How to Boil Eggs Perfectly

I love how boiled eggs complement a number of different recipes. You can serve the deviled eggs before your main course as an appetizer or make an egg salad.

You might as well just sprinkle boiled eggs with salt and eat them plain. In any case, they are a delicious and nutritious addition to our meals. 

The most common problem when it comes to boiling eggs is overcooking them. Over-cooked eggs have a dark green color around the yolk and a sulphuric taste.

The good thing is that over-cooked eggs are not a complete waste, they are still perfectly edible. The discoloration is the iron in the yolk reacting to hydrogen sulfide from the white.

This gives the greyish-green ring around the yolk. 

This guide will tell you how you should boil your egg based on the type of yolk you like – soft, hard or anywhere in between.

Read through this article to learn how to do it perfectly.

The Difference between Hard-Boiled and Soft-Boiled Eggs

Hard-boiled eggs have firm whites and yolks and have longer cooking time. You can slice them to serve as a snack, make deviled eggs or use them for decoration as Easter eggs.

On the other hand, soft-boiled eggs have a shorter cooking time than hard-boiled eggs. They have firm whites and soft yolks.

I like to serve them with toast strips for a great breakfast. You can also serve them on top of a salad or spaghetti. 

Food safety experts recommend cooking the eggs until yolks are firm. This reduces the health hazards from bacteria in the yolk.

I love to use soft-boiled eggs for various recipes, so I use pasteurized eggs to reduce the risk.

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Preparation

Boiling eggs feels like a fairly easy task for most home cooks. Some people start with eggs in cold water and then bring the water with egg to a boil together.

Others like to boil the water first and then drop the eggs in. From my experience, I have tried both methods and found that the former method is the better one. 

I expected that the hot water method would make it easier to peel the boiled eggs.

I also thought that this way I can get consistent results due to the control of temperature and timing. Surprisingly, I found that cold water turned out to be better for both aspects.

Therefore, I would recommend the first method for perfectly boiled eggs. 

What You Will Need to Boil Eggs

Here’s what you will need to boil eggs:

• 6 large eggs
• Water
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• Stockpot with lid
• Slotted spoon
• Water and ice in a bowl for an ice bath
• Timer

How to Boil Eggs

Follow these steps to boil eggs perfectly:

• Put the eggs in the stockpot and pour cool water until you cover the eggs with 1-2 inches of water. The more eggs you have in the pot, the more water you need to cover them up. Cover 6 eggs with one inch of water. If you have 7-12 eggs, cover them with two inches of water.
• Add ½ teaspoon of salt in it to prevent the eggs from cracking.
• Heat the stockpot on high heat and bring the water to full boil.
• When the water starts boiling, turn off the heat and cover the pot with the lid.
• Let the eggs sit in hot water 10-12 minutes. Prepare an ice bath in a bowl and, with a slotted spoon, transfer the eggs to the cold water.
• Peel the eggs and serve as you desire.

How Long Should You Boil Eggs?

The maximum cooking time for boiling eggs depends on your preference. Once you bring the water in the pot to a boil, turn off the heat.

Now, let the eggs sit in hot water. If you want soft-boiled eggs, let them sit for 3 minutes. For medium-boiled eggs, leave them in hot water for 6 minutes.

For hard-boiled eggs, let the eggs sit for 12 minutes. The cooking time depends on how you like your yolk to be. 

How Do You Know When Boiled Eggs Are Done?

There is an easy method to find out if the egg has boiled without cracking it. A raw egg has fluid inside so a simple rotation method can help you in finding out whether your egg has boiled completely or not.

Place the egg on its side and rotate it fast.

Now abruptly stop it with a finger and release it again. 

If the egg has boiled properly, it will immediately stop spinning. In case the egg is still raw, the fluid inside will continue to rotate, making the egg rotate too.

How Do You Know When Boiled Eggs Are Done?

Peeling boiled eggs is not always smooth and plain sailing. Sometimes it can be very frustrating when the chips of eggshell get under the nails.

We then end up digging in until the egg looks as misshapen as it possibly can. Follow these steps to peel boiled eggs in the right way: 

• Take out the egg from the ice bath.
• Gently tap one end of the egg on a hard surface, which will crack the shell a bit.
• Roll the egg on the hard surface to crack the shell more.
• Hold the egg under running water or in the ice bath and start peeling from the cracked end.

Conclusion

Boiled eggs are an easy-to-get and affordable source of protein. You can serve hard-boiled eggs in breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner and as an appetizer. If you like firm egg whites with creamy yolks, you should make hard-boiled eggs. If you prefer otherwise, you can stop short of the hard-boiled and make soft-boiled eggs instead.

Another great thing about making boiled eggs is that you can also store them for a few days. You can store the soft-boiled eggs in the shell in the refrigerator for up to two days. Hard-boiled eggs can be stored in their shells for up to a week in the refrigerator. Follow the steps and tips in this guide to boil eggs according to your preference.

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