The fact that I am a fan of eggs is no secret to anyone who knows me. In addition to being inexpensive, easy to cook, and extremely versatile, they are also extremely easy to store.
I’ve always found that one of the best ways to make a budget meal is to simply “put an egg on it.” And while I personally prefer soft-boiled eggs, there are definitely times when a hard-boiled egg will do the trick better.
Eggs are a familiar food for many people, and are one of the easiest meals to think about when you don’t know what to eat.
But
Boiling perfectly cooked eggs is not something everyone can do, even though it may seem too simple.
The following is a quick tutorial that shows you how to make hard boiled eggs so you can see how quick and easy they are to incorporate into your meals and see how easy and quick it is to make them.
How Long Should You Boil Eggs?
The easy answer – to make hard boiled eggs, you need to boil large eggs for about 12 minutes.
The long answer – Hard boiling eggs can take different amounts of time depending on several factors, such as:
- The size of the egg
- Cooking utensils and stovetops used
- Depending on the temperature at which the egg is started
- How the boiling process is done (cold start, hot start, steaming)
- Depending on your altitude
As I mentioned above, I’m providing a general guide below, but it’ll take some experimenting to determine the exact amount of time it will take you to make perfect hard boiled eggs based on your altitude, equipment, and eggs.
The image above shows my results after 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 minutes.
- 6 minutes: nice jammy yolk
- 8 minutes: yolk is half set, half jammy
- 10 minutes: mostly set with a bit of wetness in the center of the yolk
- 12 minutes: completely solid yolk
- 14 minutes: solid yolk, not yet overcooked to the point of a green yolk
The Best Way to Boil Eggs – Step by Step Instructions
The process of making hard boiled eggs can be done in a number of ways, as described above. It requires little attention and is pretty forgiving if you can’t tend to the eggs right when the timer goes off, which is why I like the hot water bath method.
The process is as follows:
1. Fill a pot with water and add eggs
Put cold, large eggs in a sauce pot in a single layer straight. Add enough water to cover the eggs by one inch.
2. Bringing it to a boil
Over high heat, place the lid on the pot and bring the water to a boil.
3. Shut off the heat
The pot should be left on the burner (lid still on) after the water reaches a full rolling boil. Let the eggs sit in the hot water for about 12 minutes.
As the eggs sit, the water gradually cools, allowing some flexibility before they overcook (green yolk=overcooked egg).
4. Place eggs in an ice bath
Place the eggs in a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes after they have been cooking for 12 minutes.
5. Peel, eat, and enjoy!
Steam Is Used to Hard Boil Eggs
Steaming eggs is another method I like to use, as you can see in my tutorial for 6-minute soft boiled eggs. The quickness of this method comes from only using about an inch of water, which is very quickly brought to a boil.
The steaming method of making hard boiled eggs involves letting them steam for about 10-12 minutes. It is also my experience that steamed eggs are much easier to peel than raw eggs.
You can see the steaming tutorial here if you are interested.
What Is the Shelf Life of Hard Boiled Eggs?
When refrigerated in their shells, hard boiled eggs will keep for about a week. Two days are the recommended storage time for a peeled hard boiled egg.
Hard Boiled Egg Peeling Tips
You can find a lot of tips on the internet on how to peel hard boiled eggs easily. To be honest, I’ve tried all of these methods and I haven’t found any method that consistently produces consistent results for me.
In some cases, even within a single batch of hard boiled eggs, there can be differences in the length of time it takes to peel an egg from impossible to effortless.
Having said that, I am going to list all of the tips and tricks that I have heard in the hopes that you can experiment with them to see if any of them work for you.
- The peeling of old eggs is easier than that of fresh eggs
- Steamed eggs are often easy to peel because I add cold eggs to boiling water rather than bringing them to a boil together
- The shell of the egg should be cracked on all sides before peeling by tapping on a solid surface
- Separate whites and peels from eggs under running water (the flow helps separate them)
- Using a spoon, separate the shell and white of the egg after removing part of the shell
- You can crack the shells of the eggs by shaking them in a covered container gently until they fall off
- Add baking soda to the water (about ½ tsp per pot)
Which of these methods have you found to be successful?
Comment below with which one you find to be the most effective for you.
How to Use Hard Boiled Eggs in Recipes
Almost everything I cook is enhanced by the addition of hard boiled eggs. Here are some hard boiled egg recipe ideas you can use if you are looking for some inspiration for what to do with your hard boiled eggs:
- Deviled eggs (or Sriracha eggs deviled)
- Egg salad
- Prepare a meal prep lunch box
- Add them to your breakfast bowl
- Add to salad
- An interesting addition to guacamole or avocado dip
- Use in potato salad
- Add to a bowl of ramen
- Chopped and sautéed into a tuna salad
- Chop it up and add it to avocado toast
- Chop it up and add it to a vegetable sandwich
- Serve with savory oatmeal
Hard-Boiled Eggs: How to Make Them
Including a step-by-step guide to hard boiling eggs, recipe ideas, and tips for easy peeling.
Author: Beth
Prep Time: 5 minutes/ Cook Time: 15 minutes/ Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
4 large eggs
Instructions
- Cold eggs should be added to a sauce pot. Make sure the eggs are covered by one inch of water in the pot.
- Turn the heat to high and cover the pot. Bring the water to a boil.
- Put the lid on the pot and leave it on the stove for 12 minutes after the water reaches a rolling boil.
- When the eggs have been boiled for 12 minutes, transfer them to a bowl of ice water. For about five minutes, chill the eggs in ice water. Afterwards, peel and enjoy.
NOTE: Cooking time may vary slightly based on your altitude, cookware, stovetop, size, and temperature of the eggs.
Nutritional
Serving: 1 egg ・ Calories: 72 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 1 g ・ Protein: 6 g ・ Fat: 5 g ・ Sodium: 71 mg
The nutritional values shown here are only estimates. Please see our nutrition disclaimer.
Eggs provide protein and some good fats for our body, so any dish made with eggs is good. If you are a busy person or like simplicity, boiled eggs are the most convenient. Try boiling eggs in different ways and let us know in the comments what works best for hard-boiled eggs.
