CATEGORY
Hard-Boiled Eggs
2007 ChefsBest Certified Award Winner
Eggland’s Best
What Makes a Good Hard-Boiled Egg?
When you have a quick hankering for a hard-boiled egg, what could be more convenient than a carton of pre-cooked, pre-peeled eggs in your refrigerator? They can also come in handy when preparing deviled eggs or egg salad sandwiches for a large group.
Our chefs define high-quality hard-boiled eggs as being white and free of yolk stains. Also, no shell pieces should appear on the outside surface. When cut in half, the interior should appear properly cooked. A grayish ring around the yolk indicates an overcooked egg. The egg’s mild aroma should include no inappropriate off notes, including sulfur, chemical or packaging notes.
The only basic taste in high-quality hard-boiled eggs should be low natural sweetness. No other basic tastes should be present.
In the flavor profile, a mild egg flavor will dominate. Old eggs tend to have a higher flavor intensity, which is why a mild flavor is ideal. The egg flavor character should resemble a fresh boiled egg, not an older egg with sulfur notes. As with the aroma, there should be no flavor off notes detracting from the overall flavor.
The egg whites' texture should be a cross between rubbery and delectably chewy. The yolk texture should be more creamy than dry, but not so creamy that it seems undercooked. High-quality hard-boiled eggs should have a moderate dissolve and a brief aftertaste. Egg flavor should not linger for too long on the palate.
When made into an egg salad sandwich, the egg salad flavor should be slightly stronger than the bread flavor, but the egg salad flavor should not dominate the sandwich flavor as a whole. A high-quality hard-boiled egg’s mild flavor—combined with the other ingredients—should make for a balanced and satisfying sandwich.
Product Category Definition
The category judged was defined as refrigerated, peeled hard-boiled eggs for the consumer market, not including refrigerated uncooked eggs or egg substitutes.
Other Leading Brands:
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ONE-STEP IDEAS
Top lettuce with chopped ham, cubed cheese, tomato wedges and sliced hard-boiled eggs for a healthy chef’s salad.
For a twist on deviled eggs, mash egg yolks with ripe avocado and a dash of hot sauce before spooning or piping back into the egg white halves.
Mash with a fork and stir in some mayonnaise and a touch of Dijon mustard to make tasty egg salad.
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TASTING
TERMINOLOGY
PRODUCT
FUN FACTS
- Chickens were domesticated 5,000 years ago in Southeast Asia and India.
- It takes nearly 26 hours for a hen to produce an egg. Thirty minutes later, she starts all over again.
- The U.S. boasts nearly 240 million laying hens that produce more than 50 billion eggs per year.
The ChefsBest Certified Award is awarded to brands highly rated overall by independent professional chefs.
