How to Bake Hard-Boiled Eggs in the Oven

I absolutely love The Egg Genie. It is the ultimate hard- boiled egg cooker of all times. No fuss, no muss and it can cook up to seven perfectly hard-boiled eggs each and every time. Follow the prep directions that come with it, plug it in, sit back and await the buzz of the timer, transfer the cooked eggs into a bowl of cold water to cool and then peel and enjoy. Washing the plastic components is probably the least enjoyable part of the process.


Tonight, as I was reading through a few blogs and surfing for some easy and different recipes, I came across what I considered to be a very interesting recipe as well as a challenge to The Egg Genie: Oven Baked Hard-Boiled Eggs.


Thinking about the chilly and rainy weather we're experiencing this evening, I considered this a perfect opportunity to step up to the plate and take the challenge:

The Egg Genie VS The Electric Oven.

Here are the step-by-step instructions that I followed to bake one dozen hard boiled eggs:

Preheat your oven to 325. Place once dozen eggs into a standard 12-count muffin pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes.



Some of the eggshells may have a few brown spots on them after the baking process, but these will wash off easily in the water and do not leave a blemish on the edible part of the egg. (My egg shells are brown; I doubt this will happen to the white egg shells.)


The shells on two of my eggs split open during the baking; I think I overcooked them. No big deal - they'll be used in a delicious egg salad tomorrow!




Place the cooked eggs into a cold water bath to cool for handling; this also prevents the yolk from turning green. Because my eggs were very fresh (home grown), the shell peeled somewhat hard - the same as they do when cooked in The Egg Genie.

After the cooked eggs are cool enough to handle they can be peeled and eaten in your favorite recipe.

AND THE WINNER OF THIS CHALLENGE IS:

IT'S A TIE!!!!

The eggs from both methods were cooked to perfection as well as great tasting. The Egg Genie method serves a good purpose when it's only necessary to cook up to seven eggs and the Baked in the Oven method serves a good purpose when it's necessary to cook up to 12 eggs. Both methods require light washing of the cookware (neither serious) so bottom line....it depends on how many bellies are to be fed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A TIP FOR PEELING YOUR EGGS:

Roll the cooked egg between the palms of your hands or on a table top to loosen up the shell. Break open one end of the egg and insert the tip of a kitchen teaspoon between the white and the shell and run it around the entire inside of the shell. This will separate the shell from the egg white for a quick and clean peeling. : )

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

THANK YOU GIRLS!

COME TO MAMMA!

My Beautiful Orange Day Lilly

This orange Day Lilly, astoundingly beautiful and growing in my own flower bed, deserves it's own recognition.

But, how did it go unscathed from the pecking of the hens?

Patio Tomatoes (and lettuce) in Non-traditional Containers 2012

2011 was crazy and 2012 is crazier yet but I'm finding time (thanks to some terrific relatives who fill in for me at the mini nursing home) to devote to planting a veggie garden once again.

Not having the time during the summer of 2011 to get the garden tilled had me searching for different ways to incorporate a small quantity of tomato plants within close proximity to our house. Because my non-traditional planting of a few patio tomato plants proved to be very successful in 2011, it only made sense to continue this method in 2012. 

It doesn't get any better than stepping out your door and picking a fresh tomato. Limited garden space isn't a good excuse for not having home-grown tomatoes at your fingertips during the warm summer months. Sure, there's always an abundance of fancy pots and/or planters available for purchase to use for growing patio tomatoes but try to be resourceful and take a good look around your home, shed, garage, barn, etc. for something that you can recycle to serve this purpose.

We used the same 'refurbished' hot water tank this year that we used last year to house our three patio tomato plants. Of course if it worked last year why wouldn't it work this year?

OK, so it's not the best looking receptacle but it serves the purpose well and the price is right.

Of course three tomato plants are not a requirement - one plant or two would work just as well.

Just be sure your container is placed where it will receive lots of sunlight and that there is drainage in the bottom of the pot.

Keep the soil moist and you will indeed be rewarded with an abundance of juicy red tomatoes

WOW! Look at the size of these baby tomatoes. Totally organic - no pesticides required!

This non-traditional 'red neck' tomato planter has proven worthy of housing our patio tomato plants last year (2011), this year (2012), and you bet it will be in service for many years to come.

Whoops! I almost forgot to show you my non-traditional  lettuce planting.

Last year the Radio Flyer Wagon successfully housed a tomato plant but this year I rotated the crops (ha ha) and instead used it to grow my lettuce.

I know it looks a little scary but the stuff is delish!

Are you thinking what I'm thinking - another 'red neck' planter????

Non-traditional or unconventional, hmmm, good question!

ONE WEEK LATER - UPDATE ON THE SALAD GREENS:  I made a to-die-for salad from the salad greens grown in the wagon. If you can find some salad greens in some greenhouse already started I highly recommend you plant some NOW. Every bite of these greens provides a crunch of freshness that is far beyond the taste of any store bought lettuce. GO FOR IT!