I opened the refrigerator door over the weekend, closed it again, and went to the phone. I called our neighbor and told her that it was time for her to start saving her empty egg cartons. Ever since we adopted 3 new hens recently, we have been getting fresh eggs faster than we can use them.
I love hard boiled eggs, but I hate to peel them. In fact, I might actually have an egg-peeling disfunction. I end up creating craters and losing up to 1/3 of my egg when all is said and done. Terry Golson left me a comment telling me about her favorite way to hard cook eggs. To steam them. This rocked my world.
So, I tried it. That very same day. And it was amazing. The eggs were perfect, with no green ring around the yolk. And the best part? The peels came off easily. With not pits and holes left in the egg, even though I used fresh eggs, which are notoriously more difficult to peel.
Why Steamed Eggs are Easier to Peel?
Egg shells are permeable, which means that they are porous. Water molecules in the steam form are tiny enough to penetrate the shell. While they don’t disrupt the membrane, the heat from the steam is adequate enough to cook the egg inside. I have some super smart science-friends – maybe they will chime in and give a better explanation. One can hope, at least. Print This!
Hard Cooked Eggs – Steaming Method by Michelle Stern
You’ll need:
- 1.5 quarts of water
- 1 dozen eggs
- 1 steamer basket, ideally one that nests into the top portion of a pot
- Put the eggs into the steamer tray.
- Fill the pot with 1.5 quarts of water (if your steamer tray nests into the top portion of your pot). If you are using a small tray that sits on the bottom of your pan, you may not be able to use enough water to steam the eggs for the desired length of time.
- Set the steamer into the pot and turn on the heat. Cover the pan.
- Bring the water to a boil, and then turn down the heat to a simmer for 20 minutes.
- Allow the eggs to cool enough for you to handle – you can peel them immediately or whenever you are ready to eat them.
- Store them in the refrigerator.
