How To Hard Boil Eggs

Making the perfect hard-boiled egg really isn’t that difficult! All it takes is the right size pot, some hot water, and a little bit of patience. Get some easy tips, and you can do them perfectly, too!

How To Hard Boil Eggs

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I always have to look at the inside of the egg carton to remember how to hard boil eggs. Seriously. Every time. Hopefully, now that I’ve actually made a video to help you out, I will remember the next time! Even if you know how to hard boil eggs, you’ll want to watch this awkward video… I think this one will need to be on my reshoot list sometime soon!

Getting the perfect hard boiled egg is actually pretty simple. Just follow these 7 steps:

1. Gently place your eggs in the bottom of an empty saucepan. Use a pan that is big enough so all your eggs fit in a single layer. If you need to double-layer your eggs, use a larger pot or cook your eggs in two batches.
2. Fill the saucepan with cold water until the eggs are covered by about one inch.
3. Put a cover on your pot. Heat it over medium-high heat, just until the water starts to boil.
4. Once the water is boiling, turn off the heat, move the pan off the burner, and set your timer for 12 minutes.
5. Wait patiently.
6. When the timer goes off, use a slotted spoon to gently move the eggs from the hot water into a bowl of iced water. Let the eggs cool for a few minutes.
7. Peel, eat, and enjoy!

See, that wasn’t all that hard!

Tips For Hard Boiling Eggs

Using eggs that are slightly older will give you hard boiled eggs that are much easier to peel. You should purchase your fresh eggs early enough so that you can stash them in your refrigerator for at least 1-2 weeks before you hard boil them. My eggs were 3 weeks after their pack date, and they peeled beautifully! You can tell how old your eggs are by looking at the codes on the carton, or by doing a float test.

Do your hard boiled eggs sometimes get a green ring around the yolk? This isn’t dangerous and doesn’t affect the taste of the eggs, but it can make them look not-so-pretty. That green ring is a result of a reaction that happens between the sulfur in the egg white and the iron in the egg yolk. It happens when the egg is cooked for too long, or if the egg is cooked too hot. Using the method above (starting with cold water, bringing just to a boil, and cooking for 12 minutes) should give you a non-green egg yolk!

If you’re using large eggs, they will need to cook for 12 minutes to get a perfectly hard-boiled egg. Different size eggs need a little different cooking time after the water starts to boil.

• Medium eggs – 9 minutes
• Large eggs – 12 minutes
• Extra large eggs – 15 minutes

Peeling Tips for Hard-Boiled Eggs

Using eggs that are slightly older will make them much easier to peel. The best time to hard boil eggs is about 1-2 weeks after you purchased them, or about 3 weeks after their pack date (see “Tips For Hard Boiling Eggs” above).

If you plan to use the eggs that day, the best time to peel them is after the eggs have cooled down in their ice bath for a few minutes. As the eggs cool, the egg white shrinks away from the inside of the shell just a little bit, making them super-easy to peel.

Start with the wide end of the egg. Give the egg a gentle tap on a plate, cutting board, or counter; then roll the egg around to finely crack most of the shell. The shell should easily peel away from the egg.

If you have trouble getting the shell off the egg (it happens to the best of us sometimes), turn on your faucet and peel the egg under cool running water. The water will make it easier to separate the shell from the egg.

More Egg Information

You should also think about getting this egg slicer. It makes egg salad a snap! (Check out my other favorite kitchen gadgets.)

Do you prefer brown eggs or white eggs? White eggs are certainly easier to dye and decorate for Easter, but that’s about the only difference!

Enjoy!

4 Ways to Take the Fear Out of Your Kitchen

• How Do I Store Eggs?
• How to Test Eggs for Freshness
• How to Clean Up a Broken Egg
• What Does the Code on My Egg Carton Mean?

3 Recipes to Try

• Easy Egg Salad
• Ham, Egg, & Cheesewich Breakfast Sandwich
• Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole