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Note: I usually find steamed eggs to be a little easier to peel than baked eggs, but just barely. I think the difference may be that the small amount of egg white that’s pushed out of the pores is left to caramelize on the surface of the baked eggs, but is continuously washed away by the steam and therefore doesn’t gum up the works. The fact that the shell of the baked egg gets significantly hotter during cooking than the shell of the steamed egg may also be a factor. Still, I prefer the slightly creamier texture of baked eggs to steamed. I imagine it’s because the dry heat moves into these eggs more slowly than the steam heat does.

Of course, you can’t enjoy hard-cooked eggs without peeling them. And, as usual, there is a best way to accomplish this.

Take an egg from the bowl of cooling water and gently tap it against a counter or the side of your sink. Rotate it as you go, with the intention of cracking as much of the surface of the shell as possible. When you’ve cracked everywhere there is to crack, take the egg and roll it gently between the palms of your hands. This will help to loosen the membrane just under the fragmented shell.

Now turn the egg until you find where the air space was. It will be easy to spot because there will be a convenient gap between the shell and the white beneath. Submerge the egg in the cold water and start peeling from this spot. With practice you’ll be able to take the entire shell off in a long strip—just like peeling an orange.

Software for Baked Eggs :

2 to 4 dozen large eggs

Hardware :

Baking sheet

Large mixing bowl

Oven-proof gloves

Softwar for Boiledor Steamed Eggs :

1 to 6 eggs

Hardware :

Electric Kettle or sauce pan

with lid

Metal steamer basket

Tongs

Large mixing bowl

Pickled Eggs

I ate my first pickled egg on a dare (come to think of it, a lot of my “firsts” were dares). When I was in ninth grade, my friends and I used to walk every morning to a little store near the school to sugar-load and flirt with trouble. (We looked so cool in our Starsky and Hūtch-inspired fashions.) Anyway, there was this big jug at the end of the counter that looked like it had been left behind by a traveling side show. Dark, alien-looking ovals lurked therein, along with—rumor had it—a dead chicken. Well, one day big talk led to big money (three bucks if I remember correctly), and I found myself in possession of an embalmed chicken embryo mummified in waxed paper. Prepared to die, I took a bite. I’ve loved them ever since. The “Dark and Lovely” eggs will turn that way because of the Liquid Smoke.

Place all of the ingredients except the eggs in a sauce pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the salt and/or sugar dissolves. Place the eggs in a 1-quart jar and pour the hot mixture over the eggs, making sure to cover them completely with liquid. Let cool to room temperature, then put the lid on the jar. Refrigerate for 4 weeks (see Notes) before serving.

Yield: 1 dozen pickled eggs

Notes: Liquid Smoke is a seasoning made from hickory smoke concentrate. It is available in most supermarkets—look in the barbecue sauce section.

Although the high acidity of the liquid in both recipes should keep any bad bugs away, please keep these refrigerated. They should keep for about 2 months once pickled.

Software : For “Dark and Lovely” pickled eggs:

2 ¼ cups cider vinegar

¼ cup water

1¼ tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1¼ teaspoons pickling spice

¼ teaspoon Liquid Smoke (see Notes)

1 tablespoon salt

¾ teaspoon chile flakes

1 dozen large hard-cooked eggs,

peeled

For “Classic” pickled eggs:

2¼ cups apple cider

¾ cup champagne vinegar

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons pickling spice

6 whole cloves garlic

1 dozen large hard-cooked eggs,

peeled

Hardware :

Sauce pan

1-quart jar with lid, preferably

glass, but not metal

Deviled Eggs

If you’re making hard-cooked eggs, why not serve them deviled?