robert, I’ve heard of the PC technique but don’t know about it. Could you elaborate please?
I’ve used a technique for years and I swear it’s from Julia Child but I’v never verified that. Start the eggs in cold tap water and bring to a boil. Cover, remove from heat for 17 (???) minutes. Put into ice water and crack them all around. Let set for five minutes. Peel, frequently putting under the water. Works for me but it sounds like hocus-pocus And older eggs are definitely easier.
The vinegar trick is interesting. I know that if you soak hard-boiled eggs in vinegar for a day or so the shell will dissolve. I’m not sure why 14 minutes in a very dilute solution would make much difference.
I used the first recipe here:
Kenji López-Alt’s tests concluded that starting hot, cooking for 11 minutes, then putting in an ice bath gave the best results.
I’m envious that you have a steam oven. My old boss had one. She loved it for polenta and risotto. Also, I asked one of the chefs at Campanile how they made such tender scrambled eggs. She told me that the secret weapon was the steam oven.
Wow! Must try making scrambled eggs that way! There are so few recipes I can find online for steamer ovens. None, really. I gotta try the eggs, though. I was just at a Korean BBQ place that had delicious steamed eggs!
I don’t see steam making a difference in the physics or chemistry.
That’s not exactly the Paula Wolfert recipe I use, which has been 100% foolproof so far. The one in Mediterranean Grains and Greens is 2 cups of polenta and 7-10 cups water, bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, stir, bake 10 minutes more, remove from oven, and wait 5 minutes before serving.
That’s pretty much identical to the recipe Paula Wolfert published.
The ratio of polenta to water varies between 1 to 3 and 1 to 6 depending on what consistency you want. The latter would probably be inappropriate if you want to grill it.