DEAR SUN SPOTS: The Nezinscot Valley Music Boosters are looking for entries from home cooks and local businesses for the fourth annual Chili & Chowder Cook-Off on Oct. 27.

The event runs from 4 to 6 p.m. and features entertainment from the Portland-based bluegrass band Tricky Britches.

Judging is done by the community, and the event is a fundraiser for the boosters. For more information, contact me. — Meghan, 207-336-2557, mwright@rsu10.org 

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Does anyone know the secret to peeling boiled eggs? i have tried brown and white eggs. Some peel quite easily, others just won’t peel and I wind up with a mess.

I put them in a pan, cover with water, bring to a boil, leave them sit in the hot water for 10 minutes, then put them into cold water and then try to peel them. Have so-so luck. Any suggestions? — Charles Bagley, nofishfs1@myfairpoint.net

ANSWER: Sun Spots has had this question before and found numerous “guaranteed” methods online. They did not always work.
Sun Spots uses a method very similar to yours, with a couple of minor changes.

* Make sure the eggs are old. If you buy from a grocery, that probably isn’t a problem, but you could set aside the eggs you want to boil in a different part of your fridge and let them sit there for a week or two.

* After you’ve cooled down the eggs with cold water, let them sit for a while. Don’t peel right away.

* To peel, break the shell, then roll the egg between your hands to loosen up the shell. Peel under cold running water.

Readers will certainly have their own tips as well.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I hope you can help with this cooking dilemma. Chefs say that in baking the size of the egg does matter.  When some of the eggs have double yolks, do we have to cut back on the amount of eggs called for in the original recipe? I recently made a recipe that called for five eggs but ended up with seven yolks. — Not a Betty Crocker, Lewiston

ANSWER: Most recipes call for large eggs. It is not common to get double yolks in large eggs. Are you buying jumbos?

Online research differs about whether it matters if you use a double-yolk egg, with most saying it doesn’t matter.

The yolk and the white have different properties, with the white serving to bind. If you have a second yolk, you are getting less white. However, the yolks in double-yolk eggs do tend to be smaller, so it probably isn’t that different. 

Sun Spots does not use them in baking. She has food allergies and has to use alternative flours and milk, so adding another variable in her baking seems pointlessly risky. She just saves them for scrambled eggs.

Readers, what do you think?

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I hope you can help me out with a kitchen problem — fruit flies. I have had them off and on all summer, and even though I don’t leave anything out on the counter they are still around. I even discovered them in some hydrangeas that I brought in for a bouquet.

I have tried vinegar with some detergent and that has killed a bunch, but they are still around. Thanks for your help. — Frances, Lewiston, wfmiller1@roadrunner.com

ANSWER: Did you put the vinegar in a narrow-throated bottle? That helps trap the little devils. 

The last time Sun Spots had this question, a reader wrote in and suggested using a piece of wax paper over the container with the vinegar, then punching small holes in it with a skewer.

Other readers suggested frequent emptying of trash and not leaving wet towels and sponges around.

One reader suggested leaving the vinegar trap out all summer and into the shoulder seasons, changing the vinegar every couple of weeks.

Fruit flies are frequent and prolific breeders and as such are sometimes used by scientists studying genetics.

According to Orkin.com, a female fruit fly lays about 500 eggs at a time. They live about 40 to 50 days, so you can see how quickly they could overtake your kitchen.

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be emailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.

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