I'm really starting to miss eating out every night. Sigh.

So I've never cooked an egg before in any way, but I wanted to make egg salad for dinner instead of meat tonight.

Followed the instructions to a tee but when I tried to peel them they were runny and squishy. Here are the instructions, where did I go wrong? I have 2 eggs I haven't attempted to peel - are they just garbage or can I save them?

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Here’s how easy it is to hard-cook eggs:

1.Choose eggs that have been in your refrigerator for about a week. They will be easier to peel than fresh eggs but will still have the same great taste and nutrient value.

2.Place cold eggs in a single layer in a saucepan. Fill the saucepan so the eggs are covered with at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) of cold water.

3.Bring water to a boil over high heat (with lid on or off, as you wish). When the water reaches a boil, immediately cover the saucepan and remove it from the heat to stop the water from boiling.

4.Let eggs stand in the water, covered, for 18 to 23 minutes (the eggs cook while standing in the boiled water). A large egg will take 18 to 20 minutes. Be sure to set a timer.

5.When the time is up, immediately drain off the water and run cold water over the eggs until they are cool to the touch.

http://www.getcracking.ca/perfect-hc.html

Here's how I make hard boiled eggs

1. Fill a pot with cold water and gently place the eggs in the po
2. Turn on burner to high
3. Boil the crap out of them (I usually turn it off when they start to crack)
4. Drain the pot and refill with cold water. Once cool, peel them.

I just found these instructions too - the other ones made no mention of the 15 minute cool time - I tried to peel them straight away - I wonder if that made a difference? If so, I could probably try the other 2 now. That's why I made 4 - I had a feeling this wasn't going to go well.

Preparation:

1.Place eggs in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cover them with cold water. Make sure the tops of the eggs are covered by at least an inch of water. How much water will depend on the size of the pot, but in general, a bigger pot is better. Crowding the eggs risks cracking them.


2.Bring the water to a full boil, uncovered, then remove the pot from the heat and cover it. Let the pot stand untouched for 17 minutes.


3.Remove the boiled eggs from the water and transfer them to a bowl of cold water for 15 minutes. Then either peel and serve or refrigerate.

I have never heard of those instructions, I put cold eggs in saucepan , covered with water. put them on stove and when they come to a boil turn heat down a little, but keep it boiling. boil about 20 minutes, take off stove and run cold water over them, this keeps them from having a dark ring about them. I let the cold water run quite awhile until egg is cold to touch. I hit the boiled egg on the edge of the sink to break the shell and start peeling.

^^ I do this, but I let them boil for about 15 minutes. I also put a bit of vinegar in the water in case any of the eggs are cracked, to limit the spillage of the egg whites. Not sure where I learned that one.

Those instructions you found are whack. There's no way an egg is going to cook sitting in a pot of warm water. They need to boil.

Yep - the others were runny too - undercooked I guess. Alright that's 4 eggs in the garbage - gonna try again.

So this time KEEP THE WATER BOILING for how long? They are large eggs. I really don't want to throw away another 4. :-(

I usually boil mine a good 10-15 minutes because I do not like runny eggs at all

This is basically how I do it. It's essential to leave the eggs sitting in the previously boiling water for the 17 minutes (approx), as they continue the cooking process. I typically don't leave them in cold water for 15 minutes though... generally a much shorter time, just enough to cool them off enough for me to handle/peel them.

If I'm going to eat them whole (not make an egg salad) I put them in the pot, cover them with water, and time nine minutes after it's at a rolling boil. I don't like them too cooked, but I don't want them runny either. For egg salad maybe 12-15 minutes would be better.

Then I put them in a colander and run them under cold water for a minute, stick 'em in the fridge, and pull them out as needed.

Cooking the eggs is not the hard part for me, it is the peeling them. We get eggs from a friend so they are always fresh. Fresh eggs are a pain in the a** to peel. We also cannot keep them around long enough for them to get old. My girls love scrambled eggs. So if someone has a sure fire way to peel fresh eggs, that would be so helpful.

This sounds just like the instructions in my Betty Crocker Cookbook. This is what I use. My problem has always been pealing them not runny eggs. It is important to get the water up to a full rolling boil, maybe that's what went wrong?

My bet is warmheart's found your trouble... your water may not have been at a full rolling boil.

The recipe you found for boiling eggs is a "foodie" recipe -- you'll get very light whites and a creamy yolk.

Many people prefer a firmer white and a more crumbly yolk. If you just want some dang boiled eggs and don't care what Gordon Ramsay might think about your technique, you're better off letting them boil at least a few minutes and then resting for another 20 minutes.

In my experience, the advice to use week-old eggs really does make them easier to peel after they're boiled.

Good luck!

Much better this time ladies!!! Thanks for coming to the rescue again! I have 4 perfectly peeled hard boiled eggs (just having 2 for dinner).

It's the little things that mean a lot - thanks for helping The Clueless Cook - I wonder if I can get my own show LOL! :-)

I'm glad they turned out better this time! I know you have been strugling with your new cooking skills, but your doing great. We've all had our flops

As to a cooking show, it's funny you mention it because I was going to suggest you check out "How to boil water" on food network. It's a cooking show that gets down to the basics. Thought it might be helpful. Let us know if you need more help