Learn the best method for how to boil eggs to produce the perfect hard boiled egg every single time without any fuss.
Step 1: Place eggs in the bottom of a saucepan. Be sure not to crowd the eggs in the pan. They should fit comfortably.
Step 2: Fill the pan with cold water, 1 inch above the eggs.
Step 3: Bring the water to a rapid boil on the stovetop over high heat.
Step 4: Once the water comes to a boil, cover the pan with a lid and remove the pan from the heat. Do not lift the lid. Set a timer for the type of boiled egg you want, from 4 minutes to 12 minutes.
Step 5: Fill a large bowl with ice and water.
Step 6: When the eggs reach the desired cooking time, use tongs to remove the eggs from the hot water and immerse gently into the prepared ice water to cool, about 10 minutes.
Step 7: Gently tap the eggs against a hard surface and peel away the shell. Rinse the egg under cold water to remove any bits of shell and pat dry.
How many minutes should I cook my egg?
Soft Boiled (runny or very soft yolk) – 4 to 6 minutes
Hard Boiled (solid cooked yolk) – 8 to 12 minutes
TROUBLESHOOTING
Why does my yolk have a green circle around it?
Unfortunately, a green yolk means you’ve overcooked your eggs.
One of my eggs cracked while boiling. Can I still eat it?
Every once in a while an egg cracks while boiling and may leak some of the interior white and even yolk. The egg is technically still edible as it has been cooked, albeit a slightly different method. Usually I simply discard these eggs.
Why doesn’t my egg peel smoothly?
Sometimes when you peel the egg you may notice that bits and pieces of the egg come off with the shell. This is completely normal and will not affect the taste of the egg, only the appearance. There are many reasons why eggs do not peel smoothly. Fresh eggs are difficult to peel, while older eggs peel easier. There are many tips, tricks, and old wives tales as to how to peel an egg smoothly. Add a teaspoon of baking soda to the water, or a teaspoon of vinegar. Poke the bottom of the egg with a needle before cooking. Crack the eggs all over before putting them in the ice bath. These are just a few of the many tips and tricks out there.
OMG 😳. I’ve been ‘boiling’ the eggs literally 🫣. And even forgetting & burning them, pan & all. Thank You.
Love it finally learned to boil eggs at age 59
I am a cook who hates to cook and I go to the Internet a lot to try and get some help. I stumbled across this website and decided to try out the recipe and it works like a charm! The first time was perfect because I specifically followed the recipe. But the second time it didn’t work so well because I couldn’t find the recipe and remember all the steps. So once I located the recipe, I was halfway finished with boiling. So, second-guessing myself I under-set the timer and ended up with soft boiled, instead of hard boiled. On the bright side, the tester egg peeled beautifully, perfectly. Leading me to agree that the brand new eggs we picked up last night, were peeled without any problems and were beautiful. Thank you for this recipe. Hopefully I will remember it the third time lol. Definitely a five star.
Thank you. These instructions take the guess work out of this task
I love all your recipes. Also bought 2 cookbooks. 😊
I have tried it this way along with many other ways to try and get eggs to peel perfectly. None of them worked for me for some reason.
I asked the farmer whom I got eggs from this yr how she got eggs to peel smoothly.
She said to boil water, use tong’s to put eggs in slowly. Bring water back to boil then boil for 15 min. This gives me a solid yolk. Drain then put in ice water bath. I just put in sink with cold water and this method has never failed for me. I get the perfect peeled egg every time. So simple yet works so well.
Thanks Rachel for sharing your recipe’s. Making your tater tot casserole tonight for my man. He loves it.😊
God bless
I tried this trick today, I did the 10-minutes, but I have difficulty peeling the eggs. Mainly I only need the egg whites. I ended up with 50% of the egg whites left after peeling. I followed every step.
Super, comes out perfect every time.
Mahalo Nui Loa from Maui
Thanks, this recipe works perfectly. All my anxiety about catering to people’s preferences have been banished.
Best boiled egg recipe .I love deviled eggs and Aldo use a few eggs in my chix salad thanks again
This is a great and important recipe, that
Works every time. I found out if you use
Jumbo eggs just add about 35 seconds to the recepe. But it really doesn’t matter the eggs will be great, and just deal with it. Eggs are GREAT!!!!