Make Vibrantly Coloured Tea Eggs

those look wonderful! totally going to do this, but i don't think it's going to look too appetizing as egg salad. maybe as devilled eggs though. mine always end up looking like boats cause i garnish them with scallions standing up in them.

mfusion

the only egg tricks i know are perfect cooked eggs, how to get the yolk in the center of the egg and peeling them

1. large pot of water
2. put eggs in cold water
3. bring to a boil
4. when it hits a boil turn the heat off
5. cover and let sit for 10-12 minutes
6. figure out something to do with 2 dozen eggs

how to get the yolk in the center of your eggs: put a rubber band around the carton (i've actually found that i don't need to do this with cardboard cartons) and put on it's side in the fridge over night. 1 hour before boiling, put them on the counter with the other side down to balance out. this helps a lot with poached eggs, don't ask why it just seems to make them look better

peeling eggs is always easier if you do it in a large colander in the sink under warm running water. the wter gets into the space between the shell and egg almost taking it off by itself.

last thing, except for breakfast eggs, whenever you re going to use eggs for a presentation like devilled and dyed always get fresh eggs, nevermore than 2 days old. always tastes better and peels easier

mfusion

@mfusion: Don't forget step 5.5: Cover with ice and cold water until chilled to help shell separate from egg to make peeling easier.

EthansDad

@EthansDad: that's what running them under water does

mfusion

I remember this trick from when I was young, but I can't remember we ate them.
These peeled eggs would look very cool in a (glass) bowl of water (the way diners -at our part of the world- use to keep hard boiled, peeled eggs fresh).
Maybe I would eat them when the colors were a bit more 'natural'.
I stumbled on this coloring eggs recipe/idea today, and it isn't the shell-less way, but still very neat: [rockinthestove.com] and easy to do, with just household/grocerie stuff.

blutec

those don't look very edible..

Simon Wong

@mfusion: I've always been told fresh eggs are harder to peel, not easier, and that the best eggs for hard boiling are the older ones.

DillonHarpie

How well does that work on brown eggs? Brown eggs are local in New England based on hen breeds.

The only trick I know is blowing out the egg yolks so we can save the best ones for the following year(s). I found you can empty the eggs much faster by using a sewing needle to poke a hole on the top and bottom of the egg. Then using a small bicycle pump without the needle in it, holding the nossel to the egg, you can quickly empty the egg yolks into a bowl, doing about a dozen in under 15 minutes. I can't remember if you pump through the large or small side, but one of the sides is easier. You can also mix up the yolks through the hole with the needle to make them come out a little easier.

My tricks for getting the eggs to peel easily: Don't go for the freshest ones possible. Check the dates on the carton so you're not getting the newest ones, and buy them a week or so ahead of boiling. With slightly older (but still fresh and edible) eggs, the albumen breaks down a little easier and the shells come off in one or two big pieces.

@Dr.Mario: We did the same thing! We'd stick a sewing needle into the eraser on a number 2 pencil. We'd use the eye side (the pointy side was in the eraser) to poke tiny holes in the top and bottom of the egg. Then we'd blow really hard on the bottom (the wider end) and the insides would all come out. Then you can paint the outside and keep them on display for much longer! I don't recommend trying to keep these for another year, as there is trace amounts of goo still left inside the egg and it will eventually start to smell, just not as quickly.

Erin Cummins

@DillonHarpie:

I've learned the simplest way to peel an egg is to just make sure you've cracked the shell plenty. It works like a charm, hot or cold.

jupiterthunder

@DillonHarpie: Yep. Older is easier to peel. The fluid contents of the egg evaporate slightly, so a hollow space forms between the egg and the shell. Then the egg is easier to peel.

Not an egg trick, but other Easter, chemistry (physics?) tomfoolery. Peep fencing!

Take two Peeps -- ideally, of two different colors -- and stick a wooden toothpick underneath their wee, sugary flappers. Put them on a plate facing each other, tips of toothpicks just touching. Put plate in microwave and turn it on for 30 seconds or so.

Look at them go! Heating the sugar makes it bubble and boil, and the Peeps go nuts, looking like little edible ninja.

Good, clean, violent, neon-colored, edible, vaguely disturbing fun.

@chiieddy: the only difference between white eggs and brown eggs is the color of the shell. they can come from the same chicken in the same month.

mfusion

@leah hokmah: Agreed: mfusion is 180-degrees off-base with his "new eggs are easier to peel" advice.

Joe Broom Marfice

@Simon Wong: Then don't eat them. How precious.

Joe Broom Marfice

@mfusion: Hey, if they end up looking like boats, why not make real boats outta them? Grab a toothpick, put some triangle-shaped paper on it... ;)

Trinsec

I can do this easily - usually I get a handful of eggs that crack when I boil them so once you dye them, voila - Chinese Tea Eggs - mom style. ;)

@Dr.Mario: This is what we had to do (minus the bicycle pump) when we had to have an egg "baby" in school. :)

If working in a restaurant kitchen with access to a fryer basket: Take the unpeeled egg, hold it on the inside of the fry basket. Push through the minced egg with the palm of your hand. The eggshell will stay separated inside the basket.

NormaDunlop

@blutec: Very cool. I can think of other stuff like yellow onion skins, cherry or raspberry juice, that would dye eggs naturally and make nice Easter-y looking colors.

AugustaWalsall

Dyeing, not dying. Please fix your post.

EdwardRamone

@chiieddy: You're right, chiieddy. Just like there are different breeds of dog (chihuahua, dalmatian, etc...) there are different breeds of chicken. Egg color is defined by breed genetics. Brown eggs are common in your area because there are many breeds developed there that lay brown eggs.

mfusion, Chickens lay the same colored egg their whole life. They might get a little lighter or darker, but they will always be brown, or always white, or always blue, or always green.

I have a mixed flock, currently breeding to create a consistent large blue egg layer. You can see pictures of my hens and their eggs at redwicket.com.

-Mike

@chiieddy: Oh, and to actually answer your question (oops): it'll work fine. the insides of the eggs are all the same. The color is deposited on the outer layers of the shell.

@Dr.Mario: Put a slightly larger hole in the "bottom" of the egg, then use your method. You'll get a bit of egg on your hand, but you'll end up with a nicer decoration.

Ever heard of Silk Tie Easter eggs? Recipe here via my sister on our food blog.
[rubadubgrub.blogspot.com]

alanhood

When my wife boils eggs for deviled eggs, she salts the water first and then boils them.
For some reason, it keeps the shell from sticking as tightly to the boiled egg. Shell comes off easily!

NE-Phil

My father always used red onion skins to boil with the eggs, he claimed it was a tradition and it made the eggs look purple, to me the just looked like brown farm eggs.

kingjamus

Jason - thanks so much for linking to me! Just a tiny correction - the chinese tea eggs are soaked in tea, not soy sauce...:) And I agree with one of the commenters - they probably wouldn't make a great looking egg salad, but they have made rather pretty deviled eggs. I've also changed my method - let them soak in the food coloring bath overnight in the fridge to avoid any danger of food safety issues. And above all else, have fun!

SanwariCrete

@Red Wicket Market Farm: and oops, thanks for correcting me, i misremembered, maybe i'm remembering from the same breed can produce different colored eggs?

mfusion

@Red Wicket Market Farm: and see newbies, that's how to plug your site while being on topic. and thanks red wicket, blue eggs? must be having a sell out during easter and wedding season.

i wonder if giving blue eggs will be the new thing for new fathers getting sons?

mfusion

On the oriental theme, you can add Star Anise to the sofrito of a ragu. It adds depth to the sauce and complements and boosts the flavour of the carrot in the sofrito. Another tip on the same theme, add 1 or 2 drops per person of Nam Pla (thai fish sauce) to the ragu. It boosts the meaty notes of the sauce.

--
For further tips on making a great tasting Ragu have a look at the recipe at the end of the link, some of the ingredients and techniques used really improved my ragu and it might do the same to yours.

The recipes uses the juice from chopped, salted tomato membranes and seeds. I use this tomato juice to make a really nice salad dressing. here are the ingredients I use-

1. Extra virgin Olive oil
2. Vinegar*
3. Finely chopped red chilly
4. Some red pepper paste made from charred red Bell style peppers
5. Salt and Pepper
6. A small squeeze of fresh Lemon juice (optional)

*When I can, I use a mixture of Tarragon, Balsamic and red wine vinegar (ooh! very chefy) but you can use any vinegar you'd use in a dressing.

@Red Wicket Market Farm: Until I went to the actual article, I missed these were peeled. Brown eggs don't dye well, for obvious reasons.

My grandmother use to get the dried skin peels that fall off the onions at the market, browns, rust, purple...and she would boil her eggs in a pot along with the onion skins. The variation in colors on the eggs were beautiful. No two were alike either.

YongWindies