Why You’ll Love These Hard Boiled Eggs

I love having hard boiled eggs in the fridge, ready to go. They are so easy to make and there are a million ways you can use them. We eat them most mornings. Here’s why this particular recipe has my heart.

• Consistent results. A lot of hard boiled egg recipes will have you bring the water to a boil with the eggs in it. This yields inconsistent results because it greatly depends on the pan you use and how quickly your stove brings the water to a boil. The method outlined in this post boils the water first, then adds the eggs. The pan or stove doesn’t matter because the water is already boiling. Only the time in the boiling water matters. So, as long as you set a timer, you should get the same results every time.
• Customizable. I love that you can use the same recipe to make hard boiled eggs, soft boiled eggs, saucy, runny eggs, and everything in between. Same method, just different cooking times.
• Versatile. There are so many ways to use hard (or soft) boiled eggs. Enjoy them on toast for breakfast, as an easy snack, as the key ingredient in an egg salad sandwich, and more. Check out the section below titled “Serving Suggestions” for inspiration.

Why Do You Need To Heat Treat Flour?

Raw flour can carry harmful bacteria such as e. colli and/or salmonella. Heat treating it (heating it to 160°F before using) kills off those bacteria, making the flour safe to consume. You don’t have to worry about heat-treating flour if you are making a recipe that requires time in the oven or on the stovetop (enough to heat the flour past 160°). But if you are preparing a no-bake or no-cook recipe that contains flour, you will want to take this extra step to ensure food safety.

The Best Way to Soften Butter

It’s a frequently overlooked or poorly done step in countless baking recipes. Have you ever wondered why your baked good came out flat? Or why your batter or dough didn’t whip up properly? It’s very possible that it had something to do with the butter.

When you cream butter and sugar at the beginning of a recipe, you are actively incorporating air into the dough or batter. That air plays a significant role in making your baked goods light and fluffy. Starting with overly cold or overly melted butter will ruin the butter’s capacity to incorporate air. So pay attention to the following tips and tricks on how to melt butter unless you want a dense bread, cookie, cake, or [insert your favorite baked good here].

There’s no doubt that I’m a huge fan of cheesecake. The sheer number of cheesecake recipes on my site gives me away. I love the classics and I love unique twists. And with all the cheesecake baking I’ve done over the years, I’ve learned a lot and my number one tip for success is a water bath. If you want a beautiful cheesecake free of cracks, over-browned edges and a sunken middle, you need to use a water bath.

What is a Water Bath?

Cheesecake is basically a custard-based dessert and therefore needs to be treated differently. A water bath, also known as a bain marie, is our secret to the perfect cheesecake. It produces steam that wafts throughout the oven, helping to ensure that the cheesecake cooks evenly and stays nice and creamy. It also moderates the heat on the sides of the pan so that they edges don’t cook much faster than the center.

Why Use a Water Bath?

The benefits of a water bath are plenty. It gives you a cheesecake that:

• Is free of cracks.
• Doesn’t over cook or over brown on the edges.
• Doesn’t sink in the middle while cooking.
• Stays super smooth and creamy.

However, water baths can often be confusing, leak and generally be a pain. So I’m excited to share my methods with you today because they aren’t complicated, won’t leak and it is SO much better than not using a water bath. You spend so much time making a cheesecake – don’t skip this final step and end up with an underwhelming result.