HARD-BOILED EGGS Hard-boiled eggs are a little more complicated The goal is to have both the white and yolk at the point where they are opaque but not rubbery The truly obsessive kitchen nerd’s way to it is to maintain the water at precisely 170°F so that the yolk comes out perfectly cooked and the white is still tender And this method works It’s also a major pain in the butt Luckily, there’s an easier way We already know that if we drop the eggs directly into boiling water, the exterior heats up much faster than the interior, so that by the time the very center of the yolk reaches 170°F, the white and outer layers of yolk are hopelessly overcooked You might be inclined to put the eggs in cold water and bring them to a boil gradually This method works, but there’s a problem: it causes the eggs to fuse to the shells So, cooking them gently gives you even results, but cooking them fast makes it easier to remove the shell What I needed was a technique that bridged both of these What if I were to start the eggs in a precise volume of boiling water and let them cook just long enough so that the whites set but remain separated from the shells, then lower the temperature of the water rapidly by adding a few ice cubes and finish cooking them? It took a few dozen tries to get the exact timing and ice measurements down correctly, but guess what? It works By using a fast start and a slow-and-steady cook to the end, you consistently get eggs that are both perfectly cooked through and through and easy to peel ... method works, but there’s a problem: it causes the eggs to fuse to the shells So, cooking them gently gives you even results, but cooking them fast makes it easier to remove the shell What I needed was a technique that bridged both of these... It’s also a major pain in the butt Luckily, there’s an easier way We already know that if we drop the eggs directly into boiling water, the exterior heats up much faster than the interior, so that by the time the. .. I needed was a technique that bridged both of these What if I were to start the eggs in a precise volume of boiling water and let them cook just long enough so that the whites set but remain separated from the shells, then lower the temperature