Who messes up cooking hard boiled eggs you ask? Lots of people. Including myself. Ever have a hard boiled egg with a dry powdery yolk surrounded by a layer of green, and a rubbery white? Yeah. Me too. I used to make those all the time.
Those types of hard boiled eggs result from over cooking. I experimented a bit and now cook my eggs very differently. I'll show you how in the second part of the post.
Short Boil With Plenty Of Rest
The way I cook hard boiled eggs now is to place the eggs in a pot. Fill the pot with cold water. Cover and bring to a boil. As soon as the water starts to boil, TURN IT OFF! That's right. Turn the burner off.Leave the pot covered for 15-20 minutes and you'll have perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs. The yolks will be moist and creamy, and the white will be delicate with just the right amount of bite.
Do you have a different technique? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!
19 comments:
Like you, I place eggs in the pot and cover with cool water. Then boil. But I boil for about 5 minutes, then turn it off and cover it for about 12-15 minutes.
I put the eggs in from the beginning also. Once it starts to boil I time 8 minutes. At exactly that time I take the eggs off the heat and run cold water over the eggs until no hot water is left and the egg has cooled enough to shell. Perfect every time.
I pretty much hard-boil my eggs exactly the way you do but I run mine under cold water for about 5 minutes afterwards to cool them off quickly. I've also learned the hard way NOT to put hard-boiled eggs too far towards the back of the fridge or THEY WILL FREEZE! They don't really thaw either...
You're making me want egg salad...
My problem is keeping an eye on them so that I know exactly when they start to boil. A watched pot never boils, but as soon as you turn your back it looks like it's been boiling vigorously the whole time.
Great comments everyone! Very good point Kirsten...that's why I turn the burner off as soon as it comes to a boil.
That's the way I do them too but I have to remember to set the timer because I ALWAYS forget about them! By the way Danny, I love the photo :)
You can boil them in a tea kettle with a whistle. That way you'll know exactly when they boil, then turn them off. I usually leave them for only 10-12 mins and they come out perfectly.
Thanks Madeline!
Anonymous, what a great idea! I'm going to use that tea kettle tip from now on!
I calculate the cooking length using a formula including altitude and egg size and put the eggs in water when it's already boiling.
Danny - Definitely will try your tips! I've always boil eggs for 7 minutes. Turn the heat off, leave the eggs for about 10 minutes with the pot covered. Take out the eggs, dunk them in ice cold water for a minute or two then crack the shells. I think it works pretty well so far!
Thanks for posting and for sharing!
I start with boiling water & leave them for 8 minutes. Then turn off heat & leave for 1-3 minutes more depending on how hard you like the yolk. Ice cold water bath, then salt & pepper!
Bittman's recipe calls for 9 minutes in the hot water and immediate cooling off. It depends on how you like your eggs and your altitude. I love these eggs at sea level.
There's a wonderful pyrex paperweight-looking gadget you put in your water for eggs, pasta, and so on. It dances and clicks so you know when the water starts to boil.
I've done this once or twice, and the eggs turn out great -- but I have a heck of a time not destroying them when trying to peel them. I've tried to peel them warm (no luck), cold (no luck), under running water from the faucet (no luck), and in a pot of water (no luck). I can not peel hard boiled eggs, Sam I Am. I've tried gently cracking them all over... I've tried just cracking a few bits & peeling... but nothing I do seems to get the shell off without just mangling the egg.
Modaca...I love the idea of that little gadget...I must have it!
Benjamin..I totally agree...I can make a perfect hard boiled egg, I just can't peel one!
Benjamin,
Maybe your eggs are too fresh! The fresher the egg, the harder it is to peel once it's hard cooked.
I realize I'm a couple years late for this discussion but there's a handy new gadget out http://www.squidoo.com/eggies-reviews
a perfect boiled egg! please share the secret with pal!
The older the egg the easier it is to peel, I use the exact same method of cooking with eggs I collect from my chickens, it is best to use eggs that are a week or two older, then you can peel them in 2 pieces, fresh eggs are a nightmare to peel.. Also the week old eggs are still fresher than you will get in a supermarket!
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