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Many times, eggs are exactly the what-to-fix answer--not just for breakfast. Have you ever noticed at a buffet that the first platter to empty is the deviled eggs? I love deviled eggs--especially creamy deviled eggs with just a hint of sweetness from finely minced shallots (see recipe below).

Other any season, any meal, great egg recipes are stratas (see recipe below). They are like huge, magnificent souffles that don't fall--perfect do-ahead dishes for a crowd.

Deviled Eggs

You would think that making deviled eggs would be easy. However, hardcooked eggs can be difficult, if not impossible to peel, the yolk can turn an unappetizing, yucky, gray-green, and the yolks can be so badly off-center that they are against the outside of the white. Help!

Easy-to-Peel

Using an older egg is the secret of easy peeling. The ease of peeling is related to acidity/alkalinity. When an egg is first laid, it is as acidic as it will ever be. The membranes between the white and the shell are strongly bonded in a very fresh egg. As an egg ages, carbon dioxide in the egg seeps out through the shell and the egg becomes less and less acidic--the membranes become less strongly bonded and the egg is easier to peel. If your market has very fresh eggs, buy them a week ahead of when you want to use them for deviled eggs.

Because you want to keep this high level of alkalinity, you should not add vinegar to the cooking water, as you would for poaching eggs. You can add a bit of salt, though. It makes the egg cook faster to seal any cracks during cooking.

Center the Yolks

Elastic cord-like structures (the stringy things in the egg) called the chalazae run from the yolk sack to each end of the shell holding the yolk safely in the center of the egg.

Eggs are held upright in the carton with the air pocket at the top. The yolks are centered in this position but, when you cook the eggs, they fall over on their sides. So, the egg yolk, which contains fat, is lighter and will float on water (i.e., the egg white, which is primarily water and dissolved proteins). This makes the yolk rise to the high side of the shell and makes it off-centered.

The easiest way to center the yolks is: The night before you want to cook the eggs, tape the carton to prevent its opening, turn the carton on its side and leave it overnight. This allows the chalazae time to adjust to holding the yolks centered with the eggs lying on their side like they will be during cooking.

Cooking schools teach students to twirl the eggs during cooking to center the yolks. This works beautifully and is the way that commercially produced hardcooked eggs are prepared--on rollers. But, this is time consuming and not practical if you're cooking more than one or two eggs. Another solution is to use wire holders or racks designed to hold an egg or several eggs upright during cooking.

Prevent Gray-green Yolks

The ugly green layer on the yolk is caused by iron in the yolk combining with sulfur (hydrogen sulfide) in the white to form green iron sulfide. While the eggs are cooking, heat speeds up this chemical reaction. The longer the egg cooks, the greater the chance for discoloration. Cooking time and quick cooling are important to prevent a green layer from forming. The age of the egg also influences this. With very old eggs the green layer will form faster.

Prevent Cracking During Cooking

It's not the end of the earth if an egg cracks and there is a little white floating in the water. You can add a tablespoon of salt to the water, which will make the white set faster and seal the crack.

Forget piercing the broad end of the shell to allow the expanding gases to escape when the egg is heated. This sounds reasonable but, with fresh eggs, researchers reported that in batches of about five dozen eggs, those batches that were not pierced had an average of only 5 percent of the eggs crack. Batches that were pierced had an average of 55 percent crack! The American Egg Board notes cautiously, "Piercing also often produces hairline cracks in the shell."

However, with an older egg with a less permeable shell and a larger air cell, piercing may help to prevent cracking.

Peeling

An old deli chef who used to hardcook 100 eggs a day taught me a great trick for easy peeling. Rinse the eggs in cold water several times, and then, pour off the water. With the eggs in the pan, shake the pan vigorously to bump and bang the eggs against each other. They will crack all over. Peel the shells off under running water. It is amazing how they practically peel themselves this way.

Cooking

You can hardcooked eggs with a cold-water start or a boiling-water start. I much prefer a cold-water start as in the recipe below because I don't like taking the time to warm the eggs before cooking.

Boiling eggs can make them so tough you need a knife to cut them. I like the method in the recipe below in which most of the cooking occurs as the eggs stand in very hot water.

DEVILED EGGS WITH CAVIAR

Deviled eggs are a must at Southern dinners-on-the-ground, camp meetings, weddings, funerals, and just about any gathering. To have well-centered yolks, the securely-closed carton of eggs is placed on its side the night before cooking. Salt in the water makes the white cook fast and seal cracks on any egg that may break. Letting the eggs stand in hot water for 15 minutes cooks them slowly for tenderness. Running cold water over the egg at the end of cooking cools them quickly to help prevent greening of the yolk surface and makes peeling easier. Banging the eggs against each other in the pan gently cracks the shells and makes them easier to peel. Caviar is kept cold for better taste.

12 large eggs, at least a week old

1-1/2 tablespoons salt, divided

3 medium shallots, finely minced

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/4 teapoon cayenne

4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

Grated zest of 3 lemons

3 tablespoons red caviar, well chilled

1. The night before the eggs are to be cooked, seal the egg carton with a piece of tape and turn on its side to better center the yolks.

2. When ready to cook, place the eggs in a medium saucepan. Add water to cover by 1 1/2 inches. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Partially cover the pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and leave on the heat, covered, for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat and let eggs stand, covered, in the hot water for 15 minutes. Pour off hot water and rinse eggs under cold running water for 5 minutes. Pour off water and shake the pan to bump the eggs against each other until all eggs are well cracked. Cover with cold water.

3. Peel the eggs under running water, drain them, and cut in half, length-wise. Transfer the yolks to a bowl. Cover and chill yolks and whites separately for 1 hour.

4. Saute the shallots in butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until soft, about 3 minutes. Set aside. Mash the yolks with a fork. Mash in the sour cream. Add the mayonnaise, 1-1/4 teaspoons salt, and cayenne. Whisk until well blended. Whisk in the shallots.

5. Fill the egg-white halves with yolk mixture, mounding it up and extending it over part of the white. Generously sprinkle each stuffed egg with chives, leaving a little yellow showing around the edges. Sprinkle each half with lemon zest. Cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve, spoon a small bit of cold caviar onto each half. Serve well chilled. Makes 10 to 12 appetizer servings.

STRATAS

Stratas are excellent for any meal and a wonderful, do-ahead, easy way to feed a crowd.

SIMPLY WONDERFUL STRATA-BROWNED BILLOWS OF CHEESY PUFF

Magnificent puffed casserole is an ideal company or family meal. A complete do-ahead, prepare-the-day-before and this is ready to bake the next day. The subtle flavor of nutmeg adds to good ham and cheese. Use an open, porous bread (like French bread) to form a base for eggs and milk to create a souffle puff. Shallots contribute subtle sweet onion flavors.

1/2 cup butter

4 shallots, finely chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground white or black pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 medium loaf (about 8 oz) French bread, trimmed of crust and torn into 1-inch pieces

(about 8 cups)

3 cups (about 12 oz) grated Gruyere

1 pound coarsely chopped ham

8 large eggs

2-3/4 cups whole milk

1. Heat 1/2 cup butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and green pepper and cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes just to soften. Stir in the salt, pepper, sugar, mustard powder, cayenne, and nutmeg. Pour into a 9-by-13-inch Pyrex baking dish.

2. Place the bread chunks in the dish on top of the shallots-spices mixture. Spread the ham around evenly on the bread pieces and, then, sprinkle the grated Gruyere over the top. Beat together eggs just to blend, then slowly beat in the milk. Pour the egg mixture over all in the dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

3. About 20 minutes before baking, arrange a shelf just below the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/177 degrees C. Remove the plastic wrap from the strata, place it on the arranged shelf, and bake until puffed and browned, about 1 hour. Serve hot. Makes one 9-by-13-inch casserole, serves 6-8.

Food scientist Shirley O. Corriher is author of "Cookwise The How & Whys of Successful Cooking with over 230 great tasting recipes" William Morrow, 1997.

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(c) 2009, Shirley O. Corriher