um, really guys? really?

      Another story about things that people don't know how to cook, but really everyone should.  I have these two friends, a brother and sister, who shall remain nameless, but really, you know who you are.  These two don't get to spend a whole lot of time together anymore, but none the less they were at his apartment and decided that they were going to make deviled eggs (or something like that).  They needed hard boiled eggs.
      So I get a phone call from "Jack" . . . "Um, Eva?  How do you boil an egg?  Mom said (method 1) just put the egg in water, bring it to a boil then pull it off the stove and let it sit in the water until it is cool."  Now you'll notice here, first that I was not the first person they called . . . secondly that since they are now calling me, something has gone wrong, but they are too embarrassed to call their mother back.  This method should work fine as long as you start with room temp water, make sure it comes to a full boil and not just a simmer before removing it from the heat.  But given that he (as far as I knew it was only Jack) was having problems with that method, I gave them the next method.
      Method 2: Put your eggs in cold water to cover and then bring them to a boil.  When the water boils, remove them from the heat, cover tightly with a lid and set a timer for 13 minutes.  Remove the lid, drain the water, give them a little shake to crack the eggs and top them with ice and water to cool them quickly.  Now this is my favorite method because it is very consistent, and by cracking the eggs and putting them hot into ice water they tend (I won't say always) to peel easier, especially if you are using older eggs.  Old eggs are great for hard boiled eggs because the longer they sit the more the membrane around the egg naturally separates from the shell, making it easier to peel. 
      So at this point I'm confident that my friend is on his way to perfectly cooked eggs and that this is in fact a fairly simple project.  Little did I know how wrong I was.  So about 3o min after the last call I get another call. . . from "Jill".  Now I had no idea that they were together, thinking only that great minds think alike, but I soon found out how wrong I was.  She was calling about, you guessed it, how to cook a hard boiled egg.  I told her the method I just gave her brother to which she admits finally, "I'm with him, and we couldn't get that to work either.  The eggs are not fully cooked in the middle.  Don't know what we are doing wrong!"  So, slightly amused, and wondering just how many eggs they think they've ruined I launch into Method 3.
      This cuts out the possibility of undercooked eggs, though if you do the first two correctly this shouldn't be much of a problem.  Also the problem with this problem is that you will have to cook a few extra eggs for testing.  So in a pot cover the eggs with cold water.  Bring to a boil.  Let them boil hard for about 6-7 min.  With a slotted spoon pull one egg out of the water and quickly chop it in half to see if it is cooked.  If it is, drain the water, give the eggs a shake to crack them and top them with ice water to cool, and to make sure they don't over cook.  If they aren't done allow to cook a bit longer and check another egg.  It's a little more trial and error than the first two, but it does the trick.
      To be honest, I don't know if my friends ever succeeded in getting their hard boiled eggs or if they just called someone else.  Still I use all three of these methods for cooking eggs on a regular basis, though I've seen many more.  Everyone has their own perfect way, some people add salt to the water or vinegar, others just have a certain amount of time they boil them for.  Some people peel them hot, some room temp, and others, like me, cold.  Just find a way that works for you.


PS
For a delicious snack with your eggs try making lavender egg salad.
6 Hard Boiled Eggs, chopped
1 shallot, minced
1/2 rib celery, finely chopped
1 TBS thinly sliced chives
1/4 tsp lavender, ground with a mortar and pestal
1 tsp dijon
1/4 cup mayo 
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together