The Only Egg Hacks You Need

There are a million and one egg hacks floating around on the internet. Believe me, I’ve read them all. That’s why, as Handsome Brook Farm’s CMO, I’ve taken it upon myself to narrow them down to the cream of the carton. Commit these tips to memory, and you should be good as golden (yolks).

Hack 1: The Miracle of the Microwave

If the daunting complexity of attempting  to make the best poached eggs has been turning you off, it’s time to turn that microwave on. Say goodbye to frantic swirling and vinegar-flavored eggs with this stellar microwave-based recipe. Simply fill a glass halfway with water, crack your egg into the glass, cover it with a plate and microwave for a minute. You’ll be done before you have time to toast your bread.

Hack 2: Café au ... Egg?

Egg hacks aside, I’m a staunch supporter of the good ol’ drip coffee pot (that gurgling sound get anyone else through college?). Turns out, though, this handy kitchen staple is good for more than just a solid cup of coffee. Fill up your machine with water (a 12-cup machine should do), and gently place about 4 eggs into the pot. Click the pot into place and hit the “on” button. Wait for the eggs to be completely covered in water, let them bathe for 10-12 minutes, and that’s right — you now have yourself a hearty set of perfect hard-boiled eggs. Dump out the hot water, fill with cold water, and then head to Hack #3...

Hack 3: Stop, shock & roll. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good night egg (I see you, Chrissy), but sometimes figuring out how to peel a hard-boiled egg is enough to deter me from the snack altogether. So what’s an eggthusiast to do? Stop, shock & roll. Cold tip: shocking your hard-boiled eggs in ice water helps stop the cooking process and loosens the shell (the inner white quickly contracts away from the shell). Once cool, take your egg and roll it gently on the counter to loosen up the membrane and shell. Peel them under running water and voila! You have yourself a shell-free night egg.

Hack 4: Bubble Trouble

Sure, your fridge is probably stocked with the newest social media-friendly seltzer, but did you know you can use it to make a batch of the fluffiest scrambled eggs? Thanks to this The Kitchen tip, now I do too. Turns out, all you have to do is swap out the milk you’ve been using with a tablespoon of plain seltzer (one Tbs for every 2 eggs will do). I’d probably steer clear of the fruitier stuff, but to each their own! 

Hack 5: Flat Egg Theory

“How to crack an egg” is unquestionably one of the most contested topics out there, but as HBF’s resident eggspert (I’m sorry, the puns are killin’ me too), I feel it’s my responsibility to throw my proverbial hat into the ring. My life changed the day I realized that cracking my eggs on the side of bowls and counters wasn’t doing me any favors. In fact, counter-intuitively, the best place to crack an egg is actually on a FLAT surface. Turns out, when you do this, the membrane remains intact and actually helps hold the small pieces of shell in place so that they don’t fall into your bowl. Genius.