It’s not exactly rocket science if you know how to boil an egg, however, there are select times for boiling an egg that gives each type its own distinct softness or hardness. Here are some thoughts that you might find interesting about how to use boiled eggs in everyday dishes.
It’s so rewarding to sit down in the morning and enjoy a nice and warm soft-boiled egg with some toasted bread strips. It’s more uncommon these days and might seem icky to most young folks these days, but the concept of the soft-boiled egg dates back to ancient Europe. It’s more of a tradition in Europe to eat a soft-boiled egg for breakfast than how Americans like to enjoy hard-boiled eggs.
In fact, the concept of the coddled egg is a form of soft-boiling which doesn’t completely cook the yolk. In some cases, a slow-cooked coddled egg yolk is used for Caesar salad and produces a rich and creamy dressing. It’s not used too much anymore because most people are worried that the heat hasn’t killed any salmonella within the egg. The truth is that any egg that reaches 136°F will kill off any bacteria inside.
It’s not until you reach 142°F that the liquids start to solidify starting with the egg whites and then the egg yolk after that. Still, the art of boiling an egg is a matter of taste, which is why I chose to bring up soft-boiled eggs to illustrate just an example of what perfection means to some people.
Hard-Boiled Eggs
Hard-boiled eggs make excellent appetizers such as deviled eggs, B.L.T. egg sliders, Scotch eggs, and even pickled eggs. No matter how you slice them, a good boiled egg always offers plenty of variety when served at a party or during holiday celebrations. Without the hard-boiled egg, you wouldn’t have egg salad, potato salad, chicken salad, Cobb salad, chef salad, and who could forget macaroni salad? Are you drooling yet?
Well, if that wasn’t enough, hard-boiled eggs often find a healthy home inside popular meals, and not just for breakfast. Did you forget that chicken pot pie, Scalloped potatoes with egg casserole, stuffed egg meatloaf, tuna casserole, Gala pork pie, minced meatballs with egg, and beef Morcon are even better with egg? That’s not all folks, since there is also a demand for hard-boiled eggs in pizza and baked goods.
You’ll find that Easter pate and pie are often called pizza Rustica. There is also pizza Carbona, Brazilian pizza (aka Portuguese pizza), and the Tsukimi pizza, which all have hard-boiled egg as toppings. Sorry, the Margherita pizza doesn’t count because this is a fried egg that is put on top as an option…
How To Boil A Hard-Boiled Egg
Not too many people know that you start to boil an egg with cold water and bring this up to a boil. Most people will insist that you simply drop your egg into boiling water to get a hard-boiled egg, but this is just asking for trouble. The temperature difference will certainly crack your eggs from the boiling water. Putting them into cool or room temperature water before boiling and then turning on the heat is a better way to go.
If you keep your eggs in the fridge, this allows the egg to adjust to the temperature at the same rate as your water does, and doesn’t shock the egg in return.
After this, you only need to set the timer to get the right amount of hardness. Hard-boiled eggs can take anywhere from 4 minutes for softer yolks, up to 10 minutes for crumbly egg yolks. The texture of a hard-boiled egg also counts for the chewiness of the egg white and how firm you like your egg to be.
We tested egg cookers a while back and were surprised at how well they preformed when it came to hard and medium boiled eggs. So if you’re looking for a more controlled method to yielding hard or medium boiled eggs, you may want to check out these cookers.
What Else Can You Use Hard-Boiled Eggs For?
It’s a little-known fact that hard-boiled eggs make a great ingredient in foods and dishes that you would never imagine egg to fit into. If you have lots of leftover eggs that you’ve boiled, here are some ideas where they can be added to select dishes and recipes. Even if you’re not wondering what to use all those Easter eggs for, sometimes there are days when adding a bit of boiled egg to these recipes might just be what the doctor ordered!
Egg And Veggie Croquettes
For the same reason, you will have just as much need to use up leftover veggies and mashed potatoes. You can make these wonderful croquettes using nothing but scraps that are not interesting by themselves but combined in the right order, they’ll make delicious croquettes for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
At first, this sounds like somebody lost their medication, but this combination into ordinary chocolate chip cookies actually tastes incredible. The secret is to put your hard-boiled eggs into a food processor so you get medium-fine mulch that’s added to your cookie dough. The result will give you a texture that is nice and soft while providing a chew that your kids will love!
Gelatin Salad
Gone are the days where that old Betty Crocker cookbook is good for more than a kitchen decoration on the shelf. Adding boiled egg to any vegetable, meat, or anything you can imagine can create awesome gelatin salad creations. If you want to use a food processor to puree your egg, meat, and veggie mixtures, the colors are certainly worth every slice when this is served at your table.
Deep-Fried Party Poppers
What kind of party night isn’t a lot of fun without adding cheese-filled poppers? Now you can add egg to these ingredients and make your poppers have a chewier texture with more flavor. The combinations are limitless and will compliment any kind of ingredients that you add. Just don’t forget to add a bit of boiled egg while preparing your popper stuffing. Thankfully, party poppers come in a variety of recipes that are easy to follow, but not all of them are adding a bit of hard-boiled egg…
