To hard boil eggs, the typical cooking time after the water starts boiling is about 10 to 12 minutes for medium-sized, room-temperature eggs. The recommended method is:
- Place eggs in a single layer in a pan and cover with water about 4 cm above the eggs.
- Bring the water to a rolling boil.
- Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Then, transfer the eggs to an ice water bath to stop the cooking and make peeling easier.
Shorter times (around 7-9 minutes) result in creamy to firm yolks but not fully hard boiled. For fully hard boiled eggs with solid yolks, 10 to 12 minutes is ideal. Cooling quickly in ice water prevents overcooking and green rings around the yolk.
