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The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg, Every Time!

October 13, 2009 by Nancy Lopez-McHugh 24 Comments

**Updated October 2014: Now you can print out the instructions. Navigate to the bottom of the post.**

 

egg holder

Today’s post is a back to basics cooking lesson, how to boil an egg. The perfect boiled or hard boiled egg is when the egg is cooked all the way through and the yolk is golden. There should never be a grey or greenish ring around the yolk. To me if a hard boiled egg has that grayish or green tone, it becomes very unappetizing. (I can picture it, grayish yolk chunks in egg salad…yuck). I think eggs are one of those foods that seem like a fairly easy to cook food, but somehow can turn into a difficult food to master. We’ve all had our share of egg cooking gone wrong. This is a fool proof method and if you try it your hard boiled eggs will come out perfect. I’ve used the technique for years and it never fails.

golden egg yolk

1. Utensils you will need are a large pot, a slotted spoon, and a large bowl. You will also need cold water, ice cubes, and of course fresh eggs. First place the eggs in a large pot and pour cold tap water into the pot; The water should cover all the eggs by about 1 inch or 2.5 cm. Place the pot over high heat until the water has reached a rolling boil. This means that the water is bubbling vigorously. Then immediately lower the heat to a medium low setting, and continue to boil for an additional 10 minutes.

how to boil an egg

2. A minute before the 10 minutes are up, fill a large bowl halfway with very cold water and the ice cubes. Using the slotted spoon gently place the eggs in the bowl with cold water — making sure that all the eggs are covered.

cooling eggs

3. Leave the eggs in the cold water until they are at room temperature. This is a very important step because this cooling down is what prevents the yolk from turning that greyish-green colour. To peel the eggs make a small crack with the back of a spoon. Run the cold sink water and begin to gently peel away the shell under the running water. Continue until all eggs are done then use or serve as desired.

huevo hervido

Look the yolks are perfectly cooked and are a beautiful golden yellow color!! :)

deviled eggs,egg salad
 
 

I have been making hard boiled eggs this way for years and it’s always a success. Now you are ready to enjoy these hard boiled eggs with a little salt and pepper,slice them to use on sandwiches, and these are also perfect to for deviled eggs or egg salad. (I will post my recipes and photos for both soon.) Now if I could only master poaching an egg …
 
 

Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs, Every Time!
 
Print
Prep time
1 min
Cook time
15 mins
Total time
16 mins
 
Using this technique for hard boiled eggs means you'll never have to worry about that unattractive grey ring around the yolks. I've been using this method for years and always with perfect results.
Author: SpicieFoodie.com & Nancy Lopez-McHugh
Recipe type: Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch, Dinner
Cuisine: International
Ingredients
  • eggs
  • water for boiling
  • a large pan
  • slotted spoon
  • a large bowl
  • cold water
  • ice cubes
Instructions
  1. First place the eggs in a large pot and pour cool tap water into the pot, the water should cover all the eggs by about 1 inch or 2.5 cm. Place the pot over high heat until the water has reached a rolling boil. This means that the water is bubbling vigorously. Then immediately lower the heat to a medium low setting, and continue to boil for an additional 10 minutes.
  2. A minute before the 10 minutes are up, fill a large bowl halfway with very cold water then add the ice cubes. Using the slotted spoon to gently remove the eggs from the boiling water, then place them in the bowl with very cold water, making sure that all the eggs are covered.
  3. Leave the eggs in the cold water until they are at room temperature. This is a very important step because this cooling down is what prevents the yolk from turning that greyish-green colour.
  4. To peel the eggs make a small crack with the back of a spoon. Run the cold sink water and begin to gently peel away the shell under the running water. Continue until all eggs are done then use or serve as desired.
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Filed Under: Eggs, How To Basics

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Comments

  1. lululu says

    October 14, 2009 at 17:15

    oh, i just need this tip! my husband is so picky on his boiled eggs for breakfast!
    i love your little egg cups too! are they wooden?

    Reply
  2. 5 Star Foodie says

    October 14, 2009 at 17:34

    Great pictures and I also really like the egg cups, very cute!

    Reply
  3. experimentalculinarypursuits says

    October 14, 2009 at 19:54

    Agree with lululu and 5 Star Foodie – Love the cute egg cups!

    I must pass this on to my bf – he always prefers hard boiled eggs so I'm sure he'll find it useful!

    Reply
  4. penny aka jeroxie says

    October 14, 2009 at 22:48

    The eggs are sooo pretty!

    Reply
  5. Velva says

    October 15, 2009 at 02:06

    Perfect eggs! Just beautiful

    Reply
  6. Spicie Foodie says

    October 16, 2009 at 15:55

    Hi everyone:), it's nice to see these comments.

    Lulu~ Yes they are wooden, Let us know how they turn out for you and if your husband is happy:)

    5 Star Foodie,Experimental,Penny and Velva, thank you very much, glad to hear you liked them:)

    Reply
  7. Stacy says

    October 17, 2009 at 06:42

    Great post! Nothing worse than a bad hard boiled egg..yuck! And great pics!

    Reply
  8. Divina Pe says

    October 22, 2009 at 08:12

    Great tip. A simple cooking like this is so important. Thanks for sharing that.

    Reply
  9. Spicie Foodie says

    October 22, 2009 at 20:13

    Hi Divina Pe,
    THanks and your welcome. Yes I think it's important to revisit the basics now and then as they form the foundations of so many dishes :)

    Reply
  10. MsByn says

    January 24, 2011 at 21:59

    Great tip! Thanks again:)

    Reply
  11. Eileen Baranowski says

    December 13, 2013 at 12:02

    Thanks for the great tip on making hard-boiled eggs so perfectly. I can’t wait to try your recipe. Now, as for poaching, I found a fool-proof method: bring a saucepan half full of cold water to a GENTLE boil. Use a spoon to gently stir the boiling water until you form a small whirlpool, then SLOWLY lower the egg into the whirlpool. ( I cracked the egg into a cup first so I could gently glide it into the water). Cook for about 3 minutes and you’ll have the perfect poached egg!

    Reply
  12. Neil says

    March 11, 2014 at 18:01

    Good tips! While simple in theory, it’s easy to overcook a boiled egg, which not only turns the yolk grey but makes it very dry and chalky as well.

    In my experience, you can even turn the heat off about halfway through and just let them sit there, although if your pan cools quickly it could turn out with very slightly underdone yolks(though still edible and tasty!)

    Reply
  13. Tracey @ Salty Sweet Life says

    April 19, 2014 at 20:40

    Great tips! I often turn the pot off after boiling and put the lid on, but this seems just as easy! Thanks for a great post!

    Reply
  14. Amanda says

    June 1, 2014 at 18:19

    Hello! I realize this is an older post, but I just happened across it via Pinterest. After reading your steps, I’m curious as to whether the number of eggs matters in regards to time. In other words, if you have fewer/more eggs, do you need to allow to boil less/more than the 10 minutes? And no salt in the water, huh? I’m certainly game to try!

    Reply
    • Spicie Foodie says

      June 2, 2014 at 14:30

      Hi Amanda!

      The amount of eggs doesn’t matter — however make sure you don’t crowd them and that they are all under the water when you’re boiling them. That’s correct, no salt is needed in the boiling water.

      Make sure you don’t skip the cooling in ice water step; This will proven the green rings from forming in the yolk. Enjoy!:)

      Reply
  15. Ssandra Al-Rawi says

    August 25, 2015 at 11:07

    wonderful tip and I have it down pat. My problem with hard boiled eggs is in peeling them. No matter how I cook them the shell remains very stubborn, leaving my egg whites a mess. Help!!!

    Reply
    • Spicie Foodie says

      August 27, 2015 at 21:28

      Hi Sandra! Removing the shell can really be a pain, I know what you mean. Recently I’ve been peeling them under running water and that seems to help some. Just start off by making a small crack and slowly peel off a little piece of the shell until you’re done. Good luck! :)

      Reply
    • KAthy says

      January 29, 2016 at 00:10

      I found that the fresher the egg, the harder it is to peel…. I have chickens, and fresh eggs are just about impossible to peel, no matter how you cook them! But I save a dozen about a month and then hard-boil, makes a huge difference.

      Reply
      • Spicie Foodie says

        January 30, 2016 at 22:20

        I didn’t know that, thanks for the tip Kathy!

        Reply

Trackbacks

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    October 17, 2011 at 19:13

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