The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg

I know.  This isn't the most exciting post ever (I promise a more exciting recipe later on tonight) and it may not even be the most favorable as a good amount of people aren't hard boiled egg fans or egg fans in general.  But, I've recently had to go dairy-free in order to continue to nurse my 2 month old son so it's slim pickings as to what I can eat and I've had to get creative.  You would be amazed as to the amount of things that have dairy in them because it isn't just foods that contain cow's milk or butter. I have to look into the ingredients as well because things that contain whey or caseins are a no no.  This means I am eating a heck of a lot of proteins and a heck of a lot of carbs.  My sweet tooth is very, very angry with me right now.

Anyways, hard boiling eggs seems like such a simple thing to do but, alas, it can be tricky.  Shells can crack, the yolks sometimes don't cook entirely through or sometimes the yolks get that very unattractive green ring around them that make them look completely unappetizing.  I've been using the following method for a while now and have gotten perfect results every time.

Here is what you will need:

• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 6 cups of water
• 8 eggs

Combine salt, vinegar and water in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.

Once the water is boiling, add the eggs carefully one at a time, being careful not to crack (if you notice a slight fissure on the shell, the egg will crack and pop open once it hits the water.  Trust me on this.)

Reduce the heat to a gentle boil and cook for 14 minutes.

Once the eggs have cooked, remove them from the hot water and place them into a container of ice water or cold, running water.

Cool completely for about 15 minutes.

You can store these in a container in your refrigerator for up to one week but I like to make a simple egg salad with them.  Just peel (they peel so easy using this cooking method) and give them a rough chop, put them into a bowl, add some chopped up celery (optional), some mayonnaise, a dash of dijon mustard, salt and pepper to taste and voila!  Serve on bread or with crackers and you have yourself an easy, yummy lunch.