Easter is upon us. At my house, that usually means spring asparagus and strawberries. Sometimes ham, sometimes lamb. Sometimes babka and/or coconut cake or cupcakes. So when I thought about what I might post today, it dawned on me that the one
thing that shows up on my table every year, no matter what, is dyed Easter eggs. It's just not Easter without those wonderful, happy, colorful eggs. They're not difficult, of course. The dying instructions are on the back of every box of PAAS. While this might make me sound duller than dirt, a group of my friends recently discussed how we cook hard-boiled eggs. No kidding. In the past I've managed cracked eggs, or eggs with that unsightly green ring around the yolk. Or worst of all, eggs that cling to the peel so they end up looking like a mangled mess. Today I thought I'd share the easy-peasy way to boil eggs -- that peel perfectly!
Hard-Boiled Eggs
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| Bring to boil |
2. Bring them to a boil. Don't walk away and let them keep boiling or boil too vigorously. It's not necessary and may result in cracked eggs.
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| Cover and let stand 20 minutes. |
4. After 20 minutes, pour off the hot water and cover them with cold tap water.
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| SHOCK your eggs! |
That's it. How easy is that? Perfect eggs every time. Please note that I used brown eggs in the pictures, but you must use white eggs if you're going to color them.
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| The peels come off cleanly! |
If you're feeling more adventurous, hop on over to my blog on Homemade Cadbury-Style Chocolate Eggs (http://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/2011/04/cadbury-creme-style-chocolate-easter.html ). My tasters thought they tasted just like the real thing.
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| Happy Easter to all! |
Now, can someone please tell me why blues and purples always look funky and don't dye evenly?
All of the colors come out splotchy when we color them. I keep thinking that I'll investigate and find better dyes than those that come in the packages, but I haven't so far (and probably never will).
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking about the homemade Cadbury Cream Eggs yesterday! I'm so glad you put the link up. Maybe I'll actually make those this year.
I've heard of people using the gel type food dyes. Seems like a lot of work for a dozen eggs though.
DeleteLet me know how it goes if you decide to make the chocolate eggs. It's a bit of a messy project, but fun. And they tasted great!
Aha! I'll have to try that.
ReplyDeleteI've already bought two new and different egg dyeing kits, which is ridiculous because my daughter has moved herself to Urbana, Illinois for the foreseeable future, so it's just my husband and me and the cats now. I'm sure the cats would love to chase eggs around the floor, and they don't care what color they are.
LOL! I see boiled eggs on the menu at your house the week after Easter. Maybe your daughter will come home to visit. Hope so!
Delete~ Krista
I've heard that the blue dye molecules are larger and less able to dissolve in vinegar (they dissolve well in ammonia, but who wants to dye their egg in that? Bluck!).
ReplyDeleteBluck is right! They're less able to dissolve. Hmm. Wonder what else might help them along. Salt? Or am I creating something that would explode?
Delete~ Krista
Krista, I use a different method. I thought I got it from Julia Child, but I can't find the reference. What I do is prick a small hole in the large end of each egg. Then I bring the water to a boil and carefully lower the eggs into the boiling water. Air rushes out of the hole--that's one of the culprits that can lead to cracking. I boil for ten minutes, then drain and plunge them into a bowl of ice water, cracking the shells with the back of a spoon. Works perfectly every time, and has served me well for thirty years.
ReplyDeletePatricia, what do you use to prick the hole? Does that mean your Easter eggs have cracked backs? I guess you just arrange them cracked side down?
Delete~ Krista
You can use one of those push pins that you tack things to bulletin boards with. they just make a tiny hole, they don't crack the shell.
DeleteWhat Peg said. I actually used to have a plastic device designed for this purpose. Now I use a push pin. There's just a tiny hole, no crack. Since I don't color eggs anymore, I don't worry about a whole shell, and cracking the shells in the ice water seems to make them easier to peel.
DeleteJust don't do what I did one Easter. I followed the method in Julia Child's cookbook which Patricia referenced above, and the eggs peeled perfectly! I was so impressed with how easily and quickly I was able to peel a dozen eggs--each of them perfect...then I remembered I was supposed to DYE them first. Fortunately my girls were already more or less grown and found it humorous that we had white, naked eggs for Easter instead of colored ones.
ReplyDeleteGreat story, Peg! I bet the whole family laughs about every Easter!
DeleteWhat a coincidence! I HAVE to dump ice in the water to cool eggs because we don't have cold tap water in the summer here in Phoenix! Didn't know I was doing something right!!
ReplyDeleteMy mother would sometimes peel the eggs and then dye them (using only liquid food coloring and refrigerating immediately) so we had colored deviled eggs on the Easter dinner table.
Peg should have done what your mother did, CindyD! Maybe the warm tap water in Arizona is how someone figured out this method.
Delete~ Krista
Krista, I do boil them for longer than just bringing them to a boil, (gently for 15 minutes then sit for 5), so it seems like about the same amount of time, but I like your idea of letting them sit. I learned from a chef to shock them. What a great trick that is.
ReplyDeleteBlues and greens, not sure. I add more vinegar to those colors (and it helps), but I taught my son to multi-color eggs, so any of those lines look like they're supposed to be there. We had plenty of multi-eggs.
Peg, loved your naked egg story. Dress them up with candy? LOL
Avery
Avery, I used to let them boil gently, too, but I've found that it's just not necessary. They cook very nicely in the hot water as long as they're covered.
DeleteI've tried adding more vinegar to those colors, too. I think you're right that it helps a little. I end up letting them sit in the dye longer, which intensifies the color, but doesn't get rid of the squigglies.
~ Krista
Am I the only one who cannot get the blog link to work? As to naked eggs, my family tradition was to have hard boiled eggs in cream sauce on toast for Easter breakfast. With a dusting of paprika.
ReplyDeleteLovely tradition! Yum, cream sauce!
ReplyDeleteI apologize for the issue with the link. Blogger isn't cooperating. It's http://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/2011/04/cadbury-creme-style-chocolate-easter.html
Thanks for bringing that to my attention, Libby!
~ Krista
The link works if you click on the (http://www. part (the second part). When you just click on the recipe name it didn't work, though. Is it on your own blog, Krista?
ReplyDeleteI've colored eggs almost every year since I was a kid, it's just fun! You can use rubber bands for fun designs, crayons, etc. etc. I always threw out a lot, though, because I'm not a big fan of them as food, and neither are my DH or kids. I am getting better at getting them to people who will eat them, though. I will eat egg salad if I'm in the mood, which is extremely rarely to never. Maybe I shouldn't bother boiling them, and take a chance on a few broken ones while coloring..........better not, I guess.