Julia Childs Hard Boiled Eggs Recipes

Steps:

• Lay the eggs in the pan and add cold water to cover eggs by an inch.
• Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat, cover the pot, and let sit exactly 17 minutes.
• After resting time, ~RESERVE THE COOKING WATER~ and put the eggs into a bowl of ice cubes and water. Chill for 2 minutes as you bring the cooking water to the boil again. (This 2 minute chilling shrinks the body of the egg from the shell.).
• Transfer the eggs to the boiling water, bring to the boil again, and let boil for 10 seconds. (This expands the shell from the egg). Remove the eggs and place back into the ice water. Chilling the eggs promptly after each step prevents that dark line from forming. Leave the eggs in the ice water after the last step for 15 to 20 minutes to facilitate shell-peeling.
• Keep peeled eggs submerged in water in an uncovered container for up to 2-3 days.
• Says Julia: The perfect hard-boiled egg has a tender white, and a yolk properly set. There is not the faintest darkening of yolk where the white encircles it (a chemical reaction caused by too much heat in the cooking process). Eggs cooked this way can also be peeled neatly.

Steps:

• Peel the potatoes and slice each one lengthwise in half, or in quarters if very large; then cut crosswise into half-round or quarter-round slices, about 1/2 inch thick.
• Put the slices in a saucepan with water just to cover and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt per quart of water. Heat to a simmer, and cook the potatoes for 5 to 6 minutes, or until just cooked through. It is essential that they be just cooked through. Bite into a slice or two to be very sure. Immediately remove from the heat and drain the potatoes into a colander, but save a cup of the cooking liquid for dressing the potatoes. Transfer bowl. Stir the cider vinegar with 1/3 cup of the potato water or chicken stock and drizzle this over the potato pieces, turning them gently to distribute it evenly. Let sit 10 minutes to absorb the liquid.
• Add the prepared onion, celery, bacon, pickle, hard-boiled eggs, and chives, and season carefully, to taste. Top with 2/3 cup of mayonnaise (or a mix of mayonnaise and a bit of sour cream) and, with a large rubber spatula, gently fold everything together until well blended. Taste the salad and add more salt, pepper, or mayonnaise as needed.
• Cover the salad and set aside in the refrigerator for at least an hour or so before serving. If it is refrigerated longer, let it come back to room temperature before serving. Taste and adjust the seasoning again.
• To serve, line a bowl or a platter with red-leaf lettuce or other greens, and mound the salad on top. Decorate at the last moment, if you wish, with any or all of the optional garnishes.

Steps:

• Manufacturing Notes:
• Pricking: There is a bubble of air in the large end of the egg, which expands when the egg is heated and can crack the shell. To let that air escape, always prick the large end with an egg pricker or a pin, going in a good 1/4 inch.
• How much water? That depends on how many eggs you have. The water should cover the eggs by 1 inch, so use a tall pan, and I would hesitate, under home conditions, to do more than 2 dozen eggs at once.
• For 1 to 4 eggs...2 quarts of water For 12 eggs.......3 1/2 quarts of water For 24 eggs.......6 quarts of water
• Special Equipment Suggested: An egg pricker or drafting pin; a high rather than wide saucepan with cover; a bowl of sufficient size with ice cubes and water to cover eggs.
• The cooking: Lay the eggs in the pan and add the amount of cold water specified. Set over high heat and bring just to the boil; remove from heat, cover the pan, and let sit exactly 17 minutes.
• The 2-minute chill: When the time is up, transfer the eggs to the bowl of ice cubes and water. Chill for 2 minutes while bringing the cooking water to the boil again. The 2-minute chilling shrinks the body of the egg from the shell.
• The 10-second boil: Transfer the eggs (6 at a time only) to the boiling water, bring to the boil again, and boil for 10 seconds--which in turn expands the shell from the egg. Return the eggs to the ice water, cracking the shells gently in several places.
• Preventing that dark line around the yolk: Chilling the eggs promptly prevents that dark line from forming, and if you have time, leave the egg in the ice water (adding more ice if needed) for 15 to 20 minutes before peeling. Chilled eggs are easier to peel, too. Or peel them, as described in the next paragraph, and ice them at once.
• Peeling: Crack an egg all over by gently tapping it against the sink. Then, starting at the large end, and holding the egg either under a thin stream of cold water or in the bowl of ice water, start peeling. As soon as you have peeled it, return the egg to the ice water so that it will continue to chill.
• Storing the HB eggs: They will keep perfectly in the refrigerator, submerged in water in an uncovered container, for 2 to 3 days.

Steps:

• Peel the potatoes and slice each one lengthwise in half, or in quarters if very large; then cut crosswise into half-round or quarter-round slices, about 1/2 inch thick.
• Put the slices in a saucepan with water just to cover and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt per quart of water. Heat to a simmer, and cook the potatoes for 5 to 6 minutes, or until just cooked through. It is essential that they be just cooked through. Bite into a slice or two to be very sure. Immediately remove from the heat and drain the potatoes into a colander, but save a cup of the cooking liquid for dressing the potatoes. Transfer bowl. Stir the cider vinegar with 1/3 cup of the potato water or chicken stock and drizzle this over the potato pieces, turning them gently to distribute it evenly. Let sit 10 minutes to absorb the liquid.
• Add the prepared onion, celery, bacon, pickle, hard-boiled eggs, and chives, and season carefully, to taste. Top with 2/3 cup of mayonnaise (or a mix of mayonnaise and a bit of sour cream) and, with a large rubber spatula, gently fold everything together until well blended. Taste the salad and add more salt, pepper, or mayonnaise as needed.
• Cover the salad and set aside in the refrigerator for at least an hour or so before serving. If it is refrigerated longer, let it come back to room temperature before serving. Taste and adjust the seasoning again.