Introduction: Another Way to Get Eggs Ready for Egg Salad!

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About: Pretty much all of my interests focus on applying everything that I learn to create usable crafts... usable things... plus learning from others is quite high on my to-do list.

This one is part instructable, part suggestion, part (hopefully) catalyst for discussion.

As some one who has paid dues to the gods who insist in keeping alive the task of hard boiled egg peeling, a thought came to mind one morning while poaching eggs...

Wouldn't it be easier, cleaner and faster to hard poach eggs than to hard boil them for egg salads?  Some may argue that perhaps it takes as long to poach them than to boil them... I reply to that by pointing out that for poached eggs, you only have to crack the egg open; when you hard boil them, you have to peel them after they are cooked which depending on your technique, takes quite a while.

So here is a quick "how to hard poach eggs" for those who have not done it before.

Step 1: The Ingredients and Equipment

ingredients:

- 5 cups of water (note:  do not use hot water!  the water from the water heater stays stagnant in the tank until you use it.  go for the cold water!  that also applies for when you get water for pasta, rice, etc.   : )

- 5 eggs (free range all the way)

- 1/2 Tbls white vinegar

equipment:

- one medium size thick bottom pot

- a small bowl in which to crack open the eggs

- a strainer with long handle or a slatted spoon

- a plate or tray lined with waxed paper (you could also use a clean kitchen towel, a piece of cheese cloth, etc.  i recommend not to use paper towels because they some times stick to the eggs)

Step 2: Get the Water Ready!

- Once you pour the water into the pot, add the vinegar to the water and turn the heat up to medium high heat.

- While the water is coming to a slowly rolling boil, get ready to crack the eggs one at a time to add to the water.

Note:  Rinse the eggs shells to get rid of the left over bit of egg whites.  Then you can add them to your compost bin, or grind them in the food processor and sprinkle them all over your garden.  The eggs shells are mostly calcium and plants like tomato plants really like calcium-rich soil.

Step 3: Eggs in the Water

Time for the eggs to go in the water!

Note:  Some people swirl the water right before they add each egg into the water so the egg whites "wrap" around the yolk.

- Pour each egg one at a time into the water.  Wait until the whites start to turn well, white and with the strainer or slatted spoon move the whites over the yolks.  Keep on adding all of the eggs.  Cooking time is about 9 - 10 mins depending on how hot your stove gets, the altitude where you live and other variables.

Step 4: Eggs Out of the Water

- Check the eggs by well, touching them... take one out of the water that if it feels like a hard boiled egg (i.e., not soft), well, it is cooked!

- Take all of the eggs out of the water and place on the plate/train lined with waxed paper.

- Let them cool off and start the mashing madness!