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Follow my simple tips and tricks for easy and perfect Hard Boiled Eggs! My boiled eggs recipe makes the perfect eggs easy, with plenty of tips for how to peel eggs easily and which eggs to choose, as well as a handy cooking time chart.
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Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs
The best hard boiled eggs are the easiest ones, too! As a long-time fan of the classic hard boiled egg, I’ve spent years trying every method under the sun to make the perfect eggs. From steaming them, boiling them with salt water, shaking them in a plastic container- I’ve tried it all.
And as it turns out, no method for how to boil eggs is better than the simplest one! The secret isn’t in how they’re cooked- it’s in chilling the eggs afterwards and choosing the right eggs to cook.
Once you’ve boiled up a bunch of perfect boiled eggs, it’s time for the fun part! Slice them up for salads, put them in a bowl of ramen, chop them into egg salad, or whip up a big plate of deviled eggs. The sky’s the limit!
Boiled Eggs Ingredients
- Eggs
- Water
How to Hard Boil Eggs
- To prep the eggs, take a spoon and very gently tap on the bottom of the eggs until you hear a soft click. This will help them peel later.
- Add the eggs to a medium-sized pot, then fill with cold water by 1 inch over the eggs.
- Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Then turn off the heat, and cover the pot with a lid. Let the eggs cook in the hot water, covered, for 9-12 minutes, depending on desired firmness.
- Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water using a slotted spoon, and chill for 14 minutes. This is a critical step for peeling the eggs!
- Carefully peel by gently tapping the egg all over on a hard surface and rolling it on the counter until the egg is well cracked all over, then peeling starting with the bottom of the egg.
How Long to Boil Eggs
The great thing about boiling eggs is that just changing the cooking time changes the consistency of the entire egg! I like making nice firm boiled eggs for deviled eggs and egg salad, and softer, custard-y eggs for placing in ramen.
| Yolk Consistency | Egg Cooking Time |
|---|---|
| Runny yolk (soft-boiled) | 6 minutes |
| Custard-like yolks | 9 minutes |
| Firm yolks (hard-boiled) | 11 minutes |
How to Boil Eggs Tips
- The true key to easy to peel hard boiled eggs is getting older eggs. Pick out a carton of eggs with a slightly closer expiration date for super easy to peel eggs. Adding baking soda to the water won’t make any difference!
- For the richest eggs, use farm-fresh- it makes a huge difference for hard boiled eggs! Just be warned, farm eggs will be much harder to peel, so take extra care to loosen the shell.
- Wondering how long to boil eggs for deviled eggs? Because you need to mash the yolks, you’ll want a nice firm consistency, so they should be boiled for about 11 minutes.
- For eggs intended for placing in soups and ramen, try cooking the eggs for 6-9 minutes.
Hard Boiled Eggs FAQ
For a firm hard boiled egg, cook it for 10-11 minutes in hot water. For a slightly less firm egg with a custard-like yolk, cook it for 8 minutes. For soft-boiled, take the eggs out of the water at 6 minutes.
The secret to easy-to-peel eggs is all about the age of the egg, as older eggs have a less tightly attached inner coating. The best way to loosen up this lining when using fresh eggs is to gently tap the bottom of the egg until you hear a crack- that’s the lining popping off the shell! Break it from this spot, then gently roll the egg on the counter until it’s covered with fine cracks, then peel!
Do not ever attempt to boil eggs in the microwave. It is extremely important to never ever cook eggs in the microwave. Eggs can heat up to extreme temperatures in the microwave, and are very likely to explode upon being touched, causing severe burns and worse. Please always cook eggs in an egg cooker, in the Instant Pot, Air Fryer, or on the stove!
More Easy Egg Recipes
- Copycat Starbucks Egg Bites
- Perfect Poached Eggs
- Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs
- Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
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📋 Recipe
Hard Boiled Eggs
Equipment
- Glass bowl
- Slotted spoon
Ingredients
- 6 large Eggs
- Cold water
See our Cooking Conversions Chart for help converting measurements!
Instructions
- To prep the eggs, take a spoon and very gently tap on the bottom of the eggs until you hear a soft click. This will help them peel later.6 large Eggs
- Add the eggs to a medium-sized pot, then fill with cold water by 1 inch over the eggs.Cold water
- Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Then turn off the heat, and cover the pot with a lid. Let the eggs cook in the hot water, covered, for 9-12 minutes, depending on desired firmness.
- Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water using a slotted spoon, and chill for 14 minutes. This is a critical step for peeling the eggs!
- Carefully peel by gently tapping the egg all over on a hard surface and rolling it on the counter until the egg is well cracked all over, then peeling starting with the bottom of the egg.
Video
Notes
- The true key to easy to peel hard boiled eggs is getting older eggs. Pick out a carton of eggs with a slightly closer expiration date for super easy to peel eggs. Adding baking soda to the water won’t make any difference!
- For the richest eggs, use farm-fresh- it makes a huge difference for hard boiled eggs! Just be warned, farm eggs will be much harder to peel, so take extra care to loosen the shell.
- Wondering how long to boil eggs for deviled eggs? Because you need to mash the yolks, you’ll want a nice firm consistency, so they should be boiled for about 11 minutes.
- For eggs intended for placing in soups and ramen, try cooking the eggs for 6-9 minutes.
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