by Jessi Wohlwend
Do you know how to hard boil eggs? It’s not hard to do, but sometimes you end up with a green tinge around the edges of the yolk, or the yolk gets dry instead of creamy. So today I’m going to show you how to hard boil eggs perfectly. You’ll end up with delicious hard boiled eggs with creamy, yellow yolks every time!
If you prefer soft-boiled eggs, that’s easy too! All you have to do is adjust the cooking time slightly; I’ll give you all the details below!
How To Hard Boil Eggs
The first step is to find a pan large enough for your eggs. You want to make sure all of your eggs fit in one layer on the bottom of the pan. Put your eggs in the pan and fill the pan with cold water until the eggs are just barely covered with water.
Heat the pan on medium-high heat until the water comes to a full rolling boil. Make sure it’s really boiling!
Once it boils, turn the heat off, or if you have an electric stove, remove the pan from the burner completely so the leftover heat from the coil doesn’t overcook the eggs.
Put a lid on the pan and let the eggs sit to continue cooking.
- If you want soft-boiled eggs, leave the eggs for 4 minutes. This will get you a nice, soft, runny yolk.
- If you want hard-boiled eggs, leave them for 9 to 10 minutes, depending on how creamy you want the yolk. For slightly drier yolks like those in the photos in this post, let them cook 10 minutes. If you want your yolks a little more creamy, only let them sit for 9 minutes.
Set a timer, because this is the important part! As soon as the timer goes off, pull the eggs out of the water using a slotted spoon, gently crack each egg shell by tapping it on the counter, and then place them in a colander.
Run cold water over the eggs to stop them from cooking. The cracked shell lets a little bit of water into the egg to help cool down the inside as well as the outside. (You can also place the eggs into a bowl of ice water instead of running water over them.)
Once the eggs have cooled down, you’re done! Peel them and eat them, or make deviled eggs out of them, or decorate them for Easter, or whatever you’d like!
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Erica says
My mom loves hard-boiled eggs, but due to her memory loss, she cannot remember how to make them. I cannot find the recipe she used, so I’m going to use this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!
Carol Murray says
Thank you Jessi for this great way to hard boil eggs. It works every time. ?
Jeanette Conrad says
This is the recipe my son gave me many years ago. Works perfect every time.
The eggs that were shown had a round spot in the center. That doesn’t look like a perfect egg to me.
I put my eggs in cold water. Bring the water to a full boil. I have an electric range, I turn the heat off then
move the pan to about half-way off the burner. Leave it for 10 minutes.
Then put the pan in the sink and add cold water. In the meantime add ice to the pan and give the eggs a 10 minute ice bath.
I then take one egg at a time and tap on both ends and them give the egg a soft roll to loosen the shell. Then gently start
to remove the shell and put the eggs in a covered container until ready to use. No more green or uncooked eggs.
Let me know how this works for you. Grandma Wally/Grove City, OH
Lea says
Should we refrigerate the eggs if they aren’t going to be eaten right away?
Jessi Wohlwend says
Yep, even cooked eggs need to be refrigerated until you eat them!
Mary Flavelle says
Have you been to Australia? I was in a grocery store & there were stacks of eggs sitting there. I was told they do have to be refrigerated ???????
Any comment?
Jessi Wohlwend says
Yeah, isn’t that crazy! So the main worry is salmonella… In the US, the USDA requires that eggs be washed and refrigerated before you can sell them commercially. But while the washing will remove any bacteria on the eggshell, it also strips away the thin protective film that is already on the eggshell in order to protect the egg from bacteria! So in other countries, they do the exact opposite and don’t wash the eggs prior to selling them in order to leave the membrane intact. Both methods are actually effective in preventing contaminated eggs, but in the US we are used to refrigerated eggs because they’ve been washed so squeaky clean that they no longer have their natural membrane defense and the refrigeration is to prevent bacteria from getting in the eggs.
Nancy says
i followed your instructions exactly and the eggs were totally undercooked. Very disappointing
Jessi Wohlwend says
Oh no, bummer! I have been doing it this way for years and have never had a problem!
PAM says
Jessi,
I really am enjoying all your great ideas. thanks, bunches!
Pam
Helen Laurini says
Great ideas. Thanks for sharing.