Hard Boiling Fresh Eggs

We have recently started consuming a lot hard boiled eggs in our house.  Both Jason and I have been focused on eating more healthy and upping our protein.  But, did you know that actually boiling fresh eggs can be a recipe for disaster?  I tried a couple of times and ended up with half of my egg white attached to the shell.  Turns out, when you have fresh eggs, steaming is the way to go.

I have also found that, unless you have a larger pot and steamer basket, that small batches are best.  I find that doing six dozen at a time works perfect for me. 

So, here is what you want to do:

Fill a pot of water with just an inch or two of water.  You don't want the water touching the eggs, but you want enough water that it doesn't evaporate during the steaming.  Place your steamer basket (similar steamer basket here.) in the water and carefully arrange your eggs in the basket.  Turn the burner on high, wait for the water to begin to boil then drop the temperature to low/medium low and cover.  You want to maintain a light simmer throughout the cooking time, but do not boil the water.  Set the timer for 20 minutes.

A couple side notes:

1.  We don't clean our eggs until just before we are going to eat them (and, honestly, unless they're really bad, we don't clean them then either).  You'll be able to clean all the dirt off of them before they're stored in the fridge.  But, by all means, if the dirt freaks you out, clean those puppies off!

2.  20 minutes is the perfect time for our eggs, but that doesn't mean that will be perfect for yours.  Try 20 minutes first and if they're slightly over/undercooked, adjust the time accordingly.

Okay, back to the eggs!

Once the timer goes off, remove the eggs from the steamer basket (I use a pair of silicone tongs) and place in an ice bath.  Set the timer for 10 minutes. This will stop the eggs from cooking and begin cooling them down.  After 10 minutes, remove the eggs, wipe off any dirt remaining on them and either transfer straight to the fridge or lay on a towel to dry off.

Once the eggs have cooled, they're ready to eat!  My preferred way to crack/peel them is to roll the larger end on the counter with just enough force to begin cracking the shell.  Once I have cracked it, then I begin chipping away at it.  The best thing you can do is find the whitish membrane between the shell and the egg - if you can peel that with the shell, it makes it so much easier.

(If you look closely, you can see a bit of the membrane in the picture on the right)

Sometimes, the shells come off super easy and in big pieces, like the egg on the right.  Other times, it takes a bit more time.....and patience.

Be sure to save those shells, too!  Feed them back to your chickens - an eggcellent source of calcium for them, put them in your compost or put them in your garden soil.  The sharp edges will help deter slugs and other creepy crawly things that would go after your plants.

And, there you have it!  Freshly steamed fresh eggs!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

~ Sara :)

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