How To Boil Eggs

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my years of cooking, hard-boiled eggs are incredibly versatile. You can eat them plain, put them in a salad, make an egg sandwich – the possibilities are endless.

Let us not forget the all mighty deviled egg. And while they may seem like a simple dish, there’s a science to perfecting hard-boiled eggs. Read on to learn how to boil eggs perfectly and how to make sure you have easy-peel eggs.

Almost everyone has a technique for boiling eggs. But which is the foolproof method? How do you get a perfectly cooked egg that is easy to peel, not rubbery, and has no dark color in the yolk?

If you don’t know, keep reading to find out all the science behind getting perfectly boiled eggs.

What you’ll need

• Pot
• Slotted Spoon
• A large bowl of ice water

Ingredients: 

• Fresh large eggs 
• Water 

Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs On The Stove

• The egg white is cooked through and set but still tender.
• The egg yolk is set but still bright yellow. There should be no green ring.
• The egg is easy to peel.

Hard-Boiled Eggs Tips

• Start with cold eggs straight out of the refrigerator.
• Bring the water to a boil before adding the eggs.
• Add eggs to the boiling water with a slotted spoon.
• Use a timer to time the eggs.
• Ice bath. Remove the eggs from the water promptly and place them in an ice bath for about 30 seconds when they are done cooking.

Types Of Cooked Eggs

Soft boiled vs. hard-boiled.

• Coddled eggs (1 to 3 minutes) have white that is loosely set and semi-transparent; it can still be peeled but is very soft; the yolk is raw. Use this type of egg for making salad dressings.
• Soft boiled eggs (4 to 7 minutes) should have a fully set egg white, but the egg yolks will be a jammy custardy texture that will ooze out over toast or ramen.
• Hard-boiled eggs (7 to 10 minutes) should be fully set with a tender white and an egg yolk that is cooked through but is still bright yellow.

The Best Way To Boil Eggs

It might seem like an easy thing to boil water. Add the water to a pot and turn on the heat. Water, bubbles — done!!!

Not so fast…should this be a hard boil, a soft boil? Or a rolling boil?

How To Boil Eggs Perfectly

Technically the temperature of boiling water is 212℉ at sea level.

Let’s look at the stages of bringing what to a boil. (I learned this by reading The Food Lab by J. Kenzi Lopez-Alt)

• Quivering: 130 to 170℉. You start to see tiny bubbles of water vapor forming a the bottom and sides of the pot.
• Subsimmer: 170 to 195℉. You will see streams or trails of bubbles as the water vapor rises to the top. At this temperature, the bubbles become more active as they rise to the surface and cause a small amount of agitation in the water’s surface.
• Simmer: 195 to 212℉. At a simmer, the bubbles from the water vapor come to the surface quickly. The water is very active as it begins to roll into a full boil.
• Full Boil 212℉. 212℉ is the hottest that water can get at sea level without additional pressure. Water is converted to gas at this temperature, and it begins to evaporate very quickly.

How to Soft Boil an Egg

A soft-boiled egg has a white that is set with softer yolks. Soft-boiled eggs are excellent for serving with toast or with ramen. A soft-boiled egg has a cook time of 4 to 7 minutes.

Soft Boiled Eggs Tips

• Use a pot with a lid.
• Use 1 quart of water for every two eggs. You want enough water to submerge the eggs fully.
• Cook a maximum of 6 eggs at a time.
• Start with cold eggs.

Instructions for Soft Boiled Eggs

1. Bring the water to a boil (212℉)
2. Place eggs into boiling water with a slotted spoon.
3. Cover the eggs and then boil for 1 to 7 minutes.
4. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and plunge them into an ice bath. Or serve immediately.

How to Hard Boil an Egg

This is my foolproof method for perfectly cooked hard-boiled eggs.

Tips For Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs

• Use a pot with a lid.
• Use 1 quart of water for every two eggs. You want enough water to submerge the eggs fully.
• Cook a maximum of 6 eggs at a time.
• Start with cold eggs.

Instructions for Hard Boiled Eggs

1. Bring the water to a boil (212℉)
2. Place eggs into boiling water with a slotted spoon.
3. Cook for 30 seconds and then reduce the temperature to a simmer on medium-high heat.
4. Cover the eggs and let them simmer for 9 to 11 minutes.
5. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and plunge them into an ice-water bath.

Hard-Boiled Eggs That Peel Easily

What is the secret to making perfect eggs that peel easily?

To get easy-peel eggs, they must be added to boiling water, cooked, and then submerged in an ice water bath.

Not to say that I have never had an egg that peeled easily without this method but overall, this method works every single time.

When you add the eggs to cold water and then bring them to a boil, the egg peel sticks to the surface, and you end up with a mess trying to peel the eggs.

The Pressure Cooker Method

The second way to make easy-peel eggs is to cook them in an Instant Pot. The high pressure of the cooking environment heats the eggs rapidly, which makes them easy to peel.

However, I have found that the pressure-cooked method can give you eggs with a slightly rubbery white. Many people swear by this method, and it is super easy.

I recommend cooking them on low pressure setting.

Instant Pot Boiled Eggs

This method summarizes the timing needed to boil eggs in the instant pot. This timing chart ranges from soft to hard-boiled.

1. Set a steamer rack into your Instant Pot.
2. Use large or extra-large eggs, cold right from the fridge.
3. Max 6 eggs at a time is recommended.
4. Add 1 cup of cold tap water.
5. Pressure: set the pressure to Low Pressure.
6. Timing: 7 to 11 minutes.
7. Release method: Quick release.
8. Coldwater bath: Plunge eggs into ice water for 30 seconds before peeling.

Timing for Boiled Eggs

Boiling Time	Egg White & Egg Yolk	Best Uses
1 to 3 minutes	The white is barely set and still translucent. The egg yolk is still raw.	Coddled eggs are best when used in salad dressing. Cesar Salad Dressing is a great example.
4 minutes	The outer white is mostly opaque but is still translucent near the yolk. The yolk is still raw but a little bit warm.	Serve as a topping over vegetables or grains: top grilled asparagus, green beans, or ramen.
5 minutes	The white is just beginning to set more firmly. It’s barely set near the yolk. The yolk is warmer but still raw.	breakfast, ramen
6 minutes	The white is opaque all the way through. The yolk is warm and not slightly cooked.	breakfast, ramen
7 to 8 minutes	The white is now cooked all the way through. The yolk is just starting to firm up around the edges.	breakfast, ramen
9-11 minutes	Hard-boiled. The white is cooked through, and the yolk ranges from soft but cooked to firm and thoroughly cooked.	egg salad, deviled eggs, snacks

Hot start vs. cold start

After much testing, eggs cooked using the cold start method have a higher chance of being hard to peel. I’ve found that the perfect formula for easy to peel eggs is the hot-start method paired with an ice bath.

How to tell if an egg is fresh? The Float Method

Fill a bowl or glass with about four inches of cold water and gently place your egg(s) inside. Very fresh eggs will sink to the bottom and lay on their sides. If an egg stays at the bottom but stands on its small end, it’s just not quite as fresh.

Should you add salt, vinegar, or baking soda?

Much hard-boiled egg folklore will tell you that the key to getting easy-peel eggs is to add salt, vinegar, or even baking soda. It may be a different story if you’re making poached eggs.

But, here, the egg is being cooked in the shell, and the truth is that the only that that matters when cooking eggs is the time and the temperature.

How To Store Boiled Eggs

• In the shell—store eggs in the fridge in a sealed container.
• Peeled—store peeled eggs in an airtight container in the fridge..

How Long Are Boiled Eggs Good For

According to FDA Guidelines, hard-boiled eggs are good for one week when stored in the refrigerator.

What causes the green circle in eggs?

When eggs are overcooked, you end up with rubbery whites and a dark green ring caused when the hydrogen from the egg whites reacts with the sulfur from the egg yolk. This ring is unattractive, but it’s not harmful. When eggs are overcooked, you lose the sumptuous flavor of the egg yolk.

Serving Suggestions

• Quick breakfast: Peel and sprinkle with salt and pepper or my favorite Everything Bagel Seasoning.
• Easter Eggs
• Egg Salad Sandwiches
• Deviled Eggs

What to make with hard-boiled eggs?

• Classic Midwestern Style Deviled Eggs
• Billionaire Deviled Eggs with Caviar and Potato Chips
• Avocado Deviled Eggs with Bacon and Tomatoes
• Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs

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