Hard Cooked Eggs without Water
Why cook soft or hard-cooked eggs without water in a high-quality stainless-steel pan? A chicken egg can absorb water through the shell, and with it, chemicals in tap-water (chlorine, ammonia, chloramines), and from pans contaminated by chemicals and metals (coated pans, aluminum pans, cast iron pans).
Preparing Hard-Cooked Eggs the waterless way is a healthy alternative and your hard-cooked eggs will look and taste so much better.
What you will need is a waterless cooking pan with cover, preferably with a vented lid.
INGREDIENTS and EQUIPMENT:
- 6 eggs 1 Qt. Saucepan with Vented Lid
- 12 eggs 1.7 Qt. Sauté Saucepan with Vented Lid
- 18 eggs 11-inch Sauté Skillet with Vented Lid
- 24 eggs 13-inch Electric Skillet with Vented Lid
- 1 teaspoon of Filtered or Purified Water per egg
PREPARATION TIME: 30-40 minutes for 6 to 24 eggs
Place uncooked eggs in the pan. Add about 1 teaspoon filtered or purified water per egg, enough to just cover the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan, open the Ultra-Temp Control and Whistle Vent, and begin cooking over medium heat 275°F, when steam begins to escape from the vent and/or the WHISTLE SOUNDS close the vent, reduce the heat to Medium-Low 200°F and cook for 20 minutes.
To cool the hard-cooked eggs before peeling or storing. Turn the heat off and allow to cool slightly. Remove the cover and fill the pan with filtered ice. Let the hard-cooked eggs sit in the icy water for 15 to 20 minutes. Peel and enjoy.
- Easy to Peel. By putting a warm egg into icy water, as the egg cools it will contract and draw moisture through the porous outer shell making it easier to peel, another reason to use purified water when preparing hard-cooked eggs.
- Cookware and Range Types. In 5-Ply cookware you will want to place a paper towel in the bottom of the pan as a heat diffuser to prevent eggs from scorching. In 7-Ply and 9-Ply cookware you do not need a paper towel.
- Timing: The time it takes to cook a hard-cooked egg depends on the pan and the stove. Electric burners take the longest to reach temperature (4 to 6 minutes), gas second fastest (3 to 4 minutes) and induction the fastest (1 to 3 minutes). In all cases, when the steam escapes and/or the whistle sounds it is time to lower the heat.
- Storage. The best way to store hard-cooked eggs is in a covered container in the refrigerator. If the eggs have already been peeled, place in the container and cover with a damp paper towel.
- Green or Gray Yolk Many believe that hard-boiled eggs develop a green or gray outer yolk from boiling too long at too high a temperature. To an extent that is true. However, hard-boiling eggs in aluminum pans, coated pans, and chemically treated tap water is a contributing factor.
More on Egg Safety
Although an Eggshell appears to be solid, it is composed of as many as 8,000 microscopic pores made of tiny calcium carbonate crystals that allow for the transfer of moisture, gases, and bacteria (e.g., Salmonella) between the inner and outer eggshell.
Unfortunately, the US Government is the only country in the world that requires the washing of commercially produced eggs and has spent vast resources in developing methods on "how to wash fresh eggs". In Europe governments legally restrict washing commercially produced eggs. In Ireland, for example, only unwashed eggs can achieve Grade A or AA. Washed eggs, under Ireland’s Food Safety regulations, receive a B grading and the government forbids retail sales.
Europeans keep their eggs out on the counter, not in the refrigerator.