Farm Fresh Eggs

Farm Fresh Hard Boiled Eggs!

I love eggs and I am particularly fond of farm fresh eggs. There is something about cracking that firm shell and opening it up to find a brightly colored yolk inside. Whether I am making brownies or egg soap, there is something I find fascinating and satisfying about fresh eggs. There is only one down side to farm fresh eggs. If you make hard boiled eggs with fresh eggs, they are difficult to peel! Today I am going to share a simple method on how to make hard boiled eggs while making them easy to peel. Are you ready? Come join me!

Hard boiled eggs are one of those things that appear deceptively simply but I have made a LOT of hard boiled eggs I was less than proud of. Sometime they don’t peel cleanly or the yolk is over cooked or even undercooked! It is hard to win. While it is definitely easier to make hard boiled egg with older eggs, I hate having to wait so my eggs will be easy to peel! So what if you don’t want to wait to make hard boiled eggs? Well, let me share some secrets with you!

The first secret is to have a hot start. By getting your eggs hot quickly, it makes them easier to peel but if you put cold eggs into boiling water, it is easy for them to crack. To avoid this, I highly recommend steaming your eggs. It is easy and simple to do and having a steamer is not required. I have done it in a metal colander!

The second secret is when the eggs are done, plunge them into ice cold water to chill. This helps a variety of things. It makes the eggs easier to peel and it makes sure that the yolks don’t become over cooked and start to turn green. It will even reduce the size of the air pocket in the egg that causes that dimple! How cool is that?!

To start, set a pot of water to boil on the stove top. You want things nice and hot when you put eggs in to steam. Place your eggs to steam when the water below starts to boil. If you want a hard yolk, steam for 12-15 minutes, depending on your elevation. If you want a soft yolk, steam for 6 minutes. Once the eggs are cooked, plunge them into cold water for at least 15 minutes. Keep track of your cooking times on a recipe card or a note you can tape to the inside of the refrigerator so you can remember the best time for your desired eggs. Once the eggs are fully chilled, crack the surface and peel them under cold running water. That is it! Now you can make egg salads sandwiches, deviled eggs, pickled eggs, potato salad and more!

Tomorrow, we will be making an egg soap that is perfect for the cooling weather! Be sure to check back in to see what fun we will be creating!