Introduction: Making Hard Boiled Eggs With FRESH Eggs

About: I love cooking and crafting, sometimes both at the same time... and that is when things get interesting (and messy)

When you buy eggs from a supermarket there is a pretty good chance your eggs have been in that carton for almost a month.  Commercial egg farmers have 30 days once their eggs are packed in a carton to sell them.  If the carton is labeled with a "use by" date that date is 45 days from the when the eggs were packaged. Assuming the eggs were packaged the day they were laid, that is still an egg that has been sitting for a while. The longer the eggs sit the more the membrane beneath the shell separates from the shell, making peeling easier.  The trade off is the longer the eggs sit the less centered the yolk will be because the whites become less dense (also the longer eggs sit the less nutrition they provide). 

Now you want to make a beautiful platter of deviled eggs with nice neat whites and centered yolks... what to do?

It's as easy as stopping by the local farm market and buying some fresh free range eggs from a local farmer and following these steps to perfectly boiling your fresh eggs. (or go one step further and put some happy hens in your backyard, but that is an instructable for another day)

Step 1: What You Need

Fresh Eggs
Pot with enough water to cover the eggs
Slotted spoon
Timer
Colander
Bowl of ice water

Step 2: Boil Water

Yes, that's right, we are boiling the water first... then adding the eggs, backwards, not anymore, this is the new way to hard boil eggs!

Step 3: Add Eggs

Now gently... very gently... lower the eggs one at a time into the boiling water using the slotted spoon.

If you didn't have enough water to cover the eggs just add some hot water from the tap and wait until boiling resumed to start timer.

Now set your timer for 15 minutes.

Boil the eggs for 15 minutes regardless of size, small, medium, jumbo, doesn't matter. (some local eggs come in mixed dozens, medium-jumbo)

While waiting toss some ice cubes in a bowl by the sink and put your colander in the sink (this maybe a good time to find your sink by washing some dishes)

Step 4: Drain and Ice

When the timer goes off turn off the heat, grab your mits and drain your eggs in the colander, then just dump the eggs into the bowl of ice and top off with cold water.

If you are concerned about cracking shells just lift the eggs individually with the slotted spoon and delicately set in the ice bath.

Now just let the eggs cool, if some of the eggs are above the surface just give it a stir so they all get a chance to chill out.

Step 5: Peel

When you are ready to peel, just tap the egg on the counter and peel off the shell.  It's really easy, the eggs just about fall out of of the shells.  I just put the peeled eggs right back in the colander to rinse off any shell bits that may get left behind.

Look at that nice neat bowl of naked eggs and the shells, almost whole, I actually have to crush them before adding to the compost pile.

Step 6: Enjoy!

Now enjoy your fresh boiled eggs, make the prettiest, tastiest, healthiest deviled egg platter ever devoured!

Now go over to here to get the best deviled egg recipe!  Thanks JavaLady tasty!

I'll thank the chickens for making such great eggs... with cake!