As a kid, I had a love-hate relationship with eggs. I loved deviled eggs. And egg salad. I hated fried eggs. But not always. I can distinctly remember a time in my early childhood when I would happily eat eggs with my pancakes and even dip the syrup-soaked bites into the runny yolk just like my mom did. And I ate poached eggs on toast with my dad regularly. Then at some point around age eight, I decided I didn’t like eggs. Or rather, I only liked the stinky eggs as my ex-husband called them (he hated the stinky eggs and I hated the non-stinky eggs. It made breakfasts difficult). I suppose whether or not it was coincidence that my dislike for fried eggs manifested itself around the time my mom remarried is something for a therapist to figure out.
Anyway, one day in my late twenties I decided to give eggs another try. I started out always eating it with something more powerful in flavor. But you know what? It didn’t take long for me to get over the hate. And I love them now. I’m in my thirties, living alone with two cats, and I love eggs (Ok, my situation is not as bleak as that last sentence sounded. I have more love in my life than just eggs. I’m lucky to have found a wonderful man who loves when I cook eggs for him). Who knew I’d come around so whole-heartedly? Now, I sometimes find ways to add eggs to a meal just because (even ramen… well, especially ramen. I love to add veggies like bok choy and then poach an egg in the broth while the noodles are cooking).
Even though I always liked hard boiled eggs and dishes made from them, it took me years to learn to properly cook a hard-boiled eggs. Not for lack of trying, it was just lack of patience or brain cells. I would always forget how long the eggs needed to cook or forget to set a timer and walk away and then forget about the eggs on the stove. So I overcooked a lot of eggs to the point that the yolks were dry. But now, thanks to the “spinach salad” episode of Good Eats, I know how to cook a hard-boiled egg… reliably. And best of all, you cannot over-boil it to the point of all of the water evaporating from the pot and the egg exploding. I hear that can be very messy. Don’t try it.
Hard-boiled eggs:
I don’t mean to insult anyone’s intelligence by writing out the steps on how to boil an egg, but I’m happy to have a method that works that I can remember and so I wanted to share it (just in case there is anyone as clueless as I am out there. Unlikely, but a girl can dream).
1. Place eggs in a pot. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the eggs.
2. When the water begins to boil, cover the pot and remove it from the heat. Let eggs sit in the hot water for 12 minutes.
3. Immerse eggs in cold water.
4. Peel and eat (don’t forget the salt!)
Tagged as: Alton Brown, eggs, hard boiled eggs, love-hate eggs
