How To Quickly Cool Boiled Eggs After Boiling So That They Clean Well

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

How to quickly cool boiled eggs and make them easy to peel

Boiling eggs is a complex, delicate process. To get the desired result, you need to take into account many different nuances. How do you boil the perfect egg that's easy to peel? And how to cool it down faster after cooking? Let's listen to the advice of the chef.

How to boil eggs so they are easy to clean

Kenji Lopez Alt is a renowned American chef and culinary author. He told how to boil eggs in order to achieve easy peeling of the shell.

It is believed that cooled boiled eggs are easier to clean - but this is not the case. In fact, the secret to easily peeled eggs is their temperature before being placed in water.

Ideally, the cook should remove the eggs from the refrigerator at least 15-30 minutes before cooking, so that they have time to warm to room temperature. But we understand that there is not always such an opportunity. So here's a trick - put cold eggs in already boiling water. What is the essence of this trick?

If we put an egg in cold water and then bring it to a boil, then the protein sticks tightly to the shell. Because of this, peeling is difficult, and eggs without shells usually do not look very nice. And it’s a pity to throw out half of the protein with the shell.

On the left you can see the peeled eggs, which were immediately placed in cold water, and on the right, those that were put to boil after boiling.

This approach also has a disadvantage - yolk displacement. An egg in boiling water immediately begins to flounder, and because of this, the yolk changes its position. If this moment is critical for you, then your choice is steaming. Buy a special grate for the pan and place it on the bottom. Pour about 2-4 cm of water into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Place the eggs on a wire rack and cook for 11 minutes.

Steamed eggs taste the same as regular boiled eggs

How to quickly cool eggs

We return to the question of cooling eggs. If ease of cleaning does not depend on rapid cooling, can eggs be cooled at all? And if so, how to do it correctly?

Cooling eggs after boiling is definitely possible and necessary. This does not harm the taste and health of the dish. And the popular method of pouring ice water over the eggs is the right one and perhaps the most convenient. But there is one nuance that will help cool the eggs even faster. Before placing them in cold water, you need to beat them against the countertop from all sides. Through the resulting cracks, water will penetrate under the shell and help the egg cool quickly.

Moreover, the water trapped under the shell will sort of separate the protein from the shell. This means that cleaning will be much easier.

After breaking the shells, place the eggs in a pot of cold water. It must completely cover them. Leave the dish to cool for 5-7 minutes. If you need cold eggs (for example, in a salad), soak them in cold water for 5 minutes, then refresh the water and set the timer again for 5 minutes.

As Kenji Lopez-Alt admits, there is no absolutely reliable way of boiling eggs, which always gives you a guaranteed perfect result. But by putting the tricks of the chefs into practice, you greatly increase your chances of getting a nice, round, smooth hard-boiled egg.