We eat hard-boiled eggs on a regular basis around here and I’ve been using this method to boil eggs for as long as I can remember. It never even occurred to me to share it, until I was playing around with natural egg dyes this week and then dealing with the resulting less than perfectly boiled eggs.
That was when I realized that this method really is the best method I’ve ever found for hard-boiling eggs.
Regardless of whether or not you plan to dye eggs this weekend, I highly recommend you boil some eggs. That way you can dive into some Chipotle and Lime Deviled Egg Dip or a heaping plate of Bacon and Egg Garden Salad; both of which I can not recommend highly enough.
A couple of tips: The older the eggs, the more easily they will peel. There is an old adage that fresh eggs are for frying and old eggs are for boiling. If I am planning to hard-boil eggs, I try to buy the eggs a couple of weeks before we will need them.
Kitchen Tips: Perfectly Simple Hard-Boiled Eggs
Ingredients
- 1-10 eggs
Instructions
- Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Cover with a lid and bring to a full boil. Leave the lid on the pot and remove from the heat. Keep the eggs covered with the lid for 12-14 minutes. Uncover and place the pan full of eggs under cold running water. Run cold water over the eggs until the eggs are cool.
- Peel the eggs as soon as they are cool, to avoid having the membrane stick to the shell. Tap the eggs with a spoon or on the counter to crack them all over and then start peeling at the wider base of the egg, using your fingers or a spoon. I've found that peeling them under barely running water often helps as well. Enjoy!
Tricia @ saving room for dessert says
Very nice method Mary. I do something very similar and never have overcooked eggs. Happy Easter!
Megan @ Cooking Whims says
I do the same thing — except leave the pot on the same burner it was boiling on. Works perfectly every time!
EcoCatLady says
I have a different method, which is less about making perfect eggs than it is about not burning the house down. I have been known to set the eggs to boiling, walk out of the kitchen and completely forget about them until they boil dry and start to explode. It's not pretty, trust me!
Anyhow, I've finally accepted that I just don't have the inner psychology to pay close enough attention – and can't seem to get the hang of using a timer. So I just stand there until the pot boils and then immediately turn it off. I let it stand covered for at least 30 minutes (sometimes this can become 5-6 hours if I've forgotten about them) and then when they're done I run them under cold water etc. They sometimes end up with bluish yokes, but I can live with that!
BTW – I've never been organized enough to test this, but I live at about 6000 feet of elevation, and I've often wondered if standard egg cooking times should be adjusted for the high altitude. With my method it's a moot point, but I have to adjust cooking times on many other things… hmmmm… thoughts to ponder…
Chris says
I saw the most unusual technique for "boiled" eggs ever this morning. Rex over at Savory Reviews baked them in muffin tins! They looked just like boiled eggs when done.
Great tip on the age of eggs. Fresh is better for poaching also. There is a trick for telling if they are fresh or not. Place the raw egg in a large deep bowl of water. If the egg lays flat, it is fresh. If the egg rises up on the end, it is older (the air pocket grows as it gets older). If the egg floats, throw it out.
Anonymous says
If you add a teaspoon of baking soda to the water, the eggs peel easily …. even with NEW EGGS ! ! ! No waiting for them to get old. No more frustration with eggs that won't peel.
Anonymous says
I just looked at your perfect hard boiled egg information and I thought I would just let you know for people that raise their own chickens and the eggs are really fresh, it is almost impossible to break the membrane so what I do is take a push pin and stick it in the big end of the egg prior to cooking and then follow exactly how you said and the egg will peel very easily.
Anonymous says
I think that's how my mother told me to do it too. I think. 😉
Kim Honeycutt says
That's how my Mother did it….so….this must be the correct way!! 🙂
Pinned it!