Smart Snack of the Week: The Perfect Hard-boiled Egg
August 22, 2012 | Posted by Stacy under Healthy snacks |
After years of experimenting, I’ve finally figured out how to make the perfect hard-boiled egg. I can’t tell you how many I’ve tested only to be disappointed. For example, I’ve tried adding (and not adding!) salt to the water and using a covered and uncovered pot. I’ve even plunged the cooked eggs in an ice bath, then put them back in boiling water for 1 minute. Each time, I ended up with the same thing: eggs that stuck to the shell.
Then my twins’ wonderful preschool teacher, Miss Susan, claimed to have the remedy. “It’s the perfect hard-boiled egg recipe,” she told me. “But you have to follow the recipe EXACTLY.” After so many failed attempts, I was skeptical. Like a good girl, however, I did as I was told, and her recipe (to follow) did not disappoint.
Packed with protein (6 grams in one egg!), a hard-boiled egg makes a nutritious addition to a lunchbox or a great after-school snack. Serve the egg plain or with a dusting of sea salt. Eat it for breakfast with whole-grain toast and fresh fruit or chop it up and mix with a touch of mayo for an egg salad sandwich.
The Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg
- Fill a pot with enough water to cover eggs.
- Place eggs in pot and cover with a lid.
- Bring water to a boil and boil for 10 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat and let eggs sit in hot water for 5 minutes.
- Place eggs in ice water for 10 minutes.
- Store eggs in refrigerator.
To make it kid fun, you might try cutting them in half and adding eyes and a beak, an idea that I got from a blog called JustJENN Rants and Raves (though on her blog, Jenn warns that her son decided to adopt the cute little chicks as pets rather than eat them):
NOTE: I feel obligated to mention that esteemed food activist Michael Pollen, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma recommends buying “pastured” (not to be confused with “pasteurized”) eggs from a farmer’s market. They come from small flocks that get to spend time in the great outdoors and pose a lower risk of salmonella poisoning. (If you’ve watched the documentary Food, Inc., you know the horrors of how commercial chickens are raised.). However, they do tend to cost a lot more. So maybe you find a friend with a chicken coop. Or, look for 100% cage-free or vegetarian/grain-fed eggs (preferably ones with Omega-3s) at your local grocery store.
Do you have a yummy egg recipe that your child loves? I’d love to hear it! Please leave it in a comment below.
I use this same method and it is PERFECT. The key is to plunge them into the cold water-it makes them super easy to peel.
Ciao!
I follow this method as well as i’m using an apple iPhone application which one help me to save time with this method. Thanks
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