How to Perfectly Cook a Hard Boiled Egg

In honor of Julia Child, The Julie/Julia Project, and Paris, I shall share with you the method for making a Perfect Hard Boiled Egg. It is quite simple really...

Put some eggs in a pot. You can use old eggs - after they are cooked they are easier to peel. Cover with water that the is same temperature as the eggs. Now, there is no need to bust out your thermometer - let common sense prevail. If the eggs are cold from the fridge, use cold water. If the eggs are room temp, use room temp water. The idea is that as the water temperature raises, the eggs temperature raises at the same rate, ensuring even cooking.

Enough with the science. Put the pot of water and eggs on the stove. Bring JUST to a boil. Cover and immediately remove from the all heat. If that means taking the pot off the stove, by all means, do that. Leave covered and off the heat for exactly 15 minutes.

In a separate bowl, or perhaps the sink, prepare an ice bath. As soon as 15 minutes are up, drain the eggs and plunge into ice water. Leave them there until the ice has melted and the eggs feel cold. Bravo! You have stopped the cooking and have perfect hard boiled eggs!

Now your hard boiled eggs are ready for any number of preparations! One of my favorites is Deviled Eggs. Here is my recipe. Sorry there are no measurements - I always add to taste.

Hard Boiled Eggs
Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
Dijon mustard
Tabasco
Cayenne Pepper
Chives - minced
Salt
Mayonnaise

1) Cut the eggs in half; carefully separate the yolk from the white. Put the white aside on a plate & put the yolks in a bowl.
2) Mash the yolks with a fork to break up; add lemon juice, Dijon, Tabasco, cayenne, chives, & salt. I would start with the juice of 1/4 of a lemon per 3 eggs and increase from there if needed.
3) Taste - what else do you need? More tang - add lemon. More heat - add Tabasco. Too much tang or heat - add mayonnaise (starting with a teaspoon per 3 eggs). If you have mashed and mashed and mashed and the consistency is still not smooth, add a little mayo.
4) When you've got the taste to your liking, fill the egg white halves with the mixture. Feel free to heap it on top of the egg.

As Julie/Julia would say, Bon Appetit!