Cooking Cute: Molded Eggs Tutorial

For minimal effort, molded eggs can add a hefty load of cute factor to your bento. They also look nice on party platters – if you have a steady hand, you can make the most unique deviled eggs known to mankind.

Molded eggs also are a great way of encouraging reluctant young'uns (and older ones) to eat eggs in their most healthy form. The poor egg has gotten a bad reputation over the years as the yolk contains cholesterol. All that bad press neglects the fact that an egg (with all that yolk) is almost a perfect food – eggs contain the highest quality source of protein available, as well as almost every essential vitamin and mineral needed by humans. Eggs are considered nutrient-dense because they provide more nutrients than calories to your diet. The minimal amount of cholesterol found in an egg isn't the problem anyway – it's all the butter and fat that they're usually cooked in. Ok. Let me get down from my Egg Soapbox.

I own 3 molds (bear, heart, and star) that I purchased from The Bento Store. There are other shapes available, including cube, fish, rabbit, car, bear, and even Hello Kitty herself. Just poke around online and in Asian stores.

The instructions below show how I make my molded eggs (there are different ways to do it, but this works for me). It's a simple process really. Most people just can't believe it's possible. :)

(Click pictures to enlarge)

	This is a typical egg mold. The small flat piece fits in the bottom of the main piece, which allows you to easily remove the egg later.
	Hard-boil some extra-large eggs (smaller eggs will not fill the mold completely). Run them under cold water just to cool them down to the point where you can peel them without burning your fingers. It is important that the eggs be as hot as possible when they go into the mold. Put the bottom piece of the mold in.
	Place the hot egg into the egg mold. Amazing how so much of the egg is exposed, eh?
	Squish the egg down with the lid of the mold.
	Latch the lid securely. Then place the egg mold into the refrigerator while you go about other business. After about 10 minutes, it is ready to be removed.
	Unlatch and remove the lid. Flip the mold over and press through the hole to push the egg out of the mold.
	It should slide out easily, with the bottom piece still stuck to it.
	Remove the bottom piece and your molded egg is ready to go! If you like, slice it horizontally using a sharp knife and a sawing motion (don't try to press through it with sheer force).