How to Hard Boil an Egg

A few questions... how old should the eggs be from the grocery store? And, I tried peeling and then storing eggs so I could just use them as I needed them, but them went bad really quickly as opposed to keeping them shelled. I eat A LOT of eggs (3 dozen per week, hard boiled), so answers to those questions will really help me!!! Thanks!:)

I've always done cold eggs in cold water, bring to boil, then COVER and simmer on low for 10 mins. I also keep the peeled eggs in the pot of cold water, as I peel the rest, to help them cool down for easier chopping. VERY important to use older eggs - bad experiences with trying to make deviled eggs using too-fresh eggs. Impossible to peel and have them look "pretty". And I don't live on a farm - I'm talking about eggs just bought at the grocery store, vs. eggs that have been sitting in the fridge for a while. (Did you notice the word "experiences"? I'm a slow learner...)

My Dad taught me the lazy method, only I never take the pot off of the burner, and I cover, turn off stove, and let sit for 13-15 minutes, depending on large or jumbo. I then use the cold tap water over the pot, same as suggested. I've tried the simmer method but it's hard to maintain just a simmer sometimes on an electric stove. My lowest seems to boil the heck out of things when I want just a hint of heat. Oh what I wouldn't give for a gas stove!

i have used all of your methods as well as some of my own...the only thing i do that may be different is i do not peel my eggs under running water...that is wasteful...i fill the pan of eggs with cold water then add a few ice cubes as needed. works every time. i also make sure that the date on the egg carton is facing out where it can be seen...that way i know the eggs are old enough for easy peeling of the shells without wasting time in front of an open refrigerator door.

I put cold eggs in cold water to cover, add a tablespoon of salt (no cracking!), bring to boil, shut off burner but leave pan on, cover, set timer for 10 to 12 minutes depending on egg size. Peel under cold running water. Firm but not rubbery, cooked all the way through, no green ring.

LOL, remembering to set the timer is the hardest part for me.

I do the 'not pay attention' method because my eggs NEVER GET DONE otherwise. Not sure why my simmering water is defective, but my yolks always end up runny. I finally got it to work with the 'no attention' method you listed.

PS: I used to love runny yolks until I got salmonella once. You only need to get it once, I promise - it's a great deterrant from under-cooking eggs.

I do the "don't want to pay attention" method but I turn off the (electric) burner and leave the pot on the still-hot burner. Eggs are ready in much less than 20 min.

I do the "I don't want to pay attention method" and cook for 13 minutes - my husband likes a 15 min. cook for firmer crumbly yolks. Same as fawnahereo, I evacuate the eggs to a bowl of cold tap water using a slotted spoon. Jacques Pepin advocates poking a hole in the base of each egg with a push pin and adding a dash of vinegar in the cooking water, but I've never done this and been okay. Must be another french technique that is there for formality-sake.

Wow. I've been doing it wrong for 30 years. I put my eggs into water. Heat to boil. Turn to simmer and sit for 30 minutes. Yes, 30. I've never done less! So, I'm just cooking the crap outta my eyes, aren't I?

Lori

I use the "no paying attention" method - put the eggs in cold water, bring to a boil, remove from heat, and set a timer for roughly 15 minutes (a little longer if they are jumbo or extra large eggs). I have also read that salting the water before you boil it will help make the eggs easier to peel. That's related to the semi-permeable membrane, I imagine. Not sure how much salt to add, I usually just shake some until i get tired of it.

For what it's worth, my husband has tried hard boiling eggs and failed miserably - he used your first method but put a cold egg into boiling water and it exploded. Might not have exploded if the egg was room temperature, I'm not sure if that was his problem. It's also possible that he's cursed. It's why I usually don't let him use the stove.

I use your first method, but I don't bother warming the eggs to warm temperature; that never seems to have made a difference. I also usually poke a hole in the air sac end of the egg, which helps keep the egg from cracking, or so I'm told.

My MIL adds a dash of vinegar to the water so that any cracks that might occur don't spread; as soon as the egg white encounters the vinegar, it coagulates. I find doing this makes the eggs harder to peel, so I add vinegar only if I was clumsy enough to crack an egg as I lowered it into the water.

I also take the eggs out with a slotted spoon and then cool them with tap water, but I don't cool the pot along with them. I suppose it's not a really sudden temp change, but I'm afraid of damaging the pot.

And simmering instead of boiling definitely helps prevent the "chopped rubber-band salad" effect. LOL

Woosh! I just got whiplash from that backpedal. ;)

I use the lazy method, but I only let them sit for about 10 minutes. Unless I forget to set the timer.

To me, there are few foods more unpleasant than overdone hard-cooked eggs. Chopped rubber-band salad anyone?

Don't you have problems with a green ring around the yolks sometimes, if you don't cool them more quickly? I keep a pan of ice water ready, and fish them out of the boiling water with a spoon to drop them in there.

I prefer simmering the water and then dropping them in for 5 minute eggs, which cooks the whites and leaves the yolk runny. If I forget to remove them in time, it's no disaster; I like them cooked too.

I do the "don't want to pay attention" method.

Shocker, I know.

Also, love the Related: How to fry an egg. And love the misnomer quote!