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The betty Crocker Cookbook on the left was a bridal shower gift in 1976. It is an excellent resource for many cooking, baking and food preparation techniques. Newer editions have been updated to include new trends. The America’s Test Kitchen cookbook, right, in the 2019 edition and contains all the recipes used on the PBS up to that point. It’s a little more difficult to find basic information, such as how to hard-cook eggs, because it’s mixed among the recipes that use hard-cooked eggs as an ingredient. Not to worry, because that’s what the index is for.
Despite the marketing hype about brown eggs, left, it doen’t matter what color egg you use. Brown eggs and white eggs are exactly the same inside. Any differences in nutrients has more to do with how the hen was raised, what feed she is given and other environmental factors.
The electric egg cooker is convenient, fast and easy to use. It fits on a countertop.
This electric cooker uses steam to make eggs in a soft-boiled, medium boiled or hard boiled style.
These eggs, steamed in the electric cooker, get a fast cool-down in the ice water bath.The cold makes peeling the shells easier.
The Instant Pot eggs peeled perfectly smooth, making them ideal for deviled eggs.
The whites can be seen leaking from cracks in the shells of these eggs, cooked with the Boiling Water Method. The eggs cracked even though they had been warmed first.
The Betty Crocker Cookbook had instructions for how to use the Boiling Water Method for hard-cooked eggs. The eggs cracked instantly, despite warming. The eggs are edible for potato salad or egg sandwich filling.
This microwave cooker is egg-shaped, with an interior metal lining and exterior plastic cover. Water goes in the bottom to the fill line. This cooker holds four eggs.
The lid blew off the microwave egg cooker three times in the cooking process, shattering one of the eggs.
One of the eggs cracked in the microwave cooker, where it looked like a little omelet.
This batch of hard-cooked eggs had vinegar added to the cooking water. Most of the eggs peeled well, but one egg lost a chunk off of the narrow end.
Salt was added to the cooking water for this batch of eggs. The orange timer in the pan changes color to indicate when the egg reaches the hard-cooked stage.
This egg, from the salt-water cooking batch, has a large piece missing when the egg was peeled.
Two of the four eggs exploded in this batch of four eggs cooked in the microwave. While two could be eaten whole, the “scrambled” eggs at left would be better choppd up as egg salad.
The betty Crocker Cookbook on the left was a bridal shower gift in 1976. It is an excellent resource for many cooking, baking and food preparation techniques. Newer editions have been updated to include new trends. The America’s Test Kitchen cookbook, right, in the 2019 edition and contains all the recipes used on the PBS up to that point. It’s a little more difficult to find basic information, such as how to hard-cook eggs, because it’s mixed among the recipes that use hard-cooked eggs as an ingredient. Not to worry, because that’s what the index is for.
Despite the marketing hype about brown eggs, left, it doen’t matter what color egg you use. Brown eggs and white eggs are exactly the same inside. Any differences in nutrients has more to do with how the hen was raised, what feed she is given and other environmental factors.
The electric egg cooker is convenient, fast and easy to use. It fits on a countertop.
This electric cooker uses steam to make eggs in a soft-boiled, medium boiled or hard boiled style.
These eggs, steamed in the electric cooker, get a fast cool-down in the ice water bath.The cold makes peeling the shells easier.
The Instant Pot eggs peeled perfectly smooth, making them ideal for deviled eggs.
The whites can be seen leaking from cracks in the shells of these eggs, cooked with the Boiling Water Method. The eggs cracked even though they had been warmed first.
The Betty Crocker Cookbook had instructions for how to use the Boiling Water Method for hard-cooked eggs. The eggs cracked instantly, despite warming. The eggs are edible for potato salad or egg sandwich filling.
This microwave cooker is egg-shaped, with an interior metal lining and exterior plastic cover. Water goes in the bottom to the fill line. This cooker holds four eggs.
The lid blew off the microwave egg cooker three times in the cooking process, shattering one of the eggs.
One of the eggs cracked in the microwave cooker, where it looked like a little omelet.
This batch of hard-cooked eggs had vinegar added to the cooking water. Most of the eggs peeled well, but one egg lost a chunk off of the narrow end.
Salt was added to the cooking water for this batch of eggs. The orange timer in the pan changes color to indicate when the egg reaches the hard-cooked stage.
This egg, from the salt-water cooking batch, has a large piece missing when the egg was peeled.
Two of the four eggs exploded in this batch of four eggs cooked in the microwave. While two could be eaten whole, the “scrambled” eggs at left would be better choppd up as egg salad.
Deviled eggs and potato salad are both summertime favorites at picnics and parties. Both contain hard-cooked eggs, but the devil is in the peeling of the shells.
A perfectly smooth, unblemished hard-boiled egg is the Holy Grail for deviled eggs. The frustration is in boiling two dozen eggs to get a dozen perfect ones to make them. The eggs that refused to give up their shells without pits and gouges end up in egg salad or potato salad.
Thanks to the internet, cooking shows and TV chefs, there are myriad ways to turn out a perfectly peeled hard-cooked egg, and many people swear by the method they use as fool-proof. Nothing is fool-proof but we tried out some of these methods to see what might help in the quest for the perfect hard-boiled egg. Methods are rated Deviled Eggs for the perfect egg, Potato Salad for eggs with a few imperfections; and Egg Salad for the ones that peeled in pieces.
Depending on the dish, boiled eggs can be cooked in one of three ways:
Soft-boiled: 3 minutes. Whites are set, yolks are runny and warm.
Medium boiled: 5-7 minutes. Whites are firm and yolks are soft in the center.
Hard boiled: 9-10 minutes for soft, bright yellow yolks; 11-12 minutes for harder, pale yellow centers.
Eggs are graded as Medium, Large, Extra Large and Jumbo, according to their size. Add 3 minutes to the cooking time for Extra Large or Jumbo eggs.
Pay attention when recipes stipulate eggs of a certain size, as too few or too many eggs may affect texture and dryness in the recipe. Some recipes require cracking eggs into a measuring cup to get the exact amount, instead of specifying the number of eggs to use
Despite the marketing hype that brown eggs are healthier and more nutritious, there’s no difference between brown eggs and white egg other than shell color. The egg’s nutrients are mostly determined by what feed the hen eats, her water supply, the quality of her care and her environment.
An ice water bath enhances peeling ability over cold tap water. Prepare a bowl of ice water: Put ¼ to ½ teaspoon of salt in the water and add ice cubes. (The salt lowers the water temperature. The same principle applies to freezing homemade ice cream). Carefully move the eggs to the ice water when the cooking time is up.
Moms in my mother’s generation often had large families, so they didn’t have time to mess with complicated gadgets for a simple, basic task like cooking eggs. My mom, Belva Getts Perlich, taught me to boil eggs this way:
Put eggs in a single layer on the bottom of a saucepan. Cover eggs with 1 inch of water. Heat quickly to boiling. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes for hard-cooked eggs. Meanwhile, prepare an ice water bath. Transfer eggs to ice water to stop cooking and leave until cold. Tap eggs on wide end and roll gently in hands to loosen shell. Peel eggs under running water with a colander underneath to catch the shells.
Notes: This method is simple to do and requires no special appliances. However, it may not deliver unblemished deviled-egg-worthy eggs every time if the eggs are really fresh. Peeling score this time: Deviled eggs.
I received a Betty Crocker cookbook as a bridal shower gift decades ago. The cookbook has lived up to its reputation as the encyclopedia for all things culinary, including measurement equivalents, how to set a proper table and how to plan meals for large groups. I’ve consulted this cookbook many times for the right way to make meats, vegetables, side dishes, desserts and how to make a decent pie crust.
Betty Crocker suggests two methods for the perfect hard-cooked egg, and we tried them both.
Cold Water Method: Place eggs in saucepan; add enough cold water to cover eggs at least 1 inch. Heat rapidly to boiling. Remove from heat; cover with lid and let stand 22-24 minutes. Immediately put eggs in cold water to prevent further cooking. Tap eggs to crack shells. Roll each egg between hands to loosen shell, then peel. Hold eggs under running water to ease off the shell.
Boiling Water Method: Place eggs in bowl of warm water to prevent shells from cracking. Fill saucepan with enough water to cover 1 inch above the eggs. Heat until boiling. With a spoon, transfer eggs from warm water to boiling water. Reduce heat to below simmering. Cook 20 minutes. Immediately cool eggs in cold water to prevent further cooking. Tap egg to crack shell. Roll egg between hands to loosen shells, then peel. Hold egg under running water to help remove the shell.
Notes: The cold water method worked best, with no cracked shells. The hot water method cracked one shell as soon as it hit the water. Cracked shells create interesting free-form art with the leaking whites, though. Mine looked like a big coffee bean. Peeling score: Egg Salad
Place eggs in single layer on trivet in pot. Add 1 cup of water. Close lid and turn valve to “seal.” Press “manual’ and set for 5 minutes. After timer goes off, allow the Instant Pot to release pressure naturally for 5 minutes. Place eggs into ice water bath until cool, then peel.
Notes: These eggs cooked quickly and peeled perfectly. Downsides were hauling the Instant Pot out of the cupboard and onto the counter, and waiting for it to pressurize and depressurize. Peeling score: Deviled eggs.
This egg cooker is an electrical appliance, convenient to use when only a few eggs are needed for green salads, potato salad or an egg salad sandwich. Plug it in, set the timer for whatever type of boiled egg you want, then wait. Move the eggs to the ice water bath, then peel.
Notes: The electric egg cooker is smaller and easier to use than the Instant Pot, but has about the same results. Peeling score: Deviled Eggs with some Potato Salad.
My microwave egg cooker is appropriately egg-shaped and holds four medium eggs. It’s useful when I need a small amount of chopped eggs for the top of a salad or for one egg salad serving. The cooker has three pieces, a metal tray with steam holes and four indentations to hold eggs, and the top and bottom, which have a metal layer inside of the plastic exterior. To use it, fill the bottom with water to the line, place the metal tray on it, and place one egg, wide end down, in each indentation. Cook 7 to 9 minutes in the microwave. Remove from microwave, carefully open hot lid and place eggs in ice water. Peel when cool.
Notes: This method takes a lot of guesswork because the microwave and the cook time are both unpredictable. I’ve used it many times with success, but this time the top lid blew off the eggs three times. Large eggs won’t fit into this cooker without the shells touching. If you have an egg piercer, it’s helpful to pierce the egg shell on the wide end where the air bubble is, but I’ve had mixed results. Peeling score: Egg Salad+.
My late mother-in-law, Doris Prentice, had a reputation for making the best-tasting deviled eggs of all time. She raised chickens and had an ample egg supply on hand, so she made deviled eggs for countless family events and church dinners. Everyone raved about how good they were. She taught me how to make them — and it’s ridiculously simple:
Cut hard-cooked eggs in half lengthwise, and put yolks into a bowl. Put the cooked whites on an egg plate. Mash the yolks with a fork, salt to taste, and mix in Miracle Whip salad dressing and a dab of prepared mustard until it’s the consistency you want. Mix well. Using a spoon, drop yolk filling into the cavity of the cooked whites.
That’s it. No measuring, no secret ingredients — just a great instinct for when the eggs tasted just right.
I remember my great-grandmother, Cora Alice (Reinoehl) Perkins, although it’s with the details of a 5-year-old. One of her legacies is the potato salad recipe that she handed down to my grandmother, then my mother, and eventually to me. Its cooked-from-scratch dressing is unique. Note the interesting measurements.
10 medium potatoes, cooked and diced
1 onion, finely chopped, if desired
¼ cup vinegar mixed with 1.4 cup water to equal ½ cup (You can use ½ cup of straight vinegar if your taste buds can take it)
Butter the size of a walnut (That’s real butter, not margarine)
½ cup sweet cream (whole milk, 2% or Half-and Half will also work, but cream is supreme for taste and richness.)
Mix all dressing ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour over potatoes and chopped eggs and mix well. Sprinkle potato salad with a pinch of celery seed, if desired.
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