has tried knows that reality is far from simple.

From undercooking to that unsightly dark ring around the yolk, getting the perfect hard-boiled egg seems like a feat for culinary geniuses. And that’s without trying to peel them without ending up with half an egg with the rest tenaciously attached to the shell.

However, Kenji Lopez-Alt, author and nutrition expert, believes he has surpassed the method for flawless eggs. At Serious Eats, he tells followers, “Here’s the truth: There is no 100% foolproof method for cleaning hard-boiled eggs, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something.”

However, he assures egg enthusiasts that after trying “all the methods, many, many times,” he’s found the best technique. He advises: “Put the eggs straight from the fridge into already boiling water, or steam them in a covered pot on high heat on the stove top.” If it boils, reduce the heat to the lowest heat. Cook the eggs for 11 minutes for hard or six minutes for soft. Serve.

“Or, if serving cold, immediately shock them into ice water. Let them cool in that water for at least 15 minutes or, better yet, in the fridge overnight. Clean them under cold water. No baking, no stinging, no gimmicks, no gimmicks, that’s it.”

He then addresses a common question from his followers about whether the freshness of an egg matters, stating, “The age of an egg makes a difference, but only when the eggs are super fresh: freshly laid eggs are more likely to stick to the shell.”

In both the US and the UK, he notes, eggs can be kept for up to 30 days before they are even packed, with a cut-off date that can be extended by another 30 days, suggesting that by the time when the eggs reach the supermarket. racks, are usually old enough that no further aging at home is needed.

But in an unusual tip, he departed from the convention of finding supermarket foods with the longest use-by dates. Instead, he suggests looking for the package with the oldest eggs, saying, “It certainly doesn’t hurt to look for the package with the closest expiration date.”

For those concerned about the dimple on the bottom of hard-boiled eggs, he explains, “The problem is, the older the egg, the larger the air space becomes. This means that eggs that are best for boiling also happen to come out. the ugliest and nobody wants to be that guy who serves the misshapen eggs’.

His solution to avoiding pitting is to “shock” the eggs by plunging them into ice water immediately after boiling. This cools them down faster and helps keep their shape.

He even offers a solution to removing the shell from eggs, advising, “Make sure you cool your eggs completely. I mean, let them sit in that ice bath for at least 15 minutes, or better yet, let them sit in the fridge overnight.

“The cooler the egg, the firmer and tighter its structure will be, and the less likely it will develop craters when you remove the shell. those peeled after a few minutes of shock (or, even worse, straight from the pot).”

He adds, “Before I start peeling my eggs, I gently crack them all over, starting at the fatty end and gently rotating and touching all around. I don’t use the roll-it-against-the-counter method. , because I accidentally smashed too many eggs with my ham hands this way. Many cracks make it easier to gently peel the skin under running water.

He concludes: “And that’s about it. Start with old eggs, cook them hot… cool them quickly and completely, crack them all over and clean them under running water.”