Sides
What's on the menu?
Barb's Favorite Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread
2 cups of self-rising yellow cornmeal mix (I like Martha White's Yellow Hot Rize.)
2 eggs
1 ½ cups sweet milk or buttermilk if you have it
450 F
Makes one large skillet of cornbread.
Mix in bowl (don't over mix) and heat ¼ cup liquid veg. oil in cast iron skillet until sizzling and then pour excess oil into cornbread mix and then pour the mix into hot skillet. Bake 450° for about 20 minutes or until golden. That makes one very crispy skillet cornbread. You will need two skillets of this cornbread recipe for this dressing.
Barb's Dad's Favorite Skillet Cornbread
400 F
My dad’s favorite cornbread. No flour, no sugar! Preferably thin and crispy, chopped up into a tall glass of buttermilk or sopping up pot liquor from white soup beans or turnip greens. My dad had to teach my mother how to cook cornbread because it wasn’t eaten in the Lannum family. Granddaddy Lannum nearly choked to death on cornbread because of the graininess so it never appeared on the table again. But Dad didn’t like cakey cornbread with flour and sugar. It was not to be cooked in a pan but a cast iron skillet, thin and very crispy on the bottom, sliced down the center and slathered with butter.
2 cups self-rising cornmeal
1 egg
2 cups buttermilk
¼ cup vegetable oil or bacon grease
Mix until just moist. Pour mixture into a hot 10” cast iron skillet and bake at 400º for 20-25 minutes or until browned.
Note: If making them vegetarian and dairy-free, use Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Cornmeal Mix with 1.5 cups of Oatly Full Fat Oat Milk, 1/2 cup melted Earth Balance, 2 eggs, and follow the package instructions.
Butter Bombs - Mini Bite Sized Biscuits
400 F
The easiest biscuits ever! They are good served at any meal.
2 cups of self-rising flour
1 cup of sour cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) of melted butter
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 24 count mini muffin pan with non-stick spray. Mix the flour, sour cream and butter until well blended. Scoop spoonfuls of the batter into the muffin pan and bake at 400 degrees F for about 10 to 12 minutes. 24 mini muffins
These freeze nicely; just let them come to room temperature and either microwave or wrap completely in aluminum foil and reheat in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until freshened.
Fried eggplant
Stove Top
Mom and I cooked our eggplant from the garden in this fashion. We would eat it with cocktail sauce and pretend they were fried oysters or better yet, with angel hair pasta and fresh tomato sauce. Or sometimes we would use a sauce like Ragu and pour a little over our eggplant patties.
1 large eggplant, peeled, sliced, and “salt purged”
Salt
1 sleeve of crackers-preferably saltines-use a salty cracker
3 eggs (or more if needed)
oil for frying
Note: always cook the eggplant thoroughly. Eggplant is one vegetable for which slight undercooking will not work. It must be completely cooked through until it's meltingly soft, smooth, and creamy; only then will it be flavorful on its own, as well as receptive to the other flavors with which you'll blend it.
Peel the eggplant and slice into round slices about ½ inch thick.
Eggplant works deliciously in just about any eggplant dish, provided you salt it first. Salting, also known as purging, accomplishes two goals: it pulls out juices that carry bitter flavors, and it collapses the air pockets in the eggplant's sponge-like flesh, thus preventing it from absorbing too much oil and getting greasy.
Sprinkle the pieces generously with salt and let them sit in a colander for an hour (you'll usually see a lot of liquid beading on the surface). Rinse the eggplant in plenty of water to remove the salt, firmly squeeze a few pieces at a time in the palm of your hand to draw out almost all the moisture, and then pat the eggplant dry with paper towels. Thorough drying is important; squeezing out excess moisture will give you a less greasy result.
Beat eggs together, keep in a shallow bowl. Crush crackers into fine crumbs by putting them in a Ziploc bag and crushing them with a rolling pin or glass. Make sure there are no large crumbs left by gently shaking the bag periodically. Put crumbs in a bowl. Heat enough oil in skillet to cover the bottom. When hot, take a piece of eggplant and dip it (both sides) into the egg mixture until egg is all over it. Then, press it firmly (both sides) into the cracker crumbs. Once coated, place 4 or 5 eggplants into the skillet and fry on med high, until golden brown. Be sure the oil is very hot and put the slices in the pan in one layer (if you crowd the pan, the eggplant will steam instead of fry and won't cook evenly). Turn often and adjust the heat to avoid burning until the slices are a rich brown color, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel to soak the oil. You will need to periodically remove crumbs from the skillet and replenish the oil. I like to serve with cocktail or marinara sauce.
Corn Casserole
350 F
Sammie's Thanksgiving corn casserole. She needed a pot luck "dump" recipe since a friend had taken the green bean casserole. This recipe fit the bill. It's the best corn casserole ever and great for gatherings.
1 (15¼ oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14¾ oz.) can cream-style corn
1 (8 oz.) package Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 cup sour cream
½ cup butter, melted
1 to 1 ½ cups shredded Cheddar
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9" x 13" baking dish or large casserole dish. Mix together the corn, Jiffy, sou~ cream and butter in a large bowl. Stir in the cheese. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until golden brown and set. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
6-8 servings
Dirty Rice
Stove Top
This was also one of my mom’s favorite dishes. When she fried chicken, Dad got the breast, my brother got the legs, I preferred the thighs, but Mom loved the wings and livers. She loved dirty rice, but seldom made it because Dad didn’t care much for it. She said that her grandmother, Prudence Lusk, my Mawmaw, made the best. I would make it for her and we would eat it. Dad had to settle for potatoes.
Dirty rice takes its name from the brown appearance of the rice after it is fried and mixed with chicken giblets. It has a rich, flavorful taste and goes well with baked chicken.
1 quart water
1 pound chicken livers or livers and gizzards (or ground beef, deer, or sausage)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste-I prefer more)
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup butter
2 cups white rice
1 cup celery, chopped
2 cups onions, chopped
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
4 tablespoons parsley, chopped
In a Dutch oven over medium heat, place chicken livers in water and boil until done, about 30 minutes, skimming off any fat. Reserve cooking liquid; cool and dice livers and set aside. (A lot of people can’t or won’t eat chicken livers. Most people substitute ground beef, sausage, or venison for the livers, cooked and crumbled fine.)
In a 10-inch cast iron skillet, melt butter and sauté the rice until brown. Add onions, garlic, celery, bell pepper and parsley; cook until tender.
Heat chicken livers in original water and add rice. Water should cover rice to a depth of one inch; add more water if necessary. Bring to a boil and cook until the water has almost evaporated. Stir, cover and cook over low heat for about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for about 10 minutes. Stir and serve.
Deviled Cauliflower
Oven Broiler
This was one of Becky's and Mandy's favorite dishes that I cooked when they were growing up. They would take about ¼ of the cauliflower each. If you like deviled eggs, you will love this recipe.
1 head of cauliflower, cooked in water until fork tender or steamed (it presents best as a full head but it is ok to cut it into flowerettes for convenience)
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (I always use more, a whole lot more!)
¼ cup mayonnaise (double the amount for a large head)
1 teaspoon yellow mustard (again, it can be doubled)
Put fork tender, cooked, drained cauliflower in casserole dish. Mix the mayo and mustard as if you were making deviled eggs, but thickly slather over the top of the cauliflower. I make a lot of this "deviled" mixture because we love the taste. Cover over the "deviled" mayo with a layer of cheddar cheese, again, the more the merrier. Put under the oven broiler, watch closely, and broil the cheese until it is bubbly and toasty. The mustard and mayo mixture really makes the difference in this dish.
Ina's Sauteed Brussels Sprouts
2 (12 oz.) packages Brussels sprouts, ends and brown leaves trimmed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon syrupy balsamic vinegar
Stove Top
Place the Brussels sprouts in the feed tube of the food processor fitted with a large slicing disc. (There is no need to core them.) Process the Brussels sprouts until they're all sliced. Or slice by hand.
Place the butter and olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan and heat it over medium heat. Add the sliced Brussels sprouts, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and saute them, stirring frequently, for about 4 to 5 minutes, until tender but still bright green. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, season to taste, and serve hot.
Note:
Because you're shredding the Brussels sprouts, there's no need to core them. Place the shredded Brussels sprouts in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel for up to a day.
Alton Brown's Brussels Sprouts with Pecans and Cranberries (or bacon)
1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts, rinsed and trimmed
3 ounces coarsely chopped pecans
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 /4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 /4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 ounces coarsely chopped dried cranberries or substitute crispy bacon
Stove Top
Slice the Brussels sprouts using the thinnest slicing disc of a food processor. If you do not have a food processor, you may slice thinly with a knife or a mandoline.
Set a 10-inch straight-sided saute pan over medium-high heat and add the pecans. Cook, stirring continually, until the pecans darken in color and begin to give off a toasted aroma, approximately 2 minutes. Add the butter to the pan and stir to combine. Once the butter has melted, add the Brussels sprouts, salt and pepper and cook, stirring continually, until the color brightens and the sprouts are just tender, approximately 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the cranberries or bacon, toss and serve.
Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussels sprouts with Pecans and Cranberries
Roasted Brussels Sprouts:
3 cups Brussels sprouts ends trimmed, yellow leaves removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon Salt to taste
Roasted Butternut Squash:
1 1/2 lb butternut squash peeled, seeded, and cubed into 1-inch cubes (Yields about 4 cups of uncooked cubed butternut squash)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons maple syrup
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Other Ingredients:
2 cups pecan halves
1 cup dried cranberries
2-4 tablespoons maple syrup optional
400 F, 350 F
How to roast Brussels Sprouts:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease the foil-lined baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Trim ends of Brussels sprouts and remove yellow leaves. Then, slice all Brussels sprouts in half.
In a medium bowl, combine halved Brussels sprouts, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt (to taste), and toss to combine. Place onto a foil-lined baking sheet, cut side down, and roast in the oven at 400 F for about 20-25 minutes. During the last 5-10 minutes of roasting, turn them over for even browning, the cut sides should be nicely and partially charred but not blackened.
How to roast Butternut Squash:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease the foil-lined baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. In a medium bowl, combine cubed butternut squash (peeled and seeded), 1 tablespoon of olive oil, maple syrup, and cinnamon, and toss to mix. Place butternut squash in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning once half-way through baking, until softened.
Note: You can roast both Brussels sprouts and butternut squash on 2 separate baking sheets at the same time, on the same rack in the oven – that’s what I did.
How to toast pecans:
Toast pecans in the preheated oven at 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toast the pecans for about 5 minutes (maybe a bit longer) in the preheated oven at 350 F until they get darker in color.
Note: pecans burn really fast, so make sure to check the nuts after 5 minutes and frequently afterwords.
Assembly:
In a large bowl, combine roasted Brussels sprouts, roasted butternut squash, pecans, and cranberries, and mix to combine.
(OPTIONAL): For more sweetness, add 2 or 4 tablespoons of maple syrup, if desired – do not add all maple syrup at once, start with 2 tablespoons, then add more, if desired, and toss with the salad ingredients to combine.
Cauliflower Potato Casserole
Stove Top
I first made this when I was on a low carb diet, but without the potatoes. It can be made without the potatoes (carbs) and it is still delicious. I called the casserole “Mock Mashed Potatoes”. But the addition of the potatoes makes for a creamier, richer dish.
1 cauliflower head, broken up
4 large, red new potatoes, unpeeled and cut in quarters
1 Tablespoon butter
dash each salt and pepper
3 eggs
¾ cup Gruyere cheese
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Cook the cauliflower in boiling salted water for 15 minutes or until fork tender.
Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in boiling water for 15 minutes or longer until tender; drain the potatoes and cauliflower and place in mixing bowl.
Add the butter, salt and pepper; mash together to make a puree; it is better to use a potato masher as a food processor can make it too mushy.
Beat the eggs into the puree, one at a time, and then stir in the cheese.
Spoon into a greased dish, and bake one hour with foil on it in a 350 oven.
Green Beans with New Potatoes
Stove Top
A bowl of green beans and new potatoes always reminds me of Granny Lannum. She kept a “truck” garden down by the barn. It was really in the yard of the burned-out tenant worker house. Granny loved to burn things. She generally kept us grandkids dragging old tires up to stumps that needed burning out or Granddad would give her a wheat field to burn off. She was known to let a fire burn off some fencing and Granddad was afraid she might burn up his barn. She hated the “trashy” seasonal help that lived in the little houses that Granddad provided and he had to build them with cinderblock to keep Granny from burning them out. She still somehow managed. In the Spring, he would get his mules out and plow up a plot for her and she always had string beans and potatoes. I have spent many hours in the glider under the oak tree in the front yard with her stringing and snapping beans. But it was worth it, because she always made the best beans. Never too over or undercooked, just right! I have the best memories of sitting in the beige metal glider under the big tree in Granny Lannum’s front yard on the farm in Morehouse, Missouri. We would have gathered several buckets of string beans from the truck garden and would be gliding, talking, and stringing and snapping beans. We would also have dug some new potatoes and Granny made the very best beans and potatoes. The beans were never overcooked and I could make a meal just off those beans and potatoes. (And often did!)
3 to 4 slices of bacon
1/4 of a small onion, coarsely chopped
3 to 4 cups of fresh or frozen cut green beans,
4 to 6 tiny new or 3 small red potatoes
Chicken stock, to cover
salt and black pepper, to taste
Using kitchen shears, cut up the bacon directly into a large saucepan and cook over medium high heat until it begins to brown. Add the onion and cook until softened, stirring occasionally.
If using fresh or frozen beans, sauté them in the cooked bacon and onion for a bit first. Cut away a strip around the center of the new potatoes, or if using small red potatoes, cut them into a medium dice (quarters); add to the beans. Pour over enough chicken broth to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and let them low simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
Amounts given are just estimates - use more or less according to your own taste. If using fresh green beans, remove the ends and snap in half or cut; rinse and set aside. You can also substitute 2 cans of cut green beans, reserving the liquid. If using canned beans, add the beans with their liquid, to the cooked bacon and onion. Add the potatoes and enough chicken broth to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and let them low simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
Creamed Peas
Stove Top
We usually got our peas from the can and it had to be LeSueur’s. Sometimes for variation, Mom would make a cream sauce. But I remember eating creamed peas at Granny Lannum’s, too. Rex and I spent many summers at the Lannum farm outside Sikeston, Missouri because both our parents worked and I guess it was cheaper than a baby sitter. There were no daycares back in the 50’s. But we always had a ton of fun on the farm. Before Granddaddy Lannum died, I was fascinated by how he could eat with his dinner knife like it was a fork. He could scoop up peas on it! He also liked a sweet onion and a cup of hot water in the morning. He said it kept him regular. I didn’t know what that meant back then. He was such a sweet, gentle, loving man. I was so surprised to find that he had been in the military police while serving in World War I and his “dough boy” uniform that hung in their wardrobe fascinated me.
2 tablespoons of butter
4 tablespoons of bacon fat
4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
½ of an onion, finely chopped
2 cans of peas, any kind, undrained (petit pois, like LeSueur, recommended)
1 teaspoon of granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or to taste, optional
2 pinches of salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
In a heavy medium size saucepan, melt the butter and the bacon fat together using a medium high heat setting. Add the flour and stir continually until all of the flour is incorporated. Reduce heat to medium and continue stirring until roux has turned a medium blonde color. Do not burn. Remove the roux from the heat and quickly stir in the chopped onion. Return to the stove and continue cooking, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes. Add the peas, liquid and all, then the sugar, salt and pepper, and bring up to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
Variations:
Creamed Peas and New Potatoes: Cut away a small strip across the center of about a pound of very small, new potatoes, cover with water and boil for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the peas as above; combine the potatoes and peas before serving.
Creamed Peas and Pearl Onions: Place a (1 pound) bag of frozen pearl onions in a microwave safe bowl, cover and cook for about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring at least once; drain. Meanwhile prepare the peas as above; combine the onions and peas before serving.
Southern Lady Cream Peas
Stove Top
Lady Cream Peas are a type of cowpea. They have no color and, when cooked, they yield a clear pot liquor. They have a sweet flavor and creamy texture. I know this is an unusual recipe for a collection because I didn't serve it to my family. It comes from my youth. Mom and I loved cream peas more than LeSeur Petit Peas. And until just a few years ago, you could buy them by the can. I've searched the Net. They are only offered dry, from one company. I noticed that the Farmer's Market at the Agricenter, in the summer, has a farmer who shells them on site and charges $5.00 for a brown lunch bag full. That seemed pretty steep for a mess of peas. So I didn't buy any. Wish I had now. So, even though my immediate family may never make use of this recipe, one of my future descendants might. So here goes:
1 lb - fresh shelled cream peas
3-4 - slices of bacon, chopped
1 - small to medium onion, chopped
1 - clove garlic, minced
water (enough to cover peas)
salt & pepper to taste
Rinse the fresh peas. In a large pot add the chopped bacon and onion. Cook until the bacon starts to render some fat and the onions are translucent. Add the garlic. Add the peas and enough water to cover the peas. (about 1/2 inch) above the peas. Add some salt and lots of pepper. Bring the peas to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the peas are tender but still just a tiny bit firm. About a hour to a hour and a half. Don't let them get mushy. When the peas are done place in a serving bowl and add additional salt and pepper if needed. I like to add some butter as a finishing touch.
Crunchy Pea Salad
Mom loved this salad! I always made the ranch dressing myself with the Hidden Valley packet and mayonnaise and milk. It is always so much better than the bottled version. Sometimes we didn’t have the peas and it is just as good with only the cauliflower. But then it would be called Crunchy Cauliflower Salad.
1 package (10 oz) frozen peas or 2 cups fresh peas
1 cup diced celery
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1 cup coarsely chopped cashews (or peanuts or sunflower seeds)
¾ cup diced green onions
¾ cup Hidden Valley Original Ranch dressing
¼ cup sour cream
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 slices of bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
In a small bowl, add dressing, sour cream and mustard. Stir until well blended and set aside.
Rinse peas in hot water (or steam until tender, if fresh) and drain.
In a large bowl, combine peas, celery, cauliflower, cashews, and onions.
Add dressing and toss salad until well coated.
Cover and refrigerate at least an hour.
Sprinkle bacon over the top and serve.
Fried Cabbage
Stove Top
Mom loved cabbage, boiled, fried, or as slaw. It was a frequent side dish. She would give me the core to eat raw. It was slightly bitter, but I liked it. She also gave me raw potatoes. Mom never really used garlic. It gave Dad indigestion. I added it to the recipe. This was a frequent side dish.
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large head cabbage, cored and sliced
1 tablespoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon paprika
Place the bacon in a large stockpot and cook over medium-high heat until crispy, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion caramelizes; about 10 minutes. Immediately stir in the cabbage and continue to cook and stir another 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes more.
Asparagus Casserole
Stove Top, Oven 350 degrees
This was prepared for me by a friend, Carol, who belonged to my NOW group (National Organization for Women) in Monroe, Louisiana. I had never eaten fresh asparagus before, only canned, which I loved. This was tasty even though the slightly crunchy asparagus was a unique flavor profile for me. Dad and I later made a 4'x4' box for asparagus when I moved to St. Louis. I love fresh asparagus now. Some trivia: a scientist who was gathering common names for various plants came to a farmer and asked what he called the feathery bush with small red berries. The farmer said "A sparrow's grass". . . because the berries were a favorite of the sparrows. The scientist mistakenly heard "a-spare-a-gus".
2 bunches of asparagus, keep rubber bands on
4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1 pinch salt
1 cup of cheddar cheese, grated
4 hard boiled eggs, sliced thin
1 cup of finely crushed saltine cracker crumbs
Preheat the oven to 350º. Add the asparagus to a large pot of boiling water, keeping the bundles together with rubber bands or string. Cook for a couple of minutes; the asparagus should be bright green and still crunchy. Lift the bundles out of the water and slice off the tough ends of the asparagus. Drop the trimmed ends back in the boiling water and lower to a simmer.
Run the asparagus tops under cold water to stop the cooking. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the flour to make a roux. Cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the milk and 1 cup of the asparagus cooking liquid. Add the salt and continue cooking until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Add the grated Cheddar and cook, stirring, until melted, about 1 minute.
Arrange the asparagus in the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking dish, alternating the stem ends so each serving includes both heads and stems. Thinly slice the hard-boiled eggs and arrange them over the asparagus. Pour the cheese sauce over the eggs and asparagus and sprinkle with the cracker crumbs. Bake until lightly browned and bubbles appear around the edges, about 20 minutes.
Perfect Boiled Rice
4 cups of water
2 cups of rice
1 teaspoon of salt
Stove Top
Bring water to a rolling ball, stir in salt and rice and return to a boil. Stir, cover immediately, reduce heat to very low simmer and cook for 20 minutes, covered. Don't peek and don't lift the lid! After 20 minutes, remove the pot from the burner and set aside, keeping covered. Allow the rice to continue steaming until ready to serve. Use a fork to fluff. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers.
Tip: To freshen refrigerated or frozen rice, defrost, sprinkle lightly with water, cover tightly and microwave on high until hot and tender.
How to Hard Boil an Egg
The eggs should be refrigerated. Place them in a bowl of salt water—if the egg floats it means it is not fresh, but may still be OK to use for other dishes. Place the fresh eggs gently in an empty pot. Be sure to do so one by one to avoid breaking the egg. Similarly, do not place more than four layers of eggs in the pot.
If you accidentally crack an egg, add salt or vinegar to the water. This may help the proteins in the egg white coagulate faster, thus plugging the cracks in the shell.
Fill the pot with enough cold tap water to cover the eggs completely. There should be about 1 inch of water over them. Although it increases cooking time, be sure to use cold water. This will help keep the eggs from overcooking. Likewise, do not place cold eggs in a pot of hot water, the shells will crack immediately and the egg will run. Place the pot on a stove and turn it on. Cook the eggs on medium heat; if boiling is too intense the eggs can jump and break.
Add a pinch of salt to the water. This will make the eggs easier to peel because, as mentioned earlier, the proteins coagulate and firm up, making the white easier to separate from the shell. Eggs that are slightly less fresh are also easier to peel because their higher pH strengthens the membrane. This can be simulated by making the cooking water more alkaline with a half teaspoon of baking soda per quart of water.
Put on a lid. Bring the water to the point of boiling over high heat. From here, there are two main schools of thought regarding how to get a perfectly hard boiled egg. The following method assumes you started with cold, refrigerated eggs.
As soon as the water boils, turn off the heat, but keep the pot on the warm stove. Do not remove the lid. Leave the eggs in the hot water for fifteen minutes. It is important you do not start the timer until you turn off the heat. Too much time will make the eggs discolored and smelly, while too little time will cause them to be runny.
Stop the cooking process. To see if the egg is hard boiled, whirl it fast on a table. If it turns fast, it is hard boiled. If it turns slowly, it is soft boiled. Chill the eggs by placing them under cold running water or in a bowl of ice water. After that, immediately remove them from cold water and set aside or store in a refrigerator. Chilling the eggs helps to separate eggshell from the egg. However, this effect is lessened if you leave the eggs in cold water for too long.
Peel the eggs when they are cool enough to handle. It's easier to peel them under cold running water. Roll egg on a flat surface to crack the shell slightly prior to peeling. Start peeling from the thick end of the egg. There is a slight indentation under the shell there that will facilitate the peeling process. Once you crack the shell, be sure to grab the membrane directly under the shell as well. Doing so will make peeling a lot easier. Some people say that really fresh eggs are harder to peel, so try boiling eggs that you have had for a few days.
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