Eggs, the slacker's approach

Here's a snack-tastic idea: Keep a bowl of hardboiled eggs in the refrigerator.

I do, and you wouldn't believe how often Fred or I grab for it.

The big advantage, of course, is having such a versatile food item always at the ready. In a pinch, I pick up an egg, peel it and presto. Zero planning required. Zero prep time. Believe me, my egg bowl has bailed me out more than once.

Another advantage: no need for fancy-schmancy gadgets. Just boil 'em, drop 'em into a bowl (shells intact) and refrigerate. Whenever you feel the need, just pull one out, peel and pop in your mouth.

Other advantages:

• virtually no fuss, no mess, no dirty dishes (unless you so choose)
• easy to flavor, with tons of ways to dress them up
• storable (in fridge) for 2+ weeks
• become easier to peel over time
• affordable source of high-quality protein
• easily digested
• easy to separate white from yolk, thus controlling fat intake (Some amount of yolk is good for you, but we tend to discard much of it.)

We use hardboiled eggs on sandwiches, in salads or as part of a deli plate. We even bag them (pre-peeled, usually) and cary them hiking, or as a post-exercise snack, or to eat in the car during an afternoon of scheduled events.

How do we make 'em?

We do up 18 at a time — that's how many fit in our large pot — boiling them for about 9 minutes (counting from when the water starts to boil). At that point, we stop the cooking process by holding the pan under cold running water for a minute or so.

Eggstra details

1 (large) egg =

• 70 calories
• 6 grams of complete protein (i.e. all nine essential amino acids)
• 5 grams of fat, only 1.5 grams of which is saturated
• prime source of lutein, which is thought to contribute to eye health
• some cholesterol, but dietary cholesterol does not appear to raise blood cholesterol
• chockablock with vitamins and minerals (far too boring to list 'em all here).