To perfectly hard-boil an egg, all you need is four things: a saucepan, an egg, some water, and nine minutes. Perfect every time!
How to Make Hard Boiled Eggs
If you ask five people how to boil an egg, you are bound to get five different answers. We like using the instant pot to hard boil eggs too!) Everyone says they have the best method, the one that works perfectly every time. Some people use just a little bit of water and steamer baskets. Some say to boil the water first. Cook times can vary from seven minutes to fifteen minutes, too! Not to fret, though! This is the easiest and simplest method for perfect hard-boiled eggs every time.
We all know the feeling (and smell) of accidentally overcooking eggs. The smell of sulfur, the ugly green ring around the hard-boiled yolk. No one likes that and your egg salad definitely doesn’t like it. To perfectly hard-boil an egg, all you need is four things: a saucepot, an egg, some water, and nine minutes. That’s it! Let’s get started.
How to Make Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs Like a Pro
- Gently place eggs into a small saucepot in a single layer on your stovetop. (Fresh eggs are not best here – I’d go with older eggs to make them easier to peel)
- Fill the saucepot with enough cold water to cover the eggs by about an inch or so. (Some people like to add salt or baking soda to the water but I don’t think it’s necessary.)
- Place your saucepot of eggs and water on your stove and bring the pot to a boil over high heat.
- Make sure to have a timer set for nine minutes ready to go!
- As soon as the water hits a rolling boil, start your nine-minute timer.
- When the timer goes off, drain the water and carefully move your eggs to a large bowl of ice water with a slotted spoon or tongs for an ice bath.
- Let the eggs cool completely for ten minutes or so before you start to peel them.
- Once the eggs are cold, gently tap the egg on all sides to crack the shell and begin to peel away the eggshell.
Why This Method is the Best
There are countless methods for hard-boiling eggs out there that sometimes use extra equipment and wildly varying cook times. You can just not even bother with all of that! Starting the eggs in cold water uses the same principles as how you cook potatoes. Starting with cold water allows the entire egg to cook more evenly and at the same speed.
The egg white and egg yolk cook at very different temperatures and times. Starting with cold water ensures that both the white and the yolk comes up to temp at the same time. Coupled with a small amount of carry-over cooking, using the 9-minutes-from-the-boil method will always ensure perfect hard-boiled eggs.
What Do I Do with All These Hard-Boiled Eggs?!
Now that you have perfectly hard-boiled and peeled your eggs, what do you do? I’m glad that you asked because there are so many egg recipes you can make with hard-boiled eggs! Eggs are a delicious protein-filled snack that is delicious with a little salt and pepper, good on sandwiches, and even avocado toast!
Here are some delicious recipe ideas that use hard-boiled eggs:
How Long Do Hard-Boiled Eggs Last
Generally speaking, hard-boiled eggs that have been cooked and cooled correctly will last anywhere from a week to ten days in the refrigerator.
How to Store Hard Boiled Eggs
If you plan to cook the eggs and hold them in the fridge, it is best to not peel them and keep them in the shell. Keeping the eggs in the shell will help to prevent the eggs from absorbing any odors or off-flavors that can be present in the refrigerator. If your eggs are peeled, it’s best to use them as soon as possible for the best results or store them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
More Egg Tricks + Tips
Hard Boiled Eggs
Ingredients
- 6-12 large eggs
- water
Instructions
- Gently place your egg, or eggs, into a saucepan.
- Fill the saucepan with enough cold water to cover the eggs by about an inch or so.
- Place your saucepan of eggs and water on your stove and bring the pot to a boil over high heat.
- Make sure to have a timer set for nine minutes ready to go!
- As soon as the water hits a rolling boil, start your nine-minute timer.
- When the timer goes off, carefully move your eggs to a bowl with a spoon or tongs and cover with ice and water for an ice bath.
- Let the eggs cool completely for ten minutes or so before you start to peel them.
- Once the eggs are cold, gently tap the egg on all sides to crack the shell and begin to peel away the eggshell.
