Okay, so I found this recipe on Pinterest. Not really a recipe, more of a technique. Instead of — Yeah, I know, when you hear somebody say, “Instead of doing this the way everybody has always done it satisfactorily in the past, do it this other, wacky, way!” you want to throw on a full suit of body armor and run away.
But I didn’t. Shut up and listen. You’re always interrupting; that’s so rude.
ANYWAY, this technique said to hard-cook eggs by putting them (in the shell) into a muffin tin and baking them at 325F for 25-30 minutes. So I did that. Well, they were big eggs, so I turned the oven off after 30 minutes and left them in there for a bit longer.
“So easy!” True. “Makes them easier to peel!”
Look at the picture. You tell me. Don’t look at the baking pan, by the way. Some guy came in the window and sprayed brown gunk on the pan and then jumped out of the window again and laughed and laughed. My baking pan is totally not gunky. Not.
But you know what they say: If life hands you lemons, shine your kitchen and bathroom fixtures with them; they brighten them up and make the house smell lemony fresh! Okay, the Pinterest window is closed as of now.
No, what they really say is: drop back ten yards and punt. Or maybe not. Anyway, I know they say something.
Here’s what I did: I cut the eggs in quarters and got some good ones. Put the ugliest ones together and used the prettiest ones for this picture. Dollop of mayonnaise in the middle, olives (could use cherry tomatoes) between the quarters. Sprinkled with salt, powdered mustard, and smoked paprika. Sort of a deconstructed deviled egg.
So remember, kids, just because all your friends are baking their eggs doesn’t mean baking eggs is the right decision for you to make. And, if you’re going to try out a nifty new recipe and/or cooking idea, for the love of all that’s holy, do it as I did: when you’re cooking for yourself and maybe a forgiving spouse, and not for company.
I’m a sucker for a shiny new kitchen experience, but I’m no fool.
The month-long blog book tour for THE CORNER CAFE continues today at Shonell Bacon’s ChickLitGurrl.
A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A character ignores my advice and tries something new for company.
Joey
March 21, 2016 at 8:26amThere actually are blogs about testing Pinterest projects. Last summer I swooped through there and collected a pile of tried and true things to do with my kids.
It is my opinion that older eggs peel more easily. Granted, I do cover them in ice water, but older eggs always yield better results for me.
I wouldn’t try to bake an egg. I boil them like old, unexciting cooks do. I reject life hacks.
Marian Allen
March 21, 2016 at 11:06amOh, I LOVE life hacks — when they work. And you’re right about the eggs; I don’t even try to make hard-boiled eggs that need to be pretty from our #2 daughter’s chickens’ eggs. They’re too fresh; nothing I’ve ever tried has made them peelable.
Steven Saus
June 21, 2012 at 10:09am@Marian Allen – There’s some things you did differently than I, which may account for me having more success. (Though I didn’t note that yes, the eggshells aren’t pretty when you’re done baking them.)
1. I put the eggs directly on the rack, and put a cookiesheet on the rack below.
2. I didn’t leave them in for a second longer than the 20 minutes.
3. I immediately put them in ice water.
While I occassionally had some that peeled like yours, my percentages of nasty peel jobs is much higher normally, so it’s worked well for me.
Marian Allen
June 21, 2012 at 11:58amThanks, Steven! I’ll try it your way next time. Wonder if it would work in a toaster oven?
Carol Preflatish
June 20, 2012 at 8:37pmIf I ever take submissions for my next “Masters & Disaster of Cooking” book, this would be a perfect story.
Marian Allen
June 20, 2012 at 9:53pmOh, I’ve got you totally covered on the disasters! The kids still insist I threw a chicken against the wall because it didn’t cook all the way through. I don’t remember doing that. The pie crust — that I remember.
Nicolle Olores
June 20, 2012 at 8:34pmHi Marian, it is nice to get back here and read your post again. I was wondering over here why Pinterest brokes your heart hehe. I better try this one sometimes eggs are hard to peel.
Marian Allen
June 20, 2012 at 9:51pmHi, Nicolle! I used to have no trouble peeling eggs. Somebody told me that fresh eggs are harder to peel, so I guess I have to choose between fresh eggs and pretty eggs.
mary montague sikes
June 20, 2012 at 5:02pmThanks, Marian. You made my day. My eggs always look like that no matter how they are cooked!
Monti
Marian Allen
June 20, 2012 at 9:49pmLOL! Mine, too! Boil them, steep them, bake them, flash-cool them, peel them under running water…. They always look like I borrowed them from Wile E. Coyote.
Red Tash
June 20, 2012 at 8:32amIt is only a matter of time before there’s a blog called Pinterest Fails, just for debunking all those magnificent pins.
Marian Allen
June 20, 2012 at 9:40amYou start it and I’ll post to it. lol!