Midwest Mary

Hyacinths, apple blossoms, chocolate bunnies, and hard-boiled eggs. It’s that time of year again.

Making a perfect hardboiled egg – the yolk is bright yellow, not gooey, and without a green/grey edge – is hit or miss for me lately. I’m a good cook, and I cook all the time but needed a review as to how to get those eggs right.

I went back to my trusted and true, battered and stained, old Betty Crocker Cookbook from the 1970s. There were two options for “Hard-Cooked Eggs,” – the Cold Water Method and the Boiling Water Method.

Cold Water Method: Place eggs in saucepan; add enough cold water to come at least one inch above eggs. Heat rapidly to boiling. Remove from heat; cover. Let stand 22-24 minutes. Immediately cool eggs in cold water.

Boiling Water Method: Place eggs in a bowl of warm water and then transfer them into a saucepan of boiling water. Reduce the heat to below simmering and cook for 20 minutes. Immediately cool eggs in cold water.

I tried the Cold Water Method and the eggs were perfect with bright yellow yolks and tender whites. If you are planning on making eggs to color this coming week, you might try this method too. There’s a reason why we still trust Betty Crocker.

©Mary K. Doyle