Originally published at: Poke a hole in the shell for a better hard boiled egg? | Boing Boing
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This is a common everyday kitchen implement in Europe. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eierprikker Click on the picture on the far right.
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I don’t know about the easier peeling. I’ve been doing this since before the internet because it provides a vent so the air cell can deflate. You get an egg without a weird dimple in the rounder end, and never a cracked shell.
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Do you really need to sterilize the pin first? Shouldn’t the boiling water suffice? Moreover, is a fork tine not small enough to serve as an eggpricker?
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Also: if you store your eggs under a pyramid they taste better.
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Yep: Coming from the US, I was surprised to find one of these in the kitchen drawer of a house we bought. I also found one of these:
You put it in the pot the same time as the eggs, and it tells you when the egg is cooked the desired amount. Something about me loves that it works at sea level or in the mountains, regardless whether the pot is covered, the water starts cold or tepid, etc. Like a thermos: How does it know whether to keep the contents hot or cold?
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This isn’t to make the peeling easier, it is to make it less prone to cracking when dropping into a pre-boiled bath. It’s immersing it into boiling water, then cold shocking it that makes it easier to peel. They’re also easier to peel after you’ve refrigerated them by soaking in a warm bath for ca. 5 mins (I’m not about pre-peeled then refrigerated eggs, blecch!).
I fought stupid internet and celebrity chef recommendations for over a decade before I found the boiling bath immersion the most foolproof technique. Sure, a crumbly, torn up egg tastes the same, but when I’m having a ramen-based party there’s no way I’m giving out moon rocks. Plus, the Littlest Pea likes to peel them and is quick to frustration, so why not set him up for success?
“My” method is pretty damn foolproof:
2 quarts of fully boiling water
Pin prick is optional depending on whether mine has been moved (though I’m not sterilizing anything that’s going into boiling water)
6 mins for soft, 8 mins for waxy and 10 mins for “well done”
Dump out boiling water and just cover with cold tap (a drop from 212°F to ca. 90° is massive and an ice bath is just a waste of cocktail ice)
If they’ve been refrigerated, warm in hot tap water to make peeling easier.
Oh, and also, instead of a few large cracks, I basically gently pulverize the shell all over by repeatedly striking different spots on the sink edge. This way it peels more like crinkly paper instead of like removing a helmet from a head. I would have put 2-3 times as many cracks in the shell in the bottom photo.
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Boneless chicken dinner = hard boiled egg.
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I’m boneless right now!
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Bit randy for so early in the morn?
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I’m in a New York State of mind, bro.
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We used to have one like this. (Yes, I do allow some single-use tools in my kitchen. I just don’t allow Alton Brown.)
We usually use a cold quench before peeling, but I don’t get the sarcasm about a cooking technique.
I haven’t tried it, but I would guess not. It would cause too much damage to the shell.
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Personally, I love my egg cooker. It comes with a spike to poke the hole attached to a measure for water. You dump the measure of water in the cooker, poke the eggs turn it on then leave. It turns off automatically and the eggs come out great. After cooking dozens and dozes of eggs, I have had one not peel well. I love that gadget.
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Moreover, is a fork tine not small enough to serve as an eggpricker?
Not sharp enough and the other tines get in the way of making one hole.
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I’m suddenly reminded of this classic appliance (and now dying of laughter again)
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Skip boiling, steam the eggs for 15 min then plunge into cold eater. Pin prick not necessary. They’ll peel easier and be a perfect consistency/color.
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have the same egg cooker (in red although) and the same gizmo for poking. Works well, but the directions still recommend the cold-water dunk.
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As others have pointed out, this isn’t one of those newfangled “life hacks”. It’s a relatively common method for boiling eggs
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Oh, I didn’t know, but now I do.
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