The Basics Series: Introduction/How to Hard Boil an Egg

This is my first post on what I'm calling "The Basics Series." I am going to post step by step instructions on how to make "The Basics." The Basics are the recipes or kitchen skills that every woman and man (yes, men need to know how to make basic recipes and learn basic kitchen skills, if not for themselves, for their significant others, roommates or children.) This series is for those of you who are just out of high school or college that are on their own for the first time, those of you that are maybe newly single and never had to cook in their adult life or for those seasoned cooks that just need a refresher.

Each recipe/instructions will be put into three groups. The "novice" category will be for your newbies. It will include instructions like how to hard boil an egg (below), cut a pineapple and mince an onion. The "intermediate" category will be for those of you that have cooked before, but not very often. This category will include recipes for roasted chicken, tomato sauce and omelets. The "expert" category will be for those of you that cook on a regular basis, but have yet to make some of the harder basic recipes and want to try them. This category will include recipes for pie crust, mayonnaise and bread. I will also have a "Troubleshooting" paragraph at the end of each post that will discuss possible problems you may have with each recipe/instruction and how to fix it.

I will gradually throw in these recipes/instructions in between posting my regular recipes. I will list them separately, however, in the "Food" page for easy access. As always, contact me with any questions.

HOW TO HARD BOIL AN EGG

Put your eggs in a sauce pan.

Fill with water until it just covers the eggs.

Put the pot on stove and cook over high heat.

Bring the pot to a rolling or hard boil.

Turn the heat off and cover. Set the timer for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes take the eggs out of the pan with a slotted spoon.

Put in a colander and rinse with cold water.

Place eggs in a bowl to cool.

Tap egg on the counter until it is cracks all around.

Peel egg.

And there you go! Perfect hard boiled eggs.

Troubleshooting

Eggs don't seem cooked all the way through. This one is simple. If it looks like the eggs are a little raw in the middle it simply means you didn't cook it long enough. They will taste just fine, the texture might just be a little off. Next time simply cook a few minutes longer.

Eggs did not peel easily. This is a problem for those of us who raise chickens. Fresh eggs do not peel well. A solution to this is to add 1 tsp of baking soda to the water. Boil water for 12 minutes. Allow to cool. Peel.

Egg yolks are grayish. Answer is simple, you cooked it too long. It will taste just fine, this problem is purely cosmetic.