Egg-Stravaganza!

Lame title, I know. But it is that time of year! How to boil an egg. It seems that I don't boil too many eggs in my regular life because every time that I do, I have to look up how. I don't want green yolks, I don't want gooey middles. Easter is around the corner and I want nice, fresh eggs to dye, then turn in to my favorite egg treat: deviled eggs. More on that later!

So... how to boil an egg. Or, in some cases, how NOT to boil an egg. First, an egg is not pasta. You don't want to bring the water to a rolling boil and then drop those delicate suckers in there. To do this is hard boiled egg sabotage, but it's an easy mistake to make.

Start with an empty pan. Make sure the pan is large enough for the eggs to form a single layer. Add cold water to the pan until the water comes to about an inch above the eggs. Carefully carry this to your stove. (Unless you have one of those neat pasta arm contraptions. In which case, I am jealous.) Once on the stove turn the heat to medium high. It's gonna take awhile, so maybe grab a book... Ok, it won't take that long, but to give you an idea, I am writing this blog while I wait for the water to come to the rolling boil.

Anyway, so after a bit you'll start to notice little streams of tiny bubbles rising from the eggs. Not in a way that would suggest that the boiling has started, but just the tiny little strands of bubbles. Why? I didn't know either, so I looked it up. Every egg has a small air bubble in it for the development of the chick in a fertilized egg. As the air inside the shell expands from the heat, it escapes from microscopic holes in the shell. The holes are big enough to let air out, but not big enough to let the liquid inside out or the water outside in. So, if you are like me, stop worrying, your eggs aren't getting all watery in there.

As the water itself starts to bubble, toss in some salt and allow it to continue heating until it comes to a rolling boil. NOT a crazy rolling boil though. You don't want those eggs to go bouncing all around in there. Unless you want firework shaped eggs. Cool science lesson, not so cool for egg dying.

As soon as it comes to that rolling boil, cover it and turn off the heat. Grab an egg-timer (HA!) or just keep track. This process of doing nothing while the eggs cook takes about 12-13 minutes. Enjoy a cup of coffee.

When the time is up, add the eggs to cold (or even icy) water to stop the cooking process. And stop the greenification of the yolk. If you are going to peel right away, it's easiest to do so under cold running water. If you are dying, like us, remove them from their ice bath and toss it into the fridge until ready. I decided to boil these while little one was at school, the dying (and pictures) come tonight. Stay tuned!