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I Tried the Instant Pot Egg Loaf Hack and It’s Actually Kind of Brilliant (You Don’t Have to Peel Any Eggs)

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Credit: Amelia Rampe

Recently, as I was researching all the ways to make egg salad for Kitchn’s egg salad showdown , I stumbled across a recipe for Instant Pot Egg Loaf. Though the concept isn’t new, I personally had never seen it before, and the photo instantly drew me in: the round loaf had several hard egg yolks popping up on the surface, and the chopped section looked just like chopped hard-boiled eggs. I’m always looking for new and interesting ways to use my Instant Pot, so I figured it was worth giving it a try. Here’s how it all went down.

Get the recipe : Instant Pot Egg Loaf

Credit: Amelia Rampe

How to Make an Instant Pot Egg Loaf

You’ll start by adding water to the Instant Pot’s inner liner pot. Then, crack the eggs into a greased heatproof 6-inch round baking pan . Place the baking pan on the Instant Pot’s trivet and use the trivet to gently lower the pan into the basin of the Instant Pot. Cook on HIGH for 6 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes before manually releasing the remaining pressure. Remove the pan and admire your work: 8 hard-boiled eggs all formed into a cute round loaf. Invert the loaf onto a cutting board, and once it’s cooled, chop it up and use it however you please, such as in egg salad or potato salad.

Because I don’t own a 6-inch round cake pan (and I have a feeling that’s true for many people), I placed the trivet at the bottom of the Instant Pot basin, cracked my eggs into an 8-inch metal cake pan, then used tongs to lower the cake pan into the Instant Pot and cooked according to instructions. While this was a little less graceful than using a 6-inch pan, the results came out the same.

Credit: Amelia Rampe

My Honest Review of the Instant Pot Egg Loaf

This egg-cooking method worked like a charm! It was easy, hands-off, and yielded perfect results on my very first try. The egg white texture wasn’t exactly like a hard-boiled egg — it kind of lived somewhere between a fried egg and a hard-boiled egg — but if you were to use the egg loaf in an egg salad, it wouldn’t be that noticeable.

With that said, I initially struggled to see why this method is any better than just hard boiling eggs in water. The cook time is about the same, and you have to factor in the time it takes to build pressure in the pot. But then I had a flashback.

It was my first time assisting a chef at the James Beard House. I had been in culinary school for maybe three weeks at the time, and I was super green and nervous to be there. The chef gave me one task: peel a giant bowl of hard-boiled eggs covered in ice cold water. A combination of my nerves and the arthritis in my hands — which was exacerbated by the cold water — rendered me almost useless to peel. My hands were stiff and achey, and looking back, I’m pretty embarrassed by how the eggs turned out.

So here’s why I really think the Instant Pot Egg Loaf is a win: you don’t have to use an ice bath, and you don’t have to peel any eggs! That’s a nice perk in general, but it’s especially nice for people like me who struggle with arthritis.

Credit: Amelia Rampe

If You’re Making the Instant Pot Egg Loaf, a Few Tips

1. Use a 6-inch pan, if you have it . Though my 8-inch pan worked just fine, I do think this process would be easier with a smaller pan, because you can lower it down into the Instant Pot directly on the trivet rather than needing to use tongs.
2. Use the eggs to make Carla Hall’s egg salad . Carla Hall’s egg salad , which features a homemade chive mayo, should absolutely be the first thing you make with your egg loaf. It was the clear winner of the egg salad showdown.

Have you tried the Instant Pot Egg Loaf? Let us know in the comments!

Source : food