The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg
I’ve always loved eating hard boiled eggs. When I was a kid, my mom would always make me a large batch each week to keep in the fridge for snacks or for breakfast. They are portable and delicious. What more could you ask for?
When I was younger, however, I didn’t really care for the yolk. I would pick it out and feed it to our dog Buster. Even when I started college, I still wouldn’t eat the yolk. (For which Buster was very grateful!) Now I realize it probably had a lot to do with how much the yolk was cooked.
The Beginning Attempts
When I was first married, hard boiled eggs were something I wanted to learn how to make right away. I would typically boil the eggs for 15 minutes because I was worried about making sure the yolk was fully cooked. I kept making hard boiled eggs the same way until just very recently.
I had read in a few different places about not over-cooking hard boiled eggs. I had made some half-hearted attempts at cooking them less, but I typically kept going back to my old habits. Besides, I had perfected my method so that I knew how to get them to peel easily and I didn’t want to mess that up. There’s nothing worse than a hard-to-peel hard boiled egg! (Okay, so there are lots of things that are worse, but it is annoying.)
New Success Making Hard Boiled Eggs
A little while ago I watched a video on Beyond the Peel about their 2 secrets to making hard boiled eggs. It made me decide to take the plunge and change my method. I don’t follow their directions exactly, but I have reduced my cooking time and it’s made a huge difference!
There’s no more grey ring around the yolk of my eggs. Did you know that means you’ve cooked them too long?! The yolks aren’t crumbly, but moist and extremely delicious. I had learned to eat the yolks as an adult, but now I truly enjoy them!
The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg
I’m so excited to share my perfected method with you! If you follow my steps below, I’m sure you’ll find them just as easy to make as I do now. Let me know how it turns out for you!
1. Fill a pot with pastured eggs.
Pastured eggs ready to boil
The number of eggs will depend on the size of the pot. I can fit eleven in my larger pot with a little room for them to move around. If I use my medium pot, I put in seven eggs.
2. Cover the eggs with water.
I fill it until they are just barely covered. Turn on high and bring to a boil. Your pot should be uncovered at this point.
3. Boil for 2 minutes.
And only 2 minutes! I know you’re going to want to let them go longer, but trust me, it will work. Once the two minutes are up, turn off the burner, cover the pot with a lid, and leave on the hot burner.
4. Cover for 8 minutes.
Just let the eggs sit there in the hot water. While you’re waiting for them to finish, fill a large bowl with ice cubes and water. This is going to make them easy to peel.
5. Put eggs in ice water bath.
Let the eggs soak in the ice water bath
With a slotted spoon, remove the eggs from the pot and set carefully in the ice water. Allow them to cool for ten minutes.
6. Peel with ease.
Peel the eggs immediately. Gently crack the shell a few times and slide your finger just under it so that you can remove the peel easily. Rinse off any bits of shell that may have stuck to the eggs.
7. Enjoy your perfect hard boiled egg!
Perfect hard boiled eggs
The insides should be cooked, but still a bit moist. This is quite the improvement over dry, crumbly yolks that aren’t very tasty. I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I do now! Store the peeled eggs (the ones that you haven’t devoured!) in the refrigerator.
What are your tips for making hard boiled eggs? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
This post is part of Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, Eat Make Grow Thursday, Freaky Friday, GAPS Friendly Friday, Monday Mania, Traditional Tuesdays.
I am very excited to try this! I have always done the standard 15 minutes. I would assume then the nutrient profile is better since you’re not cooking the heck out of the yolk. Much better with such precious expensive pastured eggs.
I hope you like it! You’ll have to let me know how it turns out for you.
I just made some hard boiled eggs … haven’t cracked them open yet, but it is usually disaster for me! I will do it this way next time! Thanks Mindy.
You’re welcome! I hope it works better for you, Paula.
This is something that always seems so easy, but continues to mystify me! Thanks for posting this – I’ll be changing my method, as well!
You’re welcome, Amanda! I hope it works better for you.
A few months ago, I started steaming my eggs, and have been thrilled with the results. I put them in a steamer and steam for between 12 and 16 minutes. Then I rinse them or soak them in cold water before moving them to the fridge. The peels come off easily, and they are always nice and perfectly yellow inside.
What an interesting way to make eggs, Kurt! I never would have thought of that. I’m definitely going to have to try steaming some soon.
Well, I can’t claim credit for the idea! I learned about it from a facebook friend who said she was fixing her Easter eggs that way this year. that prompted me to do a Google search where I learned that Alton Brown had recommended it as a good way of fixing eggs.
What kind of stove do you have? I have an electric stovetop and the burner does not lose heat as quickly as a gas stovetop. The water would keep on boiling for a good minute or two, depending on the size of the pot. I, too, steam my eggs. Alton Brown, the cooking show host did a segment on it. Peeling of eggs has more to do with the age of the eggs. The shell of fresh eggs isn’t separated from the innards of the eggs until a week later.
I have an electric stove as well. It’s okay that it keeps boiling for a bit. Older eggs are definitely easier to peel! I’m going to have to give this steaming idea a try.
And I always thought the gray, dry, crumbly yokes was normal…haha
Wow! What a difference this cooking method made! I’m so excited to eat these up. Thanks, Mindy!
I’m so glad it worked well for you!
Thank you many times over! This worked perfectly! I have never been able to turn out a really good egg. And I signed up to make boiled eggs for part of a salad potluck tonight, go figure. Thank you also for your perfect timing.
You’re welcome, Lynda! I’m so glad the timing of it worked out for you.
Just tried this. It works beautifully. This will be my new method for boiling eggs from now on. I have always had trouble with the egg shells not coming off easily until I discovered that adding 1/2cup cheap salt to the water did the trick but do not understand why this works so I did add this to your method. Thanks for sharing! I really like that the yolks were not overcooked.
I’m glad it worked well for you, Debbie! I had never heard about adding salt. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve also heard of adding a sprinkle of baking soda to the water to make for easier peeling. It’s those wonderful pasture-raised ones that can be the dickens to peel.
Thanks for the tip, Beth. I’ve heard that, too. Those pasture-raised eggs can be challenging, especially since we always get them so fresh.
THANK YOU!!! I never really ate hard boiled eggs until I got into real food about a year ago. Recently, I have just really not liked eating them, and now I know why! They were always gray and crumbly and way overcooked. I tried your method and they turned out PERFECTLY!! So creamy, almost like having a deviled egg! I am definitely going to cook them this way from now on!
Leah, I’m so glad they turned out so well for you! Thanks for coming back and letting me know it went well.
yay! just made these today and they’re awesome! i’m with one of the other commenters…i always thought the grey or green was normal. thanks for enlightening me!
So glad they worked well for you! I thought the same about the grey yolks for so long, too.
Crazy!
FYI – don’t try doing this when you’re packing for a road trip, and herding the kids to help you pack, and drinking your smoothie and cleaning out the car and making the list of things to pack. i guarantee you’ll miss a step or four. just sayin’
Sounds like a recipe for missing steps!
A friend of mine once told me to bring a pot of water to boil, then turn off the heat, and place room temperature eggs slowly into the hot water and let it set covered for 20 minutes. Makes perfect hard boiled eggs every time! I have been cooking hard boiled eggs with this method for years. If your eggs are not room temperature, they might crack when you submerge them into the hot water.
As I was writing this, I just thought of another way to submerge the eggs. I guess you could pour the hot water over the eggs in a bowl and cover the bowl for 20 minutes – will have to try this next time.
Thanks for sharing another option for making hard boiled eggs, Lisa! I’ll have to give this a try sometime.
I have a gas stove top right now so when I turn off my burner it looses heat right away- not like your electric stove top that holds the heat in the coils or stove top. Do you with with a gas stove that they will cook enough? I am horrible at cooking eggs so I rarely do, but I love eating them.