Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg = Perfect Egg Salad!


If you know how to make "The Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg" then you can make "Perfect Egg Salad"!  Some of my kids favorite sandwiches are: tuna salad, egg salad, and roasted chicken.  I use Spring Mill Bread Company bread for the perfect sandwich.
Now, about the hard-boiled egg....The thing about cooking eggs is that it is super easy but still, you don't want to overcook them.  Overcooked eggs are tough and rubbery. Yuk!  The key is to boil on a low boil and remove cooked eggs to ice water or at least very cold water ...this prevents the eggs from continuing to cook.  Hence, avoiding the overcooked, tough, rubbery egg.
IMPORTANT NOTE:  Someone noticed that I always use brown eggs and wanted to know why.  They are a dollar (or more) cheaper than white eggs!  Brown eggs taste the same as white but are less popular so they are always cheaper. 

The Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg
Place eggs (any amount) in a saucepan or pot and cover with cold water.  Place pot over med-high heat, cover, and bring to a low boil.  The second the boiling starts, turn heat OFF and allow to sit for 12 minutes.  Immediately remove eggs to ice bath (bowl of water with some ice cubes) or rinse eggs under cold water --the purpose is to stop the cooking.  For easy peeling of eggs --crack egg on counter or side of sink several times.  Peel under running water and allow the water to run underneath the shell and aid your shell removal.  Works like a charm every time.

Perfect Egg Salad
Hard-Boiled Eggs
Mayonnaise

freshly ground pepper
kosher salt

Slice eggs in half and put into a bowl. Use a fork to break egg into pieces --press fork into egg halves until you have small and big pieces.  Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste (I use about a teaspoon of mayo per egg). Add any type of seasoning to jazz it up:  fresh herbs (dill and tarragon are great!), paprika, capers, etc.