To make hard boiled eggs perfectly, follow these steps:
- Place eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by about 1 inch. Arrange them in a single layer to avoid cracking
- Bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat
- Once boiling, turn off the heat and cover the pot. Let the eggs sit in the hot water for 10-12 minutes depending on your preferred yolk texture:
- 10 minutes for vibrant, creamy yolks
- 12 minutes for fully hard yolks with a chalkier texture
- Transfer the eggs immediately to an ice bath (a bowl of ice water) for at least 14 minutes to stop the cooking process and make peeling easier
- Peel the eggs carefully by tapping them gently on a hard surface to crack the shell, then peel starting from the wider end where the air pocket is
Additional tips for best results:
- Use eggs that are a few days old rather than very fresh eggs, as older eggs peel more easily
- Store raw eggs upside down before cooking to help center the yolks
- Avoid skipping the ice bath to prevent greenish yolk rings and to ease peeling
- If starting with fridge-cold eggs, adding about 30 seconds to the cooking time helps
Typical cooking times for large eggs:
- 10 minutes in hot water for hard boiled eggs with fully set yolks
This method yields eggs with bright yellow yolks and shells that come off easily without damaging the whites
