Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Hard-cooked eggs using a silicone veggie steamer



Thanks to a recommendation by Connie Lea in the Gadget Forum of Food.com, on hard-cooking eggs with a steamer, using the Steamed Eggs (Kai Meung)  recipe posted by Peter J, I think I've found the best way to cook and peel them without over-cooking or tearing the whites into a million bits.

I've tried so many tips and techniques over the years, but this is the recipe that's impressed me the most.  Often I find that even though peeling is easier, a little over-cooking usually happens.  Most recently I tried Hard Cooked Eggs in the Oven (Baked Eggs), and although results were nearly perfect, there are still some adjustments to be made to avoid over-cooking, which adds a grayish tinge around the outer edges of the yolks.

A few years ago I received a silicone vegetable steamer as a gift, but I've never really made use of it.  Well, except it does make a nice buffer between my deep-dish glass pie plates.  :D


I would have tested this recipe using an electric steamer/rice cooker, but that broke long ago and hasn't been replaced yet.  So, I pulled out the silicone steamer and decided to give it a test run.  It's basically the same idea as the metal steamer basket I grew up seeing in my mom's kitchen, except it's safe to use in a non-stick pan. 


I added approximately a cup of water to the pan, although I didn't measure it.  I just made sure that the water was high enough to boil, but low enough to avoid touching the basket.  Turn the burner on high, put a lid on it, and bring the water to a boil.  It took just minutes to bring this small amount of water to a boil.  Definitely a plus when making hard-cooked eggs in a hurry!  ;)


Put your room temperature eggs in the basket and replace the lid.

Steam the eggs for 12 minutes.  When the timer rang I moved the pan off the heat and removed the lid.  Allow the eggs to cool for 15 minutes.  Run under cold water, crack and peel.
I loved that the yolks were nicely centered and there is absolutely no sign of overcooking.  The eggs had a little creamier texture than the baked ones, and not at all rubbery like boiled eggs always are.


Besides deviled eggs, which always have to have bacon in them at my house, and traditional egg salad sandwiches, my family really enjoys this recipe for Tuna Egg Salad posted by BreLeigh


And one of my favorite Taste of Home breakfast recipes for Bacon 'N' Egg Lasagna (photo courtesy of Lori Mama)

What's your favorite method for hard-cooking eggs, and your favorite ways to use them?

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