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Hard cooked eggs

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When you think about it, a hard cooked egg is just about the most convenient food in the world. It comes in its own single serving container, a container in which it not only can be stored for long periods, but cooked as well.

So why don’t we eat more of these delicious devices? Well  somewhere along the line someone decided that they’re bad for us ( a gross misstatement) and anytime we hear the word boil, associated with food, our expectations go down, as does the care we take in cooking it.

I like hard-cooked eggs a lot, so I have found methods for cooking both large and small numbers of them. Baking is great for large numbers and steaming/boiling  is the way to go with just a few eggs.

Baking:

Position the oven racks in the center of the oven, then place the eggs on the racks. Place a baking sheet pan in the bottom of the rack (just in case the egg cracks).Set the oven to 325 degree F and bake for 30 minutes. When the eggs are done, fill a large bowl with ice water and move the eggs into the bowl. Peel the eggs as soon as they’re cool enough to handle.

Steaming:

Pour one inch of water into a saucepan and place a metal steamer basket inside the pan. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, and then place the eggs in the steamer. Cover the pan and lower the heat to medium high. Cook the eggs for 12 minutes, then, using tongs remove them to a large bowl of ice water. Peel the eggs as soon as they are cool enough to handle.

Boiling:

Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with water. Add a pinch of salt. Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cover with a lid. Allow the eggs to sit for 11 minutes. Drain and cool the eggs for 2 minutes in ice water. Drain and peel the eggs.

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Peeling the eggs:

Take an egg from the bowl of cooling water and gently tap it against a counter or side of your sink. Rotate it as you go, with the intention of cracking much of the surface of the shell as possible. When you have cracked everywhere, take the egg and roll it gently between the palms of your hands. This helps to loosen the membrane just under the fragmented shell.

Now turn the egg until you find where the air space was (a gap between shell and white beneath).Submerge egg in cold water and start peeling from this spot. With practice you’ll be able to take the entire shell off in a long strip- just like peeling an orange.
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Hard cooked eggs with black pepper,salt and chaat masala