HOW TO COOK THE PERFECT HARD-BOILED EGG FOR DEVILED EGGS

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HARD-BOILED EGG FOR DEVILED EGGS AND HOW TO COOK THEM SO THEY PEEL EASILY: TIPS FROM FOOD NETWORK, ALTON BROWN, JACQUES PEPIN AND MORE...

Easter is the unofficial kick-off of deviled egg season because after Easter come picnics, outings at the lake and all of those backyard BBQ’s where deviled eggs always make an appearance on the menu. Here’s my question… are all hard-boiled eggs created equal?  

I’ve seen lots of posts on social media in the past days discussing how to make a perfect hard-boiled egg. None of them are the same. Most are similar but they all have their own twist or timing.

I’ve been cooking hard-boiled eggs the same way for so many years and always thought my way was the only way. Today, I decided to do a hard-boiled egg study from some of the more prominent offerings on the Internet to see which hard-boiled egg is the best egg for those yummy deviled eggs we cannot wait to eat on Easter Sunday.

I compared hard-boiled egg cooking instructions from Julia Child, Alton Brown, Food Network, the Deen family, and the old school method of adding vinegar to the water to my own tried and true hard-boiled egg method. I also watched videos from Jacques Pepin and Food & Wine. The test was based on three criteria: texture of white, texture of yolk and ease of peeling. DISCLAIMER: This was not a blind taste test as I was the only person in the kitchen.

HERE'S WHAT I FOUND OUT: TIPS FOR COOKING THE PERFECT HARD-BOILED EGG

• Farm eggs are harder to peel after boiling. Save your farm eggs for baking or ice cream. Fresh eggs from the store have thinner membranes which do peel easier so hard-boil super fresh eggs.
• Do not cram too many eggs into a pot. You want to cover the eggs with one inch of water and leave room in the pot so you can stir the eggs around as they cook.
• Stirring the eggs occasionally during the cooking process helps yolks stay centered and the whites have two sides which are equally thick; better for stuffing and not lopsided.
• Use room temperature eggs and water or cold water and cold eggs. The result is about the same but eggs will crack more often if you add cold eggs to hot water.
• You can peel the eggs easier if you run them under cool water or put them in an ice bath for 2-3 minutes only. Alton suggests 5 minutes in the ice bath but those were slightly harder to peel. I prefer to quickly rinse in cool water just until you can handle them. Crack and put back in the water; peel quickly by popping the large end with the air pocket on the counter-it seems to make the peel come off in larger pieces.
• Some people suggest rolling the egg on the counter using the palm of your hand to crack the peel but I found all of those little pieces harder to peel. I used to do this but now prefer the "pop the air pocket" method.
• Adding salt, vinegar or baking soda in the water does not make the peeling process easier and when you boil the eggs with vinegar, the whole house stinks.
• The egg whites will become tough and rubbery if you cook more than the recommended time- you will not want to eat rubbery eggs ever again once you’ve had a properly cooked egg.
• The ucky green ring around the outside is truly caused by overcooking and no other reason. The longer you cook the egg, the darker that outer ring becomes. Watch the Jacques Pepin video- he talks about this.
• A soft or medium boiled egg yolk does not work as well for deviled eggs. The yolk was a little gummy when mixed with mayonnaise, etc. for the filling. However, the medium boiled egg (Alton Brown’s egg) was very delicious with just salt and pepper.

THE RESULTS

The Food Network method for hard-boiled eggs seemed to work the best because they peeled easier and had a better texture than the other versions but only slightly better than my own method. The instructions did not say how long to keep the egg in the ice bath so I left it in for 2 minutes. Follow the cooking instructions for the hard-boiled egg if you want to make deviled eggs. Here's the link...

My own cooking method worked just fine… tried and true. It was the runner-up to the Food Network method, but only because their method did peel slightly easier. Here's what I do:

Start with cold eggs; add cold water to the pot, covering eggs by one inch. Stirring the water occasionally, bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Boil on low for one minute. Remove from the heat and let the eggs stand for 14 minutes, stirring from time to time. Immediately rinse in cold water until the eggs are just cool enough to handle. Pop each one- the larger side where the air pocket is- on the counter and put back in the water, working quickly to peel the eggs while they are still warm. Here's my deviled egg recipe. You'll love it.

Alton Brown’s method for hard-boiled eggs resulted in a medium/slightly undercooked yolk which tasted good but were not great for making deviled eggs. I could not find a link online but here's what Alton said about hard-boiled eggs on Twitter...

THIS JUST IN: ALTON BROWN'S GONE CRAY-CRAY. His words, not mine. Just hours after I posted this comparison, my former mentor as upped the ante and posted a game-changer... he's now suggesting that baking the eggs in the oven is more reliable and easier than "the harsh enviornment of a pot of boiling water" - SO I had to test that for myself. I found the technique to be more difficult as I had two escapee eggs jump off the towel and onto my floor. However, the result is equally delicious as his boiled version above but again, a little underdone for my preference for hard-boiled eggs for stuffing. Maybe they should cook just a little longer. Here's his new video with the baked version:

The method described by Jamie Deenin his video had the worst result. They tasted fine but were harder to peel and egg white came away with the peel creating big “potholes” in the egg white; pretty unattractive for deviled eggs. So many people looked at the video today that they crashed the site. I'll add a link for you to see it later but basically Jamie said to bring the room temperature eggs to a boil in salted water. Remove from the heat and add a lid and wait 13 minutes. Put in an ice bath. Here's a link to Paula's site with their own test kitchen results. Read more... Paula's method is the same as Jamie's but she lets the eggs sit for 20 minutes which I found way too long and produced rubbery egg whites.

The Julia Child hard-boiled egg method took too long compared to the others and didn’t taste better so I scratched it from the test but I do love this video from her former assistant and one of my favorite chefs, the legendary Jacques Pepin. Notice he pricks the egg with a pin before boiling. I did not try that but will just as soon as I get some more eggs.

I did find something completely new when it comes to peeling a hard-boiled egg: using a teaspoon between the membrane skin and the egg as shown in this Food & Wine video from Justin Chapple from their test kitchen. I tried it and found it harder than just peeling it the classic way. Sorry, Justin. What is it with these quirky guys named Justin?

Tomorrow, I’m going to taste test deviled egg recipes from some of my favorite chefs and report back on the results. Stay tuned!

Cooking with the Kids: Martie and CCA Chefs Club Huntsville

I have the great honor of working with many different groups and one of my favorites is the CCA Chef's Club from Huntsville, Alabama. The group is comprised of junior high and high school students who have a love of cooking and may possibly want to seek a career in food one day. I've had the chance to hang out with the kids a number of times; we cooked together last holiday season and made my chocolate roulage recipe. Last year, some of them were able to come to Birmingham for a tour of the Southern Living campus, the legendary test kitchens and the studios where I film my videos for MyRecipes.com. 

 

I asked the group for a family traditions recipe and they selected this old school whip pie crust recipe to share. Filled with fresh blackberries or your favorite fruit filling, try it for yourself. Here are some photos of the kids with their own variations. The pie crust recipe calls for items I've never even heard of: a pie crust cloth and a rolling pin cover. I guess that just shows how old school it this recipe really is. If you do not have these items, just make the substitutions I've indicated.

CCA Chef TIP:  The use of a pastry cloth and rolling pin cover helps keep the pie crust from absorbing too much flour when rolling it out.  Too much flour and too much handling make a tough pie crust.

WATER WHIP PIE CRUST

(Recipe for 9” two-crust pie)

3/4 cup Crisco
1/4 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon milk
2 cups all-purpose flour (sifted once before measuring)
1 teaspoon salt

Put 3/4 cup Crisco in a mixing bowl.  Add 1/4 cup boiling water and 1 tablespoon milk; whip with a fork until water and milk are incorporated into the Crisco.  It should be smooth and thick like whipped cream.  Sift in 2 cups sifted all purpose flour and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir quickly, with round-the-bowl strokes, into a dough that “cleans” bowl.  Take up dough in hands and work gently into a smooth, blended round. Handle dough as little as possible.  Divide dough in half; roll each half separately. Place one half of the dough onto a lightly floured pastry cloth. (ok to use floured plastic wrap) Using a rolling pin with cover, (ok to simply flour the rolling pin) roll out the bottom pie crust.  Once dough has been rolled out, use the edge of your pastry cloth to carefully raise dough up and over the rolling pin.  This will make it easier to transfer rolled dough to the pie tin.  Fill the bottom crust with desired filling.  Roll out second half of dough and place on top of pie filling.  Trim dough ½ inch beyond pan, and flute edge.  Make several slits in top of pie crust for steam vents and sprinkle with sugar.  (Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon if making an apple pie.)  Baking temperatures and times depends on the filling you have placed inside.

Blackberry Pie frpm CCA Chefs Club HuntsvilleFresh Blackberry Pie Filling

3 cups fresh blackberries rinsed and drained

4 tablespoons All-Purpose flour

1 cup sugar plus more to sprinkle on top of crust

4-5 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon unsalted butter 

Place blackberries in bottom pie crust.  Layer the remaining ingredients.  Cover filling with top pie crust; seal and flute edge. Make several slits in top to allow the steam to escape. Sprinkle top with sugar.  Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes then reduce heat to 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.  Cool on cooling rack for 2 hours before serving.

Thanks to all of my sweet future chefs for providing us with the recipe and photos of all the fun! Hope to see you all again soon.

 

Super Party Recipe: Italian Rice Balls with Marinara Sauce

I have to tell the story of this recipe. My cast mate, Michele Ragussis from Food Network Star made this for us one night for dinner when we were working on the show... and then I got a chance to make it on the show a few days later. She gave me her blessing:) Mine's a bit different than hers AND hers has been perfected from her mom Phyllis' recipe... sooo good!!

These are the perfect party food. If  you just use ground beef they are inexpensive to make, you can easily double the recipe and you can even make them in advance and freeze them- just thaw and fry just before guests arrive. You will love these! Everyone raved about them during our Food Court Challange on the show. I even had a marriage proposal and one Italian guy said my marinara was better than his mother's! These are cheesy and delicious. Try them and let me know!

Italian Rice Balls (Arancini)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced small

5cloves garlic, minced

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground veal
1 cup Italian flat leaf parsley minced
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 ½ cups tomato sauce

2 cups grated Parmesan cheese grated

2 cups cooked and cooled Arborio rice (cooked until just done, not overcooked)

5 eggs

3 cups breadcrumbs with Italian seasoning

Canola oil for frying

3 tablespoons minced fresh basil

Marinara Sauce (see recipe below or use store-bought)

Special equipment: #10 (small-medium) ice cream scoop

Instructions:

Cook the rice according to package directions but you want the rice to be sticky so I cook a bit longer than I should and don't add butter or olive oil to the water. You don't want it to be mushy. Set aside.  

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté onions and garlic for 2 minutes until softened. Add meat and cook until browned, breaking up large pieces as it cooks. Strain off excess fat from the pan. Add parsley and cook 3 minutes. Add thyme, oregano, and pepper, and salt, cayenne, red pepper flakes. Taste and add more seasoning if needed.

Keep in mind that rice and cheese contain salt so be careful not to over salt the meat mixture. Let the meat mixture cool a bit. Add the tomato sauce. Combine rice with cheese but be careful not to mash the rice. Add the rice mixture to meat mixture and stir gently to combine. Check the seasoning. Add additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use ice cream scoop to shape the balls so they are a consistent size, then hand roll the balls as tightly as you can.

Pour enough canola oil into a deep skillet or Dutch oven to reach 5”. Heat oil over medium heat to 350-degrees.Use a thermometer to check the oil temperature.

Whisk eggs in a small baking dish. Place breadcrumbs in another baking dish. Roll rice balls lightly in the eggs then immediately roll in breadcrumbs to form a coating. Shake off the excess breadcrumbs. Place them on the baking sheet and refrigerate or freeze until you are ready to fry.

To fry:

Carefully drop rice balls into the hot oil a few at a time, taking care not to overcrowd and lower the oil temperature. Cook until golden brown, about 2-4 minutes per batch. Bring oil back up to 350-degrees before cooking each batch. Drain rice balls on paper towels before serving.

Serve with homemade or store-bought marinara for dipping. Garnish with the basil leaves.

Me and Justin frying it up on FNS 2012Marinara Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 large cans (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, including liquid

1 cup fresh basil leaves

½ cup fresh thyme leaves

½ cup fresh oregano leaves

2 teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

Heat olive oil in the bottom of a large pot. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes until translucent and softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Use some of the liquid from the tomatoes to deglaze the pan, and then add the remaining ingredients. Use an immersion blender to puree, taking care to leave the tomatoes slightly chunky. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can add everything to a blender or food processor)

Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to keep from burning on the bottom. Reduce heat to low and cook for 1 hour or longer so that the marinara thickens as some of the liquid cooks out. Check seasoning prior to serving. Add salt as necessary.

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Recipes from Friends: JoAnn's Key Lime Martini Recipe

Party thrower JoAnn Harrison's recipe for Key Lime Pie MartinisI love dessert cocktails... you get the sweet and the cocktail in a glass and don't have to double up on the calories! This holiday season, offer your guests a selection of dessert cocktails. A dessert drink bar is easy to set up. Provide lots of glasses, cocktail shakers, liqueurs and mix-ins and a recipe for 4-5 different dessert drinks so guests can make their own. This is a sure-fire hit!! This recipe for Key Lime Pie Martini was provided by our sweet friend JoAnn Harrison. Thank you JoAnn! These are my new favorite!

KEY LIME PIE MARTINI

Key Lime Pie Martini with optional whipped cream and crushed graham cracker toppingMakes 1 cocktail

3 tablespoons Licor 43 (vanilla liqueur)
1 tablespoon lemon or citrus flavored vodka
2 tablespoons key lime juice or 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons finely crushed cinnamon graham crackers (optional)

Whipped cream, lime zest, and/or lime wheels for garnish (optional)

Add all ingredients except garnish in a cocktail shaker. Add ice. Shake until frothy and well chilled. Pour into chilled, stemmed martini glasses which have been rimmed with finely crushed cinnamon graham crackers and a lime wheel. Or you can get really decadent and garnish with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and lime zest.

GET MORE DESSERT COCKTAIL RECIPES FROM MARTIE KNOWS PARTIES:

OATMEAL COOKIE MARTINI

PEPPERMINT BARK MARTINI

HOT APPLE PIE TODDY

AND LOTS MORE........

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More Shrimp Recipes: Shrimp Arnaud, New Orleans Style Shrimp, Beer Boiled Shrimp, Coconut Shrimp and more

We had some great shrimp recipes posted on our Facebook page for National Shrimp Day! Here are some of the favorites: Shrimp Arnaud, BBQ Shrimp New Orleans Style, Beer Boiled Shrimp, Coconut Shrimp, and my One Pot Shrimp Boil plus links to more of our delicious shrimp recipes! Do I sound like Forrest Gump again??? 

I like to use Wild Alabama Gulf Coast Shrimp when possible. Our shrimpers are back in the water and back in business... like Forrest said, folks still need them shrimps for their shrimp cocktails...:)

SHRIMP ARNAUD

(Submitted by Denise H from Birmingham, Alabama)

Ingredients

1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
4 tablespoons Creole or other spicy mustard
1 tablespoon finely chopped celery
3 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped

Directions
Boil shrimp for 1 to 2 minutes or until just done. Rinse in cold water and refrigerate for 1 hour. Mix olive oil, vinegar, paprika, salt, pepper, mustard, celery, onion and parsley and chill. "Enthrone" shrimp on lettuce and top with sauce.

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BBQ SHRIMP NEW ORLEANS STYLE

(Submitted by 30A on our Facebook page)

Ingredients
12 ea large gulf shrimp
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1 oz chopped garlic
½ oz chopped rosemary
¼ bottle Abita amber beer
2 oz Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrin's)
1 oz hot sauce (Crystal)
1/2 oz Steen’s cane syrup
1 tsp Creole seasoning
½ oz lemon juice
4 Tbsp whole butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Season the shrimp with Creole seasoning.
2. In a large sauté pan over high heat, sauté shrimp in cooking oil. Flip shrimp after 1 minute then add garlic and rosemary.
3. De-glaze pan with the beer and then add Worcestershire, Steen’s and hot sauce.
4. Cook shrimp for another 2 minutes then remove from heat and add lemon juice, and whole butter.
Serve shrimp over grits.

STONE GROUND GRITS

Ingredients

1 cup yellow stone-ground grits ( I like the McEwen & Sons grits if you can find them!)
3 cup milk
½ cup cream
4 oz butter
Salt and white pepper to taste

Directions
1. In a sauce pot, bring milk to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and add grits.
2. Continue cooking for about 25 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Add cream and butter and season to taste with salt and white pepper.

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BEER BOILED SHRIMP

(suggested by Pamela T from our Facebook page)

Ingredients

5 pounds large shrimp, heads off

2 cans or bottles of beers (any kind)

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning

2 lemons, cut into slices

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

In a large saucepan, combine all of the ingredients except the shrimp. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in shrimp. Cover. Boil 3 minutes and remove from the heat. Allow to steam 5-6 more minutes. The shrimp should be bright pink in color. Serve immediately with lemons, some spicy cocktail sauce, and saltine crackers. Or you can chill and serve cold.

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COCONUT SHRIMP

(Inspired by our new friend Sharon Y on our Facebook page)

Canola oil or peanut oil for frying

12-16 large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined with the tail on

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

Dash of cayenne pepper

1/2 lime, juiced: about 2 tablespoons

2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

3/4 cup beer

1 package (7 ounces) sweetened, shredded coconut

1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs (in the Asian aisle in some stores or by the regular breadcrumbs)

Dipping Sauce

1 cup orange marmalade

dash of your favorite hot sauce or cayenne pepper

Directions

Prepare a sheet pan that will fit in the fridge with some parchment paper or wax paper. Sit aside.

Butterfly the shrimp by splitting them in half- taking care not to cut all the way through.

Make a marinade of the coconut milk, lime juice, and cilantro. Add the shrimp. Cover and let them sit for at least 30 minutes.

In a bowl, add the flour and season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the beer to make a batter.

Combine the coconut and the Panko breadcrumbs on a shallow pan or bowl.

Drain shrimp but do not pat them dry. Dredge the shrimp in the batter, then roll in the coconut and breadcrumb mixture, pressing it into the shrimp. Place on the prepared pan and put into the freezer for at least 15 minutes. Pan fry or deep fry. Drain on paper toweling. 

Serve with a sauce of warmed orange marmalade spiked with a dash of hot sauce.

Want more shrimp recipes?

Martie's One Pot Shrimp Boil

Pickled Citrus Shrimp

Chili Lime and Garlic Grilled Shrimp

Charlotte's Shrimp Etouffee

Jody's Super Easy BBQ Shrimp

Bobby Flay's Coconut Thai Shrimp

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