How to Hard Boil Eggs at High Altitude
I've lived in Colorado for a few years now and have been working on figuring out how to make a perfect hard boiled egg here. Finally, after trying out a few different recipes, I perfected the art of cooking hard boiled eggs at high altitude. Here are the directions for making perfect hard boiled eggs when you are a mile high.
I
have definitely noticed that eggs crack more easily in high altitude.
I think some products that are shipped to Colorado from lower altitudes
have extra pressure in them which builds up during the pressure change.
I first discovered this phenomenon while opening some Yoplait yogurt.
It always explodes a little when you open it and a little bit of yogurt
goes flying.
I think the same kind of thing is going on with eggs. Pressure is built up in the eggs during shipping. Sometimes I wonder if eggs produced at high altitudes would crack less easily than eggs shipped from lower altitudes. That would be a good a science experiment! Anyway, to relieve the pressure try poking a small hole in the egg with a pushpin. This relieves the pressure and prevents the eggs from cracking. You can even see air bubbles coming out of the tiny hole right when you place the eggs in the hot water.
Cooking Directions
Bring a pot of water to a boil - You'll want enough water to cover the eggs by about an inch. Once the water is boiling, turn the heat down to med-low. This also helps to keep the eggs from breaking because the water is no longer at a rapid boil.
Using a thumb tack or push pin, poke a small hole in the larger end of the egg. Using a wide curved spatula with holes, gently place the eggs in the pot and leave them there for 16 minutes.
Take the eggs out of the boiling water using the same spatula and place them in a bowl of ice water. The ice water prevents the yolks from turning green. Leave them in the ice water for at least 5 minutes.
Remove the shells by cracking the egg gently on the counter and peeling the shell off. Rinse the eggs under cold water to get any of the remaining shell off. Now they are ready to eat or use in any recipe that calls for hard boiled eggs!
