Eggstraordinary Eggs!
Eggs are one of nature’s perfect foods.
When you eat eggs (especially from grass-fed, free-ranging chickens), you are getting a powerhouse of macro and micronutrients in a convenient little package!
Eggs are an eggcellent (sorry…I had to do it!) source of protein, vitamin D, choline, B 12, selenium, phosphorus, and leucine. In addition, eggs from pasture-raised chickens contain good levels of Omega 3 fats, which are the type sorely lacking in the standard American diet.
There are many great ways to eat eggs: scrambled, fried, poached…but my personal favorite is hard boiling them. This makes eggs a super-portable, healthy and convenient on-the-go breakfast or snack!
But how do you cook them just right? That depends a lot on how you like your eggs of course! I get a lot of comments on my egg pictures because I have figured out the “secret” formula for perfect soft cooked hard boiled eggs. Bonus: whether you like a hard cooked or soft cooked egg, this method also helps them peel easily!
Step 1: Add water to a pot and bring to a rolling boil.
Step 2: AFTER water is boiling, gently add eggs (use a spoon for this or the eggs will tend to crack when you drop them). There should be enough water in the pot to cover the eggs.
Step 3: Once all the eggs are in the boiling water, set a timer or stopwatch for 8 minutes.
Step 4: This is the most critical step…as soon as the timer rings, dump as much of the hot water out of the pot as you can, and start running cold water over the eggs. I usually do this for about 3 minutes or until the pot is cold.
Step 5: Cover the eggs with cold water and then add lots of ice. The idea is to get the eggs cooled as quickly as possible!
Step 6: That's it! Store eggs in the refrigerator for up to a week.
This “recipe” will give you the perfect soft boiled egg (the yolk center will be thick, but not runny or hard) that is easy to peel. If you prefer the yolk centers cooked all the way through, simply add about 2 minutes to the timer when you boil them.
Eggceptional! (Sorry.)
Special note on cholesterol: In case you haven’t heard, cholesterol is no longer a “nutrient of concern” in our diet! Current research has NOT found a link between dietary cholesterol and heart disease. In fact, sugar and carbohydrates are much more clearly linked to lifestyle diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Check out the following two articles for more information about why they changed the recommendation. Eggs are back on the “good list”!
New US Guidelines Lift Limits on Dietary Cholesterol by Dr. Mercola: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/03/02/us-guidelines-dietary-cholesterol-limits.aspx
The Diet Heart Myth by Chris Kresser: https://chriskresser.com/the-diet-heart-myth-cholesterol-and-saturated-fat-are-not-the-enemy/