This cooking tip bears repeating. Don’t boil eggs, steam them.
My son Jimmie told me several months ago that if you steamed eggs, rather than boiling them for hard boiled eggs, the shells slipped right off. I accused him of using two-week old eggs, with shells that always come off easily. Nope. He said it made no difference. I tried it and it worked – once. Could have been luck. I tried it again and it worked again and I am now a firm believer in steaming eggs. You can even steam eggs as soft-boiled eggs, about 6 minutes and the eggs are nice and runny inside, hard on the outside and the shells simply fall off.
This is not only helpful when you’d like to do a batch of deviled eggs, which must look presentable, but for any use. It takes maybe 15 seconds totally to de-shell a steamed egg, saving time and the use of four-letter words when the eggs misbehave.
I start off a steamer pot with a little water in the bottom until it boils, then I drop my eggs in the steamer and then over the boiling water, cover and 14 minutes later, I lift them out, dump them into an ice wash and—voila. Perfect eggs with shells that literally fall off.
While I’m at it, here is my simple recipe for deviled eggs – for sandwiches or salads.
10 eggs will make a decent batch. Chop the hard-steamed eggs into smaller pieces (I like mine a little chunky) and add mayonnaise. I start with a couple spoons full and stir. You want a soft, creamy texture. Keep adding mayo till it looks and feels right. Now add about a tablespoon of mustard. Be careful not to overdo it. Next pour in the Kosher salt and black pepper and about a teaspoon of celery seed. It’s hard to over season. Usually the eggs are under-seasoned. Taste again to make sure everything fits, then put it in the fridge for an hour or so to set.
And all this is extremely easy when you steam the eggs.
Steamed Eggs Salad
10 steamed eggs (more or less)
About 3 T mayo, add more if needed
About 1 t mustard (go easy, you can always add a little more)
1 t celery seed
Lots of Kosher salt and coarse ground pepper