I think that hard-cooked eggs are pretty just as they are. The ones from my hens have bright white whites and deep-yellow yolks. I like polka dots, so a sliced egg’s sunny circles make me happy. It should be enough. It usually is. But, once in awhile I want to push that cute-factor, and that’s when I turn to a trick from Japan – I mold eggs into shapes. The Japanese have been doing this for ages, making adorable hard-cooked eggs for their children’s bento box lunches.
You’ll need molds.
The directions are in Japanese, and the illustration appears to be missing some steps.
Fortunately, I bought these at a local store and was able to ask the Japanese shopkeeper for a translation. It’s easy! Here’s what you do:
If the eggs are from your own hens, wait until they are at least 10 days old. That way they’ll peel easily.
Put the eggs in a pot, add water so that they are covered by an inch. Bring the water to a boil. As soon as the water is rolling, turn off the heat and cover. Let sit for 16 minutes.
Here’s the hard part – you have to peel these when they are still hot. After years of working in kitchens, I have asbestos fingers and can handle hot eggs. But, you might want to run the egg briefly under cold water. Peel immediately and place in the molds.
Snap shut and put in the refrigerator until chilled.
You can also make a homemade heart mold. Cut a piece of cereal box cardboard and fold into a vee. Line with parchment paper. Place the egg in the vee, set a chopstick on top and hold down with rubber bands. The stick has to be pressing down hard enough to cause a clear depression. Do a few extra because you’ll probably have one or two that crack (I think homegrown eggs are firmer and not as pliable.) Chill in the mold.
The heart eggs can be sliced, or you can cut a bit off the bottom so you have fat, upright hearts. So sweet. And just look at this cute bear.
Isn’t it nice that such simple little things can make you smile?
I might have to get the Hello Kitty egg mold next.
if it helps, here’s a trick I learned from my local shop — you can peel the eggs after they’re cool, then when you want to mold them, put them in a bath of hot water for a minute or two. Then they’ll mold just fine. That also allows you to boil several at once and then just mold them as you need to!
Of course I learned all that just to have my kid decide she hates boiled eggs…..oh well!
I think that’s what the directions were trying to illustrate. The back of the package makes much more sense now. Thanks!
HELLO KITTY is mandatory around here! Terry, I FINALLY received my copy of CHICKENS magazine. Loved the article and the picture of you with Agatha Agate! There is an article, THE BASICS OF BEHAVIOR, which is an interview with the person whose web site introduced me to yours. She has Chickam2008 on Ustream.com and jackshenhouse.com
It’s a nice magazine. Glad you got a copy!
Who know?
s/b knew. ;-)
I’m suprised you didn’t steam your eggs. I’m a steamming convert sence your blog about it!
I use both methods. The boiling method allows me to turn off the stove and leave the room to do something else. The steaming method allows me to cook fresher eggs and gets a tad softer texture. Both are good!
Cute! Cute! Cute! I have wanted to try these for a while, but was unconvinced that I could do it right. Thanks for the tips!
OK I really need some of these badly; how on earth do the Japanese come up with these fabulous things? What other shapes are there?
Your hearts are brilliant. Love the idea for deviled eggs. Thanks for the idea.
Those are awesome! I had no idea that you could shape hard-boiled eggs like that, but now i can’t wait to try! :D
So cute! Did you invent the heart-shape method?
I didn’t invent the heart method. It’s been out there for a long time. I’ve also seen directions for making cubes and triangles.