As Easter approaches I would like to share 7 tips on how to successfully cook your hard eggs so they are ready to be colored, decorated, hunted or eaten after your Easter egg hunt. As your are purchasing and prepping your eggs for cooking keep in mind fresh egg’s shelf life in the refrigerator is about four to five weeks beyond the date it was packed. As the egg ages, moisture evaporates and the egg sac becomes smaller, leaving more air inside the shell. That’s why eggs that are “not too fresh” are easier to peel.  Prior to cooking refrigerating eggs with the large end up will center the yoke. When cooked the yoke will be centered and make a better presentation when sliced or halved for devil eggs. Finally, cooking eggs in a single layer in a wide pan or in batches will ensure all the eggs are cooked evenly.

7 Tips To Properly Cook A Hard Boiled Egg

  1. To make sure all the eggs cook evenly, cook them in a single layer in a wide pan or in batches.
  2. Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Cover and let stand. It takes about 15 minutes to hard cook Large eggs by this method. Let Medium eggs stand about 3 minutes less, large eggs stand about 6 minutes, and Jumbo eggs stand about 9 minutes.
  3. Never boil eggs. They’ll be tough and rubbery with a greenish ring around the yolk.
  4. Adding little food coloring in the water will help distinguish hard-cooked eggs from fresh eggs.
  5. Plunge hard-cooked eggs into cold water while they’re hot. This will stop the cook­ing process and prevent a greenish ring from forming around the egg yolks, and it will make the eggs easier to peel.
  6. Refrigerate and use un-cracked hard-cooked eggs within a week. Leave them in their shells—the shells are nature’s own protective packaging.
  7. For easy peeling, crack the shell all over by tapping it gently on the table or countertop. Then roll it back and forth between your hands to loosen the cracked shell. Since the egg’s air cell is usually in the large end of the egg, start to peel there. It may help to hold the egg under cold running water or dip it in a bowl of water.

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As Easter approaches learn 7 tips to successfully cook your hard boiled eggs so they are ready to be colored, decorated, hunted or eaten after your Easter egg hunt!