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.
absolute legend. getting boiled eggs correct has done my head in for years. great to see the cut open versions vs time being boiled.
Now that I am old and live alone after raising a large family, I get to eat the things I love. Most of them. But my memory’s getting bad and I didn’t bring any cookbooks, so i open my laptop and see what I can find. Thank goodness I found you! l like the details and illustrations since people don’t always agree on what is a hardboiled egg. Thank you.
You made this receipe very easy and easy to understand. I did have the egg peel bad but the 2nd and 3rd time they were perfect! Thankyou
These eggs are stupenfastic!
Good recipe easy to follow.
Thank you.
Absolutely fool proof. Thank you. I have wasted so many eggs in the past and this works perfectly every time. Thanks!!
I forgot to choose the stars on my previous review, but yes, 5 out of 5 starz for sure!
This recipe works great! I’m usually really bad at cooking hard boiled eggs. I’ve tried other online recipes and other people’s instructions, and still I couldn’t get my eggs to cook right, but this recipe works great every time! Thank you so much!
I find the best way , and with a lot less fuss , is to bring water to boil then add the eggs , bring water to the boil again and time for 5 / 5.5 mins and they come out perfect every time just like your 6 min ones but without the fuss if ice water , just empty hot water out and run cold water from the tap into them , but I’ll certainly give your method a try .
My brother would make some great looking boiled eggs and he would tell me how he boiled them. Mine would come out all falling apart. Finally I told him next time he boils some I want to watch you. That is when I saw the difference. It was not the boiling it was the peeling. I would pull the peel off like I would a banana. He was pushing his thumb under the shell. He was pushing the egg into itself away from the egg.