Centering an Egg Yolk

[shel]

Are there any techniques for perfectly centering the yolk, or the cavity in which the yolk was located, in a hard boiled egg? The idea is to make deviled eggs, all with the filling nicely centered.

shel

shel

[phatch]

The fresher the egg, the better centered the yolk in general. Not a perfect solution but the best I know of.

The counter to that is the fresher the egg, the harder to peel.

Phil

[foodnfoto]

We food stylists have to do this all the time-as well as have perfectly cooked sunny yellow yolks. Here's how I do it:
Put your eggs in the pot and cover them with a generous amount of cold water. Place the pot over high heat and begin gently stirring the eggs in a clockwise direction. Then, after a minute or two, reverse directions, stirring slowly, but constantly. Bring the whole thing to a boil, reduce heat to a low bubble and boil for 3 minutes, still stirring gently. Remove from heat, cover and allow to sit for 7 minutes, then drain and run under cold water until cool enough to handle and peel. The result is a perfectly centered yolk.
Peel under a slow stream of cold water. It's much easier to peel them while still warm. Also, hard cooked eggs peel better when they are not so fresh so if you know you have to make them in a week or two, buy your eggs and let them sit in the fridge for a week.
Good luck!

[Luc_H]

Shel, are you ready for a Cliff Claven moment?

What Foodnfoto is saying makes a lot of sense.
the yolk is held in the middle of the albumen (white) by 2 spring like strands at each end called chalazas.
If the egg sits still in any position, the yolk will sag down but by spinning and twirling it, it will center itself. In boiling water it's only a question of waiting until the egg white congeals around the yolk to keep it centered.

(side note:... continue at your own risk.... when the egg is hatched the hen lies the egg on its side. The hen will rotate the egg periodically in the same direction. Inside, the yolk is surrounded with watery albumen near the shell's midsection and around the yolk and, thick albumen. midway between the yolk and shell and towards the egg ends. The yolk's weight is uneven so that the heavy side always faces down. If the egg is rotated the yolk stays fix but the thick albumen spins around it. Thick albumen can be spun into strands this way. If the egg is turned often the yolk gets wrapped like a candy wrap twisted at both ends. These twists are the white strings attached to the yolk when you crack open an egg. The chalazas act like a seatbelt holding the yolk in the middle of the egg.)

Luc H.

[Ma Facon]

After the yolk is removed, Scoop out the cooked white and pipe in the yolk mixture of your choice. Make sure they are served in the center of the plate in the center of the room You could always seperate the raw eggs and find a mold of your liking and poach the whites in the mold and scoop out with melon baller. Cook the yolks (steam/poach etc...) and then pipe them . This way every egg would be the same (IF YOU COULD SCOOP IN THE CENTER OF THE WHITE).

[greyeaglem]

I just read something recently about centering yolks for deviled eggs where they said to turn the eggs upside down in the carton the day before you boil them. Never tried it, so don't know if it works.

[kuan]

Originally Posted by Ma Facon

After the yolk is removed, Scoop out the cooked white and pipe in the yolk mixture of your choice. Make sure they are served in the center of the plate in the center of the room You could always seperate the raw eggs and find a mold of your liking and poach the whites in the mold and scoop out with melon baller. Cook the yolks (steam/poach etc...) and then pipe them . This way every egg would be the same (IF YOU COULD SCOOP IN THE CENTER OF THE WHITE).

Heh. Actually a good idea given the proper circumstances.

[Risque Cakes]

But ....WHY would you want to? isn't it a fact that the Deviled Eggs look so pretty because of what they LOOK like? I would think it weired if my deviled eggs were perfectly centered...wondering WHO or WHAT laid them...lol

[KYHeirloomer]

If that bothers you, Risque Cakes, you surely don't want to try mine. I have a device that lets me make cubical eggs. People really wonder about the kind of chickens that lay square eggs.

Even worse is when I first cube 'em, then turn them into Amish Red Beet Eggs. Square and purple both!

[Risque Cakes]

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer

If that bothers you, Risque Cakes, you surely don't want to try mine. I have a device that lets me make cubical eggs. People really wonder about the kind of chickens that lay square eggs.

Even worse is when I first cube 'em, then turn them into Amish Red Beet Eggs. Square and purple both!

Well, actually...that's kinda cool!

[shakeandbake]

Originally Posted by foodnfoto

...Bring the whole thing to a boil, reduce heat to a low bubble and boil for 3 minutes, still stirring gently. Remove from heat, cover and allow to sit for 7 minutes, then drain and run under cold water until cool enough to handle and peel.

I just cooked up a couple dozen eggs using your 3/7 timing and the yokes are cooked perfectly, rich yellow, no darkening or greening. Usually, I'm hit or miss with the cooking time. There are many ways to boil an egg, but this is how I will doing it in the future. Thanks.

[foodnfoto]

So happy it worked for you Shake! Woo-hoo!

[KYHeirloomer]

Shel,

If the cavities are a little off-center, no sweat. Use a large star-tip when you pipe the mixture into the eggs. After filling the cavity, use the piping bag to make the piled-up mixture look centered.

Doesn't really matter where the cavity is with this technique, because the visual effect is what counts.

[ChefBoyofDees]

The way I learned was to put a rubberband around the carton of eggs...then turn them on their side in the refrigerator. Leave them there for a day or so before you want to hardboil them. Then cook as recommended. When I do that, my eggs are all centered poifectly...Instead of using a pastry bag and star tip, an easier way is to use a sandwich baggie...open the bag and place in a drinking glass...(curl down the overlap over the glass), fill you bag, remove from glass and then just snip off a small end of the bag. Squeeze the bag as you would a pastry bag and proceed from them. If you want the star tip, you can place it in the bag BEFORE you place the bag in the glass. By doing this, you end up with little waste...and you can just throw the bag away.

"It may not be the RIGHT way.....but it IS the Cowboy way!"

[Risque Cakes]

Originally Posted by shel

Why would anyone want to decorate a cake? Isn't it a fact that they look so nice when they're plain and simple. Just trying to make a point here - mostly I don't care much for deviled eggs, and have thought little about making them. However, a friend likes them, and I decided to make some for her upcoming birthday, stuffing the eggs with salmon and crab, and I'd like them to look "perfect" and wish to make a nice presentation on the platter that I give her.

shel

Cakes were "BORN" to be decorated artistically!

But, each to his or her own madness..