Egg Girl

Tonight I went to a party thrown by two great friends who are moving away. Sarah, a friend since junior high and the co-author of The Ski House Cookbook with me, and Mike, a lifetime New Yorker and Jujitsu aficionado, are taking their kids and moving out of the city. So sad! We've had plenty of shared experiences, from being roommates in a converted one bedroom (tiny!) to being roommates in a 3 bedroom apartment with slanted floors (not so tiny!) to being fellow shredders on the Vermont mountain sides.

What does this have to do with my blog? Aside from enjoying the delicious party beverages tonight, it reminded me of the fact that while the three of us lived together, I survived on eggs. Mike named me "Egg Girl" one weekend after watching me make scrambled eggs for the umpteenth time. (And it wasn't along the lines of making me into a super hero the way Jesse explained his infantile drawings to Jane on Breaking Bad.) I didn't realize it then and I still have yet to really acknowledge how frequently I eat eggs. (Cholesterol be damned!) I can't help it but omelettes, frittatas, and scrambled eggs make delicious dinners, in addition to the hard boiled egg I eat almost every single morning, along with my bowl of cereal.

So...my suggestions for making the perfect hard boiled egg:
1. Place the eggs in a single layer in a sauce pan and fill with cold water. Bring to a boil.
2. Boil the eggs for 8 - 10 minutes, depending on hard you prefer the yolks.
3. Drain the eggs and cool completely under cold running water.
Tips for easy cracking:
1. Crack the egg shells while still warm, immediately after cooking (the shells will release more easily from the eggs).
2. Cook eggs that are about 7 days old (keep them in your fridge after you bring them home - but not beyond the expiration date). Air will form between the egg and the shell making them easier to peel.
3. Do not overcook: This is what creates the unsightly grey halo between the yolk and egg white.
Enjoy!