Hard boiling an egg sounds pretty simple. Throw some eggs into a pot of water, turn on the heat, and let it go…right? Well, if not done properly, this could be disastrous. Think exploding eggs, over- or under-cooked yolks, stinky eggs, and possibly dried out water (resulting in burned hard boiled eggs).
Well, today’s tutorial will not only give you my tried and true method to achieving perfect hard boiled eggs, but I’m also going to share the secret to centering the yolk (helpful for when making deviled eggs).
How to Achieve Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs
What You Need
- a pot with a lid
- cold eggs
- cold water
- a stove
- a timer or clock
- a sink
- cold water running from the tap
What You Do
- Put the cold eggs in a single layer in the bottom of the pot.
- Pour cold water over the eggs until they’re just covered.
- Put the pot on the stove and turn the heat to high.
- As soon as the water barely reaches a hard rolling boil, put the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to low. Set a timer for exactly 12 minutes (14 if you live at high altitude).
- Once the timer goes off, immediately remove the pan from the heat. Put it in the sink and begin running cold tap water into the pan, allowing it to overflow. Keep the water running for about 5 minutes. Or, to save on water, fill the sink half full with cold water, add some ice, then remove the eggs from the hot water with a slotted spoon and lower them into the ice water, allowing them to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
Troubleshooting
- If the yolks have a greenish-grayish ring around the edge or look dried out, or if the eggs start emitting that familiar sulfur-like stench, you’ve overcooked them. Try reducing the simmering time by a minute next time.
- If the yolks are still partially liquid, they’re obviously under-cooked (although if they’re a little moist, they’re still just fine). Try adding another minute to the simmering time next time.
How to Center the Yolk
Getting the yolk centered in the eggs makes for more perfect deviled eggs. This is mainly because it makes it less likely the egg whites will break when you pop out the yolks plus it makes the deviled eggs look nicer. So, here are the steps to achieving more or less centered yolks in your hard boiled eggs.
- Keep the eggs in their carton (or put them in one if you’re working with farm fresh).
- Put a rubber band around the carton towards each of the two ends.
- Lay the carton sideways on one of the long edges inside the refrigerator. Use other items in the fridge to help hold it upright.
- Leave the eggs like this (in the fridge) for at least 24 hours before hard boiling them.
Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs
Instructions
- Put the cold eggs in a single layer in the bottom of the pot.
- Pour cold water over the eggs until they’re just covered.
- Put the pot on the stove and turn the heat to high.
- As soon as the water barely reaches a hard rolling boil, put the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to low. Set a timer for exactly 12 minutes (14 if you live at high altitude).
- Once the timer goes off, immediately remove the pan from the heat. Put it in the sink and begin running cold tap water into the pan, allowing it to overflow. Keep the water running for about 5 minutes. Or, to save on water, fill the sink half full with cold water, add some ice, then remove the eggs from the hot water with a slotted spoon and lower them into the ice water, allowing them to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are approximate and may vary based on specific brand of ingredients used.
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