Early Christians used red colored eggs to symbolize the Resurrection. England began the tradition of writing and drawing on eggs, by putting messages and dates on eggs, then exchanging them with friends and loved ones. In the 1800's, with the industrial revolution under way, ornate candied eggs were created. They were open on one end and a scene was put inside. They were used as table centerpieces.
Before we decorate we must make
a good hard-boiled egg. Let's look at science to understand why those
gray rings appear around an egg, then see what that means in layman's
terms.
How to Hard-boil an Egg
Among their many properties, eggs
contain iron and sulfur. Cooking combines these two properties chemically
within an improperly cooked egg, and forms ferrous sulfide. Ferrous
sulfide is the gray-green ring around the outside of a cooked yolk and
is produced as a result of overcooking and/or too high a temperature.
To cook hard boiled eggs that will offer the sunniest of centers, bring
water to a rolling bowl, then lower to a gentle simmer. Gently put egg/eggs
in the water in a single layer. (A metal frying basket works well if
you are cooking a lot of eggs.) Simmer gently for 12 to fifteen minutes,
depending on the size of the egg. Do NOT cook longer than 15 minutes.
When the time is up, drain and plunge into cold water to stop further
cooking.
Leftover Hard-boiled Eggs
What do we do with leftover Easter
eggs? Once again we call upon that great human resource - the imagination.
We concoct a recipe, then use our imaginations a little more and create
variations on that recipe.
Remember that a chilled egg is easier
to slice. A warmer yolk will crumble more easily.
Here are some ideas for using up
Easter eggs. If we've missed your favorite idea, send it to us over
e-mail. click to e-mail
recipes
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