Hard Boiled Eggs

Happy Easter!

Each Easter season we traditionally boil up a big pot of eggs and then dye them lovely colors.  I remember my mom buying dozens and dozens of eggs for our family.  We usually got to dye at least 6 eggs each--and maybe even a full dozen!  We didn't use them for hide-and-seek eggs...we ate them.  :)  We kept them in the fridge with our names written on the egg cartons--so we could eat our own eggs that we dyed. 

We'll have to post some egg recipes during this next week--especially for deviled eggs and egg salad sandwiches.  Ahh...the memories...an egg salad sandwich on leftover Easter rolls.  Yum!

After I left home I turned to my trusty Betty Crocker Cookbook to teach me how to boil an egg.  Maybe I should have paid more attention to my mom?  {Something like boiling an egg seems pretty simple!  You would think I would remember how!}  My mom taught me everything I needed to know--or how to find the answer. :)

Hard Boiled Eggs
Get out a large saucepan if you are boiling many eggs--a smaller pan if you are boiling a few.  Place the eggs in the saucepan.  Add enough cold water to come at least 1 inch above the eggs.  Heat rapidly to boiling; remove from heat.  Then cover the pan and let it stand 18 minutes.  Carefully drain off some of the hot water and then place the pan into the sink and run cold water over the eggs.  Cool as quickly as you can (sometimes I add some ice cubes to the water).  Chilling the eggs quickly stops them from cooking and helps the egg peel neatly.  Dry the eggs and return them to their cartons.  Keep the eggs chilled.  If you aren't coloring them you can mark them with a crayon or pencil "X" to show that they are hard boiled eggs. 

I have found that if you cook them correctly they are tender and good.  If they are overcooked they tend to get rubbery and the yolks also have a gray border around the edges.

Actually, boiling an egg is fairly simple, but I know there are a few variations on how to do it.  The Betty Crocker method seems to work for me, but if there are other ways that work for you feel free to post or comment!