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Simply Recipes Food and Cooking Blog Home About Recipe Index Subscribe Recipe Box « Poached Salmon | Recipe Home | Broccoli Salad » How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs Posted by Elise on Jul 19, 2007 Filed under All Seasons, Egg, How To, Low Carb Tweet Add to Recipe Box I love hard boiled eggs. For years I ate one every morning until my doctor told me that you shouldn't eat the same food every single day. So now I eat them only a couple of times a week. Sometimes with a little salt, usually without. Used to be that people were scared of eating eggs because of the cholesterol in the egg yolks. Now research has found that eggs also raise the good cholesterol that bodies need. When it comes to boiling eggs, the biggest problem is that people can easily over-cook them, leading to a dark green color around the yolk, and a somewhat sulphuric taste. Here's a my method for cooking hard boiled eggs so that they don't get over-cooked: How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs Cook time: 12 minutes If you want hard boiled eggs that are easy to peel, make sure they are several days old. If this is Easter time, and everyone is buying their eggs at the last minute, buy your eggs 5 days in advance of boiling. (See the reference to using old eggs in Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking). Hard boiling farm fresh eggs will invariably lead to eggs that are difficult to peel. If you have boiled a batch that are difficult to peel, try putting them in the refrigerator for a few days; they should be easier to peel then. If you need to hard cook fresh eggs, and want them easy to peel, steaming the eggs works well. Even fresh eggs steamed for 20 minutes will be easy to peel. Method 1 Put the eggs in a single layer in a saucepan, covered by at least an inch or two of cold water. Starting with cold water and gently bringing the eggs to a boil will help keep them from cracking. Adding a tablespoon of vinegar to the water will help keep the egg whites from running out of any eggs that happen to crack while cooking, but some people find that the vinegar affects the taste. I don't have a problem with it and I usually add a little vinegar. Adding a half teaspoon of salt is thought to help both with the preventing of cracking and making the eggs easier to peel. Put the burner on high and bring the eggs to a boil. As soon as the water starts to boil, remove the pan from the heat for a few seconds. 2 Reduce the heat to low, return the pan to the burner. Let simmer for one minute. (Note I usually skip this step because I don't notice the eggs boiling until they've been boiling for at least a minute! Also, if you are using an electric stove with a coil element, you can just turn off the heat. There is enough residual heat in the coil to keep the eggs simmering for a minute.) 3 After a minute, remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let sit for 12 minutes. If you are doing a large batch of eggs, after 10 minutes you can check for doneness by sacrificing one egg, removing it with a slotted spoon, running it under cold water, and cutting it open. If it isn't done, cook the other eggs a minute or two longer. The eggs should be done perfectly at 10 minutes, but sometimes, depending on the shape of the pan, the size of the eggs, the number of eggs compared to the amount of water, and how cooked you like them, it can take a few minutes more. When you find the right time that works for you given your pan, the size of eggs you usually buy, the type of stove top you have, stick with it. I also find that it is very hard to overcook eggs using this method. I can let the eggs sit, covered, for up to 15-20 minutes without the eggs getting overcooked. 4 Either remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place them into a bowl of ice water (this is if you have a lot of eggs) OR strain out the water from the pan, fill the pan with cold water, strain again, fill again, until the eggs cool down a bit. Once cooled, strain the water from the eggs. Store the eggs in a covered container (eggs can release odors) in the refrigerator. They should be eaten within 5 days. Never miss a recipe! Subscribe to Simply Recipes free via email: (more details) Get recipe updates via RSS Get recipe updates on Twitter Indexed: Easter, Egg, Hard Boiled Egg Email to a friend Tweet this! Share on Facebook Print (no photos) Print (with photos) You might also like... Spinach Gratin with Hard Boiled Eggs Deviled Eggs Egg Nests 147 Comments My favourite way to eat boiled eggs is with some good butter and a sprinkle of sea salt. Granted, it's not something you can have every day, but it's so delicious every now and then.. Posted by: Pille on July 20, 2007 12:25 AM Pouring a bit of dark soya sauce on the yolk is my favourite way of eating hard boiled eggs. Brings back a wealth of childhood memories. Posted by: Karen on July 20, 2007 4:32 AM Sur La Table also makes this love little gadget that I believe is under $10 that tells you when your eggs are done. I find it indispensable. It's called the egg perfect timer and you boil it with your eggs. Posted by: Alyssa on July 20, 2007 5:44 AM I love the honesty-I never notice them boiling either. Friends think I'm odd because I keep hard boiled eggs in the refrigerator, but each week when I grocery shop I get a dozen fresh eggs and boil up the remainder of the last carton. There's always 4-6 hard boiled eggs on-hand. Need a quick snack/meal-egg salad sandwich! Salad needs something-slice a hard boiled egg up. Dog is being a picky eater-slice a hard boiled egg over his food. How's that ad go? The incredible edible egg! Posted by: Lisa S. on July 20, 2007 5:51 AM It sounds like you're saying that running the boiled still-in-the-shell egg under cold water, you can tell if it's cooked enough. How does that work? Posted by: Jennifer on July 20, 2007 6:01 AM I just adore hard boiled eggs too! When it's not a work day, my favorite way to eat them is to boil the eggs, then while they're still warm, mash with a bit of butter (or if I'm feeling very virtuous I use something like Smart Balance) and then season with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. I never get tired of eating this! Posted by: Kalyn on July 20, 2007 6:27 AM Hi Jennifer - the only way to really tell if an egg is cooked enough is to peel it and cut into the yolk. By this time of course, if it isn't done enough you can't do anything about it, other than perhaps put it in the microwave. That's why I love this method. If I just let the eggs simmer for a minute, and then cover them, remove them from the heat and let them sit for at least 10 minutes, they are done perfectly. The only thing that can mess this up is if I try to a lot of eggs at once (more than 6) and I use a too small pot. In this case I test one of the eggs first (pull it out with a slotted spoon, run it under cold water, and cut it open). Posted by: Elise on July 20, 2007 7:14 AM Thank you, thank you for this! I have struggled for years on how to make the perfect hard-boiled egg (re: one with a lovely yellow yolk). Posted by: Lisa (Homesick Texan) on July 20, 2007 7:25 AM Hi Elise; I have heard that adding vinegar to the boiling eggs is just a myth. My mother did it, I do it, and everyone I know does it. I'm going to write to the American Egg Board and find out once and for all. By the way a quick and effective way to clean up a broken egg that's fallen to the floor. Just sprinkle a little salt, I use the kosher one, on the egg. The salt coagulates the sticky mixture, making it easy to scoop up with a paper towel. Posted by: Angel Elf on July 20, 2007 7:39 AM Elise, thank you for a terrific food blog! My family and I have enjoyed several of your recipes. I must say that today's recipe and yesterday's recipe on poached salmon simply don't work for us. We live at an elevation of 6300 ft, where the boiling point of water is about 12 degrees lower than at sea level. Any recipe that calls for bringing water to boiling then taking it off the heat simply won't cook the food for us. Is there is "sure-fire" adaptation to these sorts of recipes that will work for us? Posted by: Charles W. Stanton on July 20, 2007 7:53 AM I love hard-boiled eggs, rather eggs that are almost hard boiled with a slightly runny yolk. My significant other loves them cooked (and usually) until they are like bricks with a ring of green, this is a great way for us to reach a happy medium! Thank you! Posted by: Pamela on July 20, 2007 7:56 AM I agree with all your steps Elise except for the way to tell that they are done. I spoon one out and run under cold water for a second, then I spin the egg on the counter and if it spins perfectly and doesn't wobble like a weeble wobble, I know the eggs are cooked to perfection. Whoever gave me this tip told me that a raw egg won't spin like a top but a cooked egg will - I don't know where I heard this or who to give the credit to, but it works! Posted by: Denise on July 20, 2007 8:07 AM I read about a similar method in the New York Times a couple of years ago, and I've had nothing but perfectly boiled eggs since. Hard to imagine, but it's even easier than this. Once the water is boiling, simply clamp on a tight-fitting lid and turn off the heat. Leave them on the now-cooling burner 10 minutes and then cool the eggs. I like it because it doesn't require the minute of simmering time and me remembering to come back and turn off the heat and take them off the burner. Now that I'm writing it, though, maybe this method works only on electric burners, which would allow a more gradual reduction of heat -- simulating the simmering time in this method? Posted by: Stacy on July 20, 2007 8:08 AM Hi Angel Elf - Adding vinegar works because of a chemical reaction with the acid in the vinegar. It speeds the coagulation of the egg whites. Salt helps too. Hi Charles - Cooking at altitude presents all sorts of challenges. Sorry I can't help you there, but perhaps a Google search will yield some information. Hi Denise - Spinning an egg is a great way to tell the difference between a raw egg and a cooked one, but it won't tell you if your yolk is cooked through or not. The reason that the spinning egg works for distinguishing raw eggs is that the yolk is moving in the egg whites. Once the egg whites are firm, the egg will spin normally. Hi Stacy - You got it. With an electric burner (coil), all you have to do is turn off the heat and cover the pot. Don't have to worry about simmering for a minute, because there is enough residual heat in the coils to keep the eggs simmering for a minute on their own. Posted by: Elise on July 20, 2007 8:17 AM This is exactly how I cook my eggs. I've never had any crack this way either. That tip about the eggs spinning like a top is cute! I doubted it at first, but I just tried spinning some raw eggs and they definitely weeble-wobbled over the counter. I'll have to try with the cooked eggs next time to confirm the rest of the theory! Posted by: Maia on July 20, 2007 8:44 AM I've always done something similar. I bring to a boil with cold water, then turn off the heat and cover for 17 min. (I know that's a lot longer than your time, but it's the way I learned it, so I've always done it that way.) I use a gas range. By the way, in step 2 above, you say in one place to bring to a gentle boil, and then say to use high heat for the boil. Do you use gentle or high heat? Thanks for all the great tips! Posted by: arcey on July 20, 2007 9:26 AM I always understood that the vinegar acted on the calcium on the shell to "soften" it thereby making it less prone to cracking. Lemon juice does the same thing (A good use for yucky bottled lemon juice). Incidentally, the egg shells are good for the garden! I suppose the calcium neutralizes acidic soil. Just a guess., though. Posted by: Nancy on July 20, 2007 9:33 AM A trick I found from a guy that sells food to construction sites...for easy peeling add about a quarter of a teaspoon of salt to the water. Works like magic, doesn't matter if the eggs are old or new! Posted by: Judy on July 20, 2007 9:38 AM Actually there is a much easier method to safely boil eggs. Normally the shell cracks because of the air that's inside the egg which expands when the temperature rises. So before you put the egg in the water, just use a little needle (here in Germany we even got devices for that) and make a tiny hole in the bottom (bottom as in the flat side of the egg, not the pointy one)... don't sting the egg too deeply as this would damage the membrane inside and would cause liquid to leak out. After doing that, you'll see air coming out of the egg while it boils inside the water. Posted by: Adissa on July 20, 2007 9:49 AM Everyone has an opinion on boiling eggs! My two cents: (1) I've found free-range eggs typically have thicker shells, meaning you can lower them into boiling water with little fear of cracking. (2) Getting the boiled eggs into ice water immediately from the pot of hot water makes them easier to peel. (I think I learned that one from Alton Brown.) Posted by: Katie on July 20, 2007 10:21 AM I recall the egg-spinning test differently. You spin the egg on its side, then very quickly press down on it (ever so briefly) with one finger to stop it, finally and let up. With a hard-boiled egg, the egg will just sit there after you release it (or start rolling off the surface its on). However, an uncooked egg will start to spin again! This happens because the yolk continues to spin independently from the eggshell itself. This doesn't help though if the egg is mostly cooked, to the point where the yolk is more of a solid than a liquid. Oh well, its a fun trick to entertain children.a Posted by: Jeff Daly on July 20, 2007 11:22 AM Re eggs: It's very fashionable these days to say "sea salt". Here in Greece all salt is sea salt. What is the alternative? Are they still selling salt from Salzburg and Avery Island? I thought that went out with horses going blind in the mines after years of almost no light. Posted by: michael bash on July 20, 2007 11:35 AM Hi Michael, according to this page about Avery Island, they are still mining salt there. Posted by: Elise on July 20, 2007 11:46 AM This is the method I used when I lived in California, except I found that if I cracked all the eggs before putting them in ice water, they were sure to peel easily. Now that I live at 5500 ft here in Arizona, once they come to a boil I turn the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes - that's for extra large eggs. They come out perfect. Posted by: Jeanne on July 20, 2007 12:07 PM One episode of Good Eats recommended that you hard-boil eggs in an electric kettle. I tried it out, and it works great. Put in the eggs, cover with cold water, and flip it on. Come back about 15-minutes later and rinse them with cold water to slow down the cooking. It works like a charm every time (though I suppose you could argue that it's a pain to clean the kettle). Posted by: Megan on July 20, 2007 12:31 PM I enjoy hard-boiled eggs with hot sauce. This post will help. Posted by: Bob on July 20, 2007 12:36 PM Bob, I'm with you the best way is with hot sauce! Posted by: Susannah on July 20, 2007 2:42 PM So, it is not ok to eggs everyday? why? Can you elaborate on that please. Posted by: 0c on July 20, 2007 2:57 PM The sure fire way to prevent the eggs from cracking is a couple of shakes of salt in the cold water from the beginning. No need for vinegar or the needle...I PROMISE you they will not crack! :0) Posted by: Gail on July 20, 2007 3:03 PM Yes to Adissa's comment! I use poultry trussing needles or the tines of a boiled corn holder to poke a small hole in the bottom of each egg, drop them in gently boiling water for 12 minutes, then remove them into very cold water for a minute or so. They are always perfectly cooked and remarkably easy to peel. My mother thinks I am insane for doing it this way, of course. Posted by: Michael on July 20, 2007 3:20 PM I enjoy hard-boiled eggs with tomato-canned tuna mixed with the egg yolks and served inside the egg whites Posted by: Rose on July 20, 2007 3:31 PM Hi Oc - The reason you shouldn't eat eggs every day is that you shouldn't eat any food every day. According to my doctor, our bodies work best on a varied diet. This is why in our family at least we have pork one night, chicken the next, steak the next, tuna the next, etc, and we don't eat the same food for dinner that we ate for lunch. Also, sometimes if you eat one food every day, your body can develop a sensitivity to it, which can lead to an allergy to it. Posted by: Elise on July 20, 2007 3:35 PM Another way to check and see if a hard-boiled egg is done is to take it out of the boiling water with a slotted spoon and count to 8. If the shell is perfectly dry at the count of 8, your egg is done. Works every time for me! If it still has a wet spot past 8, then it needs to cook for a bit longer. (This trick and the spinning trick are fun ones.) Posted by: Jo on July 20, 2007 3:45 PM Excellent tips here, Elise! Though I've read a lot about how to boil eggs correctly, you still taught me a few things to try. Thanks! Posted by: Susan from Food Blogga on July 20, 2007 4:06 PM Well, I guess I've been boiling my eggs incorrectly all this time. ;) My method on a gas stove is that it takes twenty minutes to cook eggs from start to finish (I'm in SF and probably pretty close to sea level). I put the eggs in a pan, run cold water over them and put the pan on the stove on medium high. When I notice it's come to a boil (usually a little after it's come to a boil) I turn it down to low to simmer. When it's been twenty minutes since I put the pan on the stove I take it off. No green rings, never hard as a rock yolk, always cooked through (I hate them runny). This isn't for soft boiled eggs. After the twenty minutes have elapsed I take the pan to the sink and begin running cold water from the faucet directly into the pan and over the eggs until they are cool enough to handle and don't become hot again after a couple minutes. I always make only what I'm going to eat as for some odd reason I have an aversion to cold boiled eggs that have been in the fridge unless they're in potato salad. :) My Mamma always taught me to use a little lemon juice in the boiling water for poached eggs. It helps keep the white together, so I imagine it would work just as well for boiled eggs, but I never have the shell cracking problem with my method of making them. She also taught me that if you crack the egg all around on a hard surface (counter, edge of the pan, etc) and peel it from the "large" end, you'll never have a problem with getting it out of the shell unless it's under or over cooked. Starting from the middle or the little end seems to cause more problems, even with "aged" eggs. Posted by: Gira on July 20, 2007 4:35 PM Charles: Not sure this would work, but what about a steamer? Do those work at high altitudes? Posted by: Andrea on July 20, 2007 4:56 PM Hi Arcey - By the way, in step 2 above, you say in one place to bring to a gentle boil, and then say to use high heat for the boil. Do you use gentle or high heat? Actually, I think I say to start the eggs in cold water and bring them gently to a boil. By starting the eggs in cold water, they will be brought gently to a boil, even if you have the burner on high heat. The trick is to lower the heat when the water starts to boil so that don't bump into each other and the pan so much. Harold McGee mentions in his book that heating the eggs too quickly (what happens when you put eggs into already boiling water) increases the chemical reaction that causes a sulfur smell and taste in the eggs. He actually recommends that the water never come to a complete boil, that the heat stay just below a simmer, and then plunge the eggs into ice water as soon as they are done. That's too much work for me - to stand over the stove and make sure that the water is just the right temp - so I use the bring to a boil and then remove from heat method. Posted by: Elise on July 20, 2007 5:08 PM hi. i hate to say this, but i think you're overcomplicating things a bit. i find the best, and simplest, way to cook hardboiled eggs is to bring salted water to a boil, then carefully place the eggs into the pot with a slotted spoon, and let boil for 6 to 8 minutes, depending upon how hard-boiled you like your eggs. then quickly run cold water over them to cool. three steps, and presto, easy to peel, deliciously textured hard boiled eggs. Posted by: cindy on July 20, 2007 5:56 PM When I was in Italy, I had a breakfast of HBEs and olive oil. Highly recommended! Posted by: Amy on July 20, 2007 6:21 PM Hi Cindy - I know this approach might seem complicated, but really it isn't. All you do is bring the eggs to a boil with the water, let them simmer for a minute and then turn off the heat. I usually use an electric stove with a coil, so I don't even have to do the simmering for a minute part. This couldn't be easier. I usually don't even bother with a timer. 10 minutes, 15 minutes, the eggs are still good and not over-cooked. Posted by: Elise on July 20, 2007 9:10 PM I eat my morning hard boiled eggs with light soya sauce and white pepper -- been doing that ever since I was a little girl. Sooo good! Posted by: Theresa on July 20, 2007 9:11 PM All the advice for boiling eggs is good but the correct cooking time is best determined by trial & error, after all its not a big deal to forfeit a few eggs. The only thing I can add to all the good advice is I place a cloth in the bottom of the pan. This way I do not have to worry about the temperature nor eggs bumping around and guess what, no cracked eggs. Posted by: jimmy guillet on July 20, 2007 10:59 PM I have never read so much information about boiled eggs, I do it without thinking. But I think it is important to teach easy things, because we just forget to teach them! I just start a new American blog about easy french cook, I would be happy to have your thinking. Posted by: valerie on July 21, 2007 7:40 AM If you live at high altitudes, couldn't you always try to bake the eggs? It seems you could set the oven to low (I think eggs fully cook around 160F?) and just let them bake away. =) Posted by: Megan on July 21, 2007 8:53 AM The most accurate way to consistently boil either hard or soft boiled eggs is to purchase a Oster egg boiler. It has the correct measuring water quantity for either soft or hard. Mine cooks up to seven eggs at a time. When the water boils out, the unit shuts off and you have perfectly cooked eggs every time. Posted by: Ron Stanley on July 21, 2007 9:05 AM Wow, everyone has something to say about boiling eggs, huh? One tip I've heard (possibly from Alton Brown) is to use a pin to make a tiny hole in the bottom of each eggshell. Apparently this releases built up pressure inside the egg and will prevent it from cracking. Can't say I've ever tried it before, I've never had to patience to sit there puncturing a dozen eggs before putting them in the saucepan. Posted by: Jeremy on July 21, 2007 11:24 AM Hello Elise, Seems to me another major problem with hard boiled eggs is cooking them in such a way that they peel easily. I've heard lots of theories about this. Would love to hear you weigh in on this! Posted by: Elena on July 22, 2007 8:54 AM This article and these comments are wonderful...Thanks for posting! I especially like the use of less energy... I always boiled my eggs until they were done... now all I have to do is use enough gas to bring them to a boil and then simmer for a minute... very nice. Also... I have a kinda strange addition to the comments...somewhere along the line I found that if I was peeling an egg and it was difficult to peel, that if I just either closed my eyes or peeled it without looking at it, it was never a problem. I figured that I was just me getting frustrated and forcing a delicate thing...know it sounds silly, but all of the women in my family use this now and no more torn up eggs! :) Thanks again... Posted by: arielred on July 22, 2007 4:44 PM My tried and true method for dealing with those sticky unpeelable peels: roll egg on countertop using enough pressure so the shell gets crackled all over (you know, in a million pieces but still intact). Toss back into pot of cool water and let sit a minute or two. The water seeps under the shell making it a breeze to peel. PS- FWIW, I'm in the 'bring to boil/cover and turn off heat/time for 15 minutes' camp Posted by: BJane on July 22, 2007 10:54 PM If I'm having trouble peeling an egg, and I know it isn't because I'm using super fresh eggs, I crack it all over and soak it in cold water for a few minutes. That usually seems to do the trick. Posted by: Elise on July 23, 2007 10:17 AM For those that really want to know why adding vinegar works. Egg is largely protein and when you cook the egg you are actually denaturing the protein (that is a good thing) using heat. The vinegar, or lemon juice, makes the water acidic. Acid can penetrate the semi-permeable egg shell and denature the protein. (Much of the water supply is a little acidic anyways but the higher the concentration of acid the more quickly and throughly the protein is denatured.) It usually just denatures the protein on the outside and you heat your egg to denature the rest of the protein. The solid denatured protein prevents any other still liquid protein from escaping until you have finished cooking your egg. As a further interesting note, if you let an egg sit in acid (more concentrated is better) such as vinegar or lemon juice, you can denature the entire egg without cooking it. It will also 'eat' the entire shell. the shell is largely calcium carbonate which will react with the acid to produce carbon dioxide and water. Posted by: jennifer on July 23, 2007 11:03 AM Re shells: Not only are the shells good for your garden, but birds will eat pieces of shell to recover the calcium lost in laying their own Thanks to everyone for the wealth of info! Posted by: Michelle on July 24, 2007 9:12 AM What - no discussion on centering the yolks? Perfect deviled eggs must have the yolk centered. I do this by placing the eggs on their sides in the refrigerator for 24 hours before boiling. Try it - it works. Posted by: Sheila O on July 24, 2007 9:49 AM The best way to have HB eggs that are easy to peel-boil the water first, turn the temperature down and lower the eggs into the already boiling water. They peel like a banana. Eggs are the new Fortune Cookie--Write a message, joke or "fortune" on your HB eggs and share in a bowl at work. Much better than doughnuts, and fun, too. And I'm not "eggs"agerating! Sunshine Posted by: Sunshine on July 24, 2007 8:35 PM Try sprinkling a little salt in the water while boiling the eggs. It makes it easier to remove the shell. Hetal and Anuja Posted by: ShowMeTheCurry on July 27, 2007 11:41 PM My "no fail" way of boiling eggs is really simple. I put them in the pan first, then fill the pan with water at least an inch or more above the top of the eggs. Then, I place them on the stove with the burner set to high, and set the timer for 20 minutes. After about ten minutes I check to see if the water is boiling yet. If so, I turn the burner down a bit so the eggs boil on a low boil. I rarely have more than one egg crack (slightly) with this method. Once the timer goes off, I remover the pan, carefully pour out the hot water so as not to crack the eggs while slowly refilling the pan with cold water to stop the cooking. I let them sit for about 5 minutes, and then eat or refrigerate for later. This method has worked successfully for me at sea level, and altitudes as high as 3000 ft. The yolks are never discolored from over-cooking. My French friend, Florence, once showed me a lovely way to enjoy hard boiled eggs. You slice up some tomato (heirlooms are great if you can get them, or any variety of tomato you like), 1/2 an avocado sliced or cubed, and 3 sliced eggs, and make a salad. I drizzle it with some extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. I'm partial to celery seed, so I generally add that, too. In fact, I just finished eating it for lunch today! It's also quite lovely as the colors of the eggs, avocado and tomato look nice together. Posted by: SAS on July 29, 2007 1:05 PM The best way to eat a hard-boiled egg is with a dash of Tabasco sauce on each bite. Tabasco goes with eggs like peanut butter does with jelly. Posted by: Steve on July 29, 2007 7:53 PM Our favorite way to eat hard boiled eggs: With hot salt (mostly hot cayenne, some light salt, and black pepper mixed), and if eating hot, add a few drops of olive oil on them instead of any butter type product. To die for! To stop the eggs from cracking, I pre-warm them for about 15 minutes in a very warm water bath in a plastic bowl. While they are warming I prepare my stock pot and start the water boiling. Then I use a slotted spoon to dip them carefully in. The better they are pre-warmed, the less cracking. For Altitude, they might try this. After placing the eggs in the boiling water, turn the temp down to low or med. low and COVER the pot. SIMMER covered instead of boiling uncovered. I use 13 to 14 minutes at sea level using simmer/slight boil and my yolks do pretty well. At altitude they can simmer a little longer. Using the low burner setting seems to be better for getting really good looking hard boiled eggs. A loud timer will get you back to take them off the burner. Better yet, keep the timer with you. I am anxious to try your method the next time I boil eggs. Thanks. Great website by the way! Posted by: Nancy Perley on August 10, 2007 2:19 PM For high altitude, you can follow her recipe except instead of turning the stove off, turn it down to low. When I lived at an altitude of 5500, I would put my eggs in a pot, cover with cold water. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. As soon as it comes to a boil, turn down to low and cook for 15 mintues. Posted by: Sara V on August 13, 2007 9:43 AM For easy-to-peel eggs: there is a very thin membrane between the shell and the inside of the egg. You have to ensure that water can seep in between the membrane and the cooked egg or else the egg sticks to it and breaks apart when you try to peel it. By cracking the cooked egg well and rolling it around on the countertop to really crack it good, you also tear the membrane a bit. Then, running it under water while peeling or submerging it in cold water, as others have mentioned, the water gets through the tears, between the membrane and the egg, and allows the shell and membrane both to slip right off. I just tried the egg with butter for the first time - delicious. Tomorrow I'll try the olive oil! Posted by: Holly on August 29, 2007 11:35 AM I love eggs-fried, scrambled, poached, in an omelette or boiled. I recently discovered cooking poached and boiling eggs with an egg cooker. I am soooo happy with my egg cooker! There are a number of brands sold; I got the Oster brand. I love it. I have had to experiment a bit to get them right, but I find it much easier to get them the way I want them than by boiling or poaching on the stove. Posted by: Cheryl on September 16, 2007 9:41 AM I had always loved to EAT hard boiled eggs ... but had never cooked them before ... Using the method for an electric stove (and a dash of salt and red wine vinegar) my first batch of eggs cooked up perfectly. Posted by: Owen on October 14, 2007 2:41 PM I just hard-boiled four eggs - one did not make it! Then I got on-line to your site. I should have gotten on-line first! Thanks for the info! Posted by: Tommy on November 12, 2007 12:21 PM I always keep a straight pin with a roud tip and pierce the egg at the largest part. It lets the air out. Posted by: Marcelle on December 12, 2007 8:26 PM Regarding boiling eggs at high altitude. A way to raise the boiling temperature of the water is to add salt. You can test the mixture ahead of time to determine how much salt you need to add for the volume of water you want to boil. The salt raises the boiling point (and lowers the freezing point). Bud Great idea, thanks Bud! ~Elise Posted by: Bud Kinney on January 31, 2008 3:22 PM I cannot believe I am enjoying a web site about hard boiled eggs. Thanks everyone for all these tips. One tip I did not see. If you want fancy HB eggs that last, after you finish your favorite pickles don't toss the jar and juice. Peel those eggs and put them in there. After a week or so, wow. Great tip, Fred. Thanks! ~Elise Posted by: Fred on February 1, 2008 6:19 PM For years I have had trouble with hard-to-peel boiled eggs, and for the heck of it, I typed in Boiled Eggs in google today. As God is my witness, I shall never have that problem again! Thankyou, Elise, for helping me make my first batch of ez-peel HB eggies today! Posted by: Tamera on March 4, 2008 3:30 AM I just saw last week on Paula Deen......use lots of salt in your water when boiling eggs and they should peel easier......works for me! I usually take so much pain taking the yellows out with a spoon before deviling.....she just pops them out! Posted by: Mary R on March 11, 2008 7:32 PM I keep wanting to make deviled eggs, but wind up making egg salad instead. I put vinegar and salt in the water; boil for minute and let set for 15 minutes; put in icewater for a few minutes. The only problem is the yolks are lopsided. They are never centered. Why? Posted by: K Stanley on March 15, 2008 3:10 AM The real secret to prevent cracking of the egg shell is to poke a small pin hole in the large end of the shell - this is where the air bubble is so allows the expanded air to escape as the egg heats. Also I bring the water to a boil before putting in the eggs - set my timer at 6 1/2 minutes - when the timer goes off ( it reminds me I'm doing eggs ) I immediately drain and run in cold water. This gives me a perfect soft boiled egg EVERY time - no guess work. Eight minutes will give you a hard boiled & Ten minutes is enough for Devilled eggs Posted by: Ken P on March 17, 2008 5:39 AM Bud Kinney on January 31, 2008 3:22 PM "One tip I did not see. If you want fancy HB eggs that last, after you finish your favorite pickles don't toss the jar and juice. Peel those eggs and put them in there. After a week or so, wow." Bud, Must you wait until the pickles are gone? Will it effect either's taste much? Posted by: Eric on March 19, 2008 7:39 PM This was very helpful but we did buy our eggs at the last minute it's the Friday before easter. What to do? If you hard boil them, crack one and it is hard to peel, put the rest back in the fridge and don't crack them for several days. ~Elise Posted by: Anonymous on March 21, 2008 12:21 PM I tried this recipe and NOPE it did not work.. I even left the eggs in the pan for 15 monutes and they were still undercooked.. I was dissapointed. Hi Jenn, many factors can influence cooking time, including size and shape of your pan, how many eggs are in the pan, your altitude, the ratio of water to eggs in the pan. This method works for most people, but sometimes you have to tweak given your particular circumstances. Try increasing the amount of water in the pan. Or if you are high altitude, cooking longer. ~Elise Posted by: Jenn on March 22, 2008 9:19 PM I've been using a similar method for years...many, many years, sigh :). I bring eggs to boil then shut off heat and forget for 15 minutes (a timer works well). Drain in pot and beat them about in the pot then fill with cold water. This is where we differ. I peal them while they are still warm. They are easier to peel when warm and if I am making egg salad this is also where I break them up. Again they are easier to break up when warm. Then I leave in covered container in fridge. If I am using them for halves I don't cut them until cold. That way they don't crumble. Posted by: Susan, Canada on April 11, 2008 11:23 AM I dropped the eggs into boiling water. I think the air pocket expanded to make a void in the "white". Here's a photo: view Posted by: Kevin on April 15, 2008 9:24 AM My goodness! I think I'll just crack a raw one and toss it down with a squirt of Tobasco! Such a fuss. Here's an easy trick: to peel a hard boiled egg if you don't need it whole, just guillotine the egg at the beltline with a sharp chef's knife and use a small spoon to scoop out the egg. This is a VERY FAST and TIDY technique. Posted by: Leslie on April 25, 2008 7:40 PM Thank you very much for this post, and all the useful comments from everybody! My friend always has a good chuckle at the fact that I cannot boil an egg to save my life. So, I found this post, and decided to try it with the last two eggs in my fridge. I'd like to announce that these directions are wonderfully specific, and I have now, for the first time in my life, perfectly boiled an egg. Peeling the first one was a pain; I couldn't get past the membrane, so it felt like the rubber of a dog's chew toy, and fiddling the shell and that membrane was a long and frustrating process. Then I remembered a friend's tip to start it with a spoon at the flat end. The second shell just peeled off in a fifth of the time the first one took me. As for centering the yolk for deviled eggs, my friend just served these a couple of nights ago, and she said the trick was to leave them on their side overnight in the fridge. Her eggs looked great. Posted by: Karen on May 4, 2008 3:12 PM Elise. You have a delightful way with words! Thank you for your very handy tips! As a newlywed, I am slowly gathering more confidence in the kitchen, and thanks to you, I'm on the way to domestic bliss! (This was something I felt I should really know, and now I do!) best. Posted by: penelope on May 15, 2008 1:23 AM Wow! First time ever cooking hard-boiled eggs (I'm a scrambled or over-medium girl) and these instructions were PERFECT! I got bright yellow not over cooked eggs. Loved it! Thanks!! Posted by: Gaia_Iphigenia on May 20, 2008 8:04 AM How long can you keep eggs on the stove after cooking before they are not good anymore? I left them cooling for about four hrs? I've left hard boiled eggs cooling in the pan all day and still have had no problem with them. ~Elise Posted by: Chad on June 6, 2008 4:35 AM One great way to devil the eggs. After you peel; cut the wide end of the egg off right at the edge of the yolk. Gently take out the yoke (I take a toothpick and go around the edges of the yoke to loosen it then gently squeeze it out.) Cut the corner of a ziploc bag and fill with filling. Then just squeeze the filling into the egg. It also helps if you stand the eggs up in the carton. Quick, easy, and mess free. They also look really pretty. At easter I use a LITTLE sprinkle a food colored sugar. Posted by: Crystal on June 6, 2008 7:54 PM Hi Elise! Thanks for the great HBE guide. I'd tried once or twice before, with spotty results, but your method worked like a charm! Kudos to you! Posted by: Druegan on June 21, 2008 1:02 AM This worked a treat! Thank you very much! Posted by: Mark on June 29, 2008 2:06 PM I love hard boiled eggs with a few drops of soy sauce on the yolk. Recently, I got these cute little molds from a Japanese store, so i eat my eggs in the shape of a heart or star! And lastly, this recipe is perfect because the yolk is not too runny and not too dry. Great job! Posted by: amy on June 30, 2008 9:13 AM Thanks for the tips! I think the easy peeling comes from the step where you immeditaly cool the eggs in cold water after cooking. I never used salt or anything in the water before while cooking the eggs but I discovered that if I place the eggs right into a bowl of cold water and ice after they're done cooking to quickly cool them that this causes the membrane inside the egg shell to stick to the inside of the shell and not to the egg, thus making them easier to peel. The eggs will slip right out of the shell after cracking the shell by rolling the egg on a counter and pressing on them with my hand to crack the shells on all sides. If I don't cool the egg immediately, I find the membrane will stick to the eggs and make them annoyingly hard to peel. I don't understand the science behind this, I just discovered this is true with trial-and-error cooking of eggs. Posted by: Alisa on July 3, 2008 4:35 AM If live at high altitude where water boils at a much lower temperature than at sea level, you can raise its boiing point by adding salt. Table salt will do just fine. It doesn't matter what kind (sea salt, Kosher salt, lite salt) just how much. Posted by: Stan Goldfarb on July 4, 2008 1:53 AM This recipe helped me a lot, and after reading some viewers' comments and seeing that people recommended hard boiled egg with butter and salt, I tried it. It was very good. Posted by: Libby on July 11, 2008 7:54 AM Sigh...this is such an effort. I'm a uni student and live at a fully catered college. Unfortunately it means I can't eat what I want and am limited to the crap they serve. I just bought myself one of those electric tiered steamers and was wondering if I can hard boil eggs this way using steam? It says rice can be cooked in it so I cant see how it is much different. (I'm devastated as eggs are one of my most favourite foods and I have no way to cook them) Also I thought I read in the comments that I can boil an egg in an electric kettle/jug-is this true? Wouldn't it pose a problem with the eggs resting on the element (the metal coil bit inside the jug that heats the water) Anyway, just want to test ALL theories before I have to spend my limited student budget on buying a gadget JUST to cook eggs. (Oh and might I add how appalled I am that so many people have admitted to NOT EVER cooking BOILED EGGS before in their life. It is one of the easiest things to do and I'm only 21-have been boiling (hard/soft), poaching, scrambling eggs since I was 10!) Hi Kellee, no idea on the steamer or electric kettle. Why don't you try them and find out? Let us know what you find. ~Elise Posted by: Kellee on July 21, 2008 6:11 AM Kellee - yes, in college I boiled eggs in my small electric kettle. Bud, adding salt does affect boiling temp, but sea water boils at about 215F, only 3 degrees more than normal with all that salt. Posted by: BobF on July 26, 2008 11:26 AM A neat trick my grandfather showed me for peeling HBE's is fun, maybe not something you want to do if someone else is going to eat them... but fine if you're the one eating them. You hit each end with the back of a spoon until you get a hole in the egg... then you blow in the hole on one end until the egg shell cracks or air comes out the other hole... it basically forces air between the shell and the egg, and then the whole shell comes off in 1 or 2 pieces. Kids LOVE this trick! :) Posted by: Darla on July 28, 2008 3:41 PM Wow this is my first time making anything in the kitchen and I have to be completely honest, that stuff is so freakin pro! My first batch of eggs was delicious. Posted by: matt on August 22, 2008 12:48 PM My aunt cooks the eggs with onion peel at Easter and they get a lovely marbled brown, and at least to me a hint of onion essence. Maybe its just the onion smell in the air after cooking. I've heard you can do this with other kinds of vegetable peels for other colours - does anyone know more? Here's a link to other ways to use natural dyes for Easter eggs. ~Elise Posted by: sandraregina on September 25, 2008 11:28 AM Greetings, Rather than straining the eggs and refilling your pot with cold water a number of times to cool them off, I find it works better if you place the pot of eggs into the sink after straining off the hot water and let cold water run into the pan very slowly. Once the water reaches the top of your pot it will overflow keeping the water in the pot cool. You only need to let a trickle of water flow for about 5 minutes to cool your eggs enough to be handled. Posted by: Jim Evans on October 7, 2008 1:17 PM I feel like such a moron, Thanks for the info. I can rebuild a Toyota engine, but cooking eggs are perplexing. Mmmm good! Cheers! Posted by: Dogpower on October 8, 2008 9:19 PM Hi Kellee, I also hard-boiled many, many eggs with my hot pot (electric kettle) for both my undergrad and grad degrees - they're the perfect fast protein-filled portable breakfast! There was never a problem with the heating element. You can make a LOT in a hot pot - soup, pasta, eggs, etc. etc. - great for a dorm room with no other way to cook and restrictions on microwaves :-) Posted by: Hannah on October 18, 2008 9:26 PM Excellent directions, they turned out perfectly! Posted by: Dawn on November 3, 2008 2:09 PM THANK YOU. Those are the best hard boiled eggs I have ever had!!!! Posted by: Christine on November 10, 2008 11:50 AM I used your tips to make myself some hard boiled eggs - for egg salad AND to eat them plain - and it was the BEST eggs I've EVER HAD! (Even better than my grandma used to make...and that's hard to do!) Usually when I make hard-boiled eggs, they end up incredibly rubbery! Taking them off of the heat and covering them for 10 minutes instead of leaving them on the heat for a five or six minutes is the KEY to making these so yummy! Thanks so much! Michelle Posted by: Michelle on November 11, 2008 8:36 PM Thanks for the tips. My warm frisee salad with bacon and dijon vinigarette with 'perfect hard boiled' eggs was devoured quickly. Posted by: Syd on November 11, 2008 10:20 PM I remember watching my mom eat boiled eggs with BBQ sauce so I tried it and it's good..so I eat my boiled eggs with BBQ sauce on them...It might be a BBQ thing too..I have always heard that if you spin an egg and it doesn't wobble then it's done...Makes since to me..If it's done the yoke stays in one place, thus preventing the wobble.. and I have never had an uncooked one yet...if you try it and you get a different result please let me know. Posted by: Joseph on November 18, 2008 1:50 PM Fantastic recipe, worked like a charm! Posted by: Shannon Franics on November 22, 2008 6:12 AM I was so bsuy reading all these great tips that I forgot to take my eggs off the stove! I'm sure they'll be just fine though. Next time I hard boil eggs for Deviled Eggs, I will lay them in the fridge on their side first for a day - the centered yolk was a GREAT tip! Posted by: Gen B on November 27, 2008 9:17 AM I can never remember how long to cook eggs for so look it up every time - this recipe is by far the easiest and tastiest!! (My shells did crack though but they still tasted great!) Posted by: Claire on December 2, 2008 5:18 AM Wow - I can't believe the amount of comments on this article! I tried the method outlined by Elise and it worked perfectly. The yolks had that beautiful creamy "wavy" texture and taste. Question about the vinegar - are you using white wine vinegar? Does it matter what kind? I use rice vinegar, white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar. Red wine vinegar would work too, but might stain the eggs. ~Elise Posted by: Rebecca on December 2, 2008 8:07 AM Finally, after years of always messing these up, they came out PERFECT! :D Posted by: Carley on December 7, 2008 10:47 AM Thanks for the great method for the eggs, before now I always let it to chance. No more, now my deviled eggs are perfect! BTW, here's a quick recipe for great deviled egg mix. Use eight hard boiled egg yolks, mash with potato masher, blend in about 1/2 c. mayo or miracle whip, add a couple tsp of sweet pickle relish to taste. Throw in a tsp or two of spicy brown mustard, mix well. spoon into egg halves, sprinkle with paprika. Posted by: Kurt on January 1, 2009 5:29 PM Myself and my husband are crazy about eggs (in any form). Hard boiled is one of my favourite. I use the normal Steamer to steam the eggs for 10 minutes, remove them immediately, run it under cold water, de-shell them, slice it length wise into 2 pieces, sprinkle some Salt and Pepper on the yolk and place a small piece of Cilantro on top. yummm tastes so good. Posted by: Getha on January 5, 2009 11:23 AM Reading your post on making boiled eggs and the attached comments remind me of summer times as a boy with grownups who preserved food and raised kids, and vice-versa. For evening snacks we ate Saltine crackers and raspberry jam with our mom on a blanket in the backyard. Us kids snapped beans, for canning, with the neighbor lady while sitting in shade on the front porch. On hot summer afternoons we drank Kool Aide and ate firm chilled boiled eggs dipped in salt. Thanks for the recipe and comments. Jim Mahoney Spokane Hi Jim - chilled hard boiled eggs dipped in salt, isn't that the best? Porches, hot summer days, snapping beans, canning jams, seems like we had similar summers. :-) ~Elise Posted by: Jim Mahoney on January 11, 2009 9:30 PM I followed exactly and eggs were not cooked when I went to peel them. The egg whites were runny and I ruined 8 eggs!!! Now have to go buy more. Hi Scott, it's always a good idea to test one egg first, before cracking all the others open. ~Elise Posted by: scott on January 27, 2009 9:04 PM The reason for the vinegar is that it etches and "cleans" the eggshell, thus preparing it for dying. It makes the colors adhere better. Thanks for your recipe Elise! Posted by: Kari on January 28, 2009 2:24 PM Mmmmmmmm lol yes I didn't know how to make them until just now! Thanks! I was wondering why mine were always so nasty! Posted by: garrett on January 31, 2009 2:19 PM This is such a great recipe - especially for those of us who struggle with even the simplest things in the kitchen! :o) Posted by: Lisa Collins on February 8, 2009 8:26 PM My favorite way to eat hard boild eggs is with some cumin, salt, and black pepper... tasty treat that jump starts my morning! Posted by: Alex on February 11, 2009 6:54 AM I am baking scotch eggs for a friends wedding and was looking for a way to make sure the eggs did not go black when I hard boiled them. Thank you so much - and what a fabulous information! :) Posted by: Rachael Hannan on February 12, 2009 1:15 PM Just a note for making Potato Salad - You can cook your potatoes and eggs at the same time! I generally let mine cook for about 15 minutes after adding them to boiling water, with the potatoes. Remove the eggs and put in ice water. About the time the eggs have cooled enough to peel and chop, the potatoes are ready to be drained and cooled. While the potatoes are cooling is when I mix up the base for the potato salad: Mayonnaise AND Miracle Whip Light, minced dill pickle, pickle juice, dill weed, celery seed, chopped celery, salt, pepper, hard-boiled eggs, and a Southern Seasoning (usually whichever is in front of the cabinet - Everglades Heat, Seminole Seasoning, Slap yo' Mamma...etc). Mix, cool, and eat! Hope this helps! Posted by: CLH1 on February 13, 2009 11:05 AM These were perfect! The yolk was firm but creamy and not powdery like overcooked eggs and not runny like undercooked. Delicious! Bringing some with me to class tonight. Posted by: uriela on February 19, 2009 1:27 PM I have done experiments on why eggs are hard to peel and I have found placing them in already boiling water makes the egg easy to peel. I used eggs from the same container and placed half in beginning cold water and half in already boiling. The half in boiling water peeled easily while the other was difficult. Piercing the eggs in either case prevented cracking. Posted by: Glitzel on February 19, 2009 6:33 PM Thank you for writing this! It was SO helpful, and extremely thorough! Charmed, Charlie. Posted by: Charlie Starr on March 5, 2009 10:45 AM In all honesty I have never made a hard-boiled egg in my life, but have had to start eating them for the protein. So today I googled this recipe, and have just eaten what was possibly the most perfect hard-boiled egg I've ever seen. Thankyou so much! Posted by: katherine on March 12, 2009 9:38 PM Elise, I have no idea how many times I've raved about your site to others... but I do it all the time. Almost to an excess... :) Anywho, thanks for the perfect hard boiled eggs. You are amazing! Have you ever considered writing a post for beginners about the basic ingredients one should have in their kitchen? I go to the supermarket and sometimes I'm at a loss as to what to buy... especially because I'm inconvenienced by only one shopping trip a week. Just a suggestion. Thanks again! Hi Irene, great suggestion. Mark Bittman of the NY Times did an article recently on pantry essentials which you might find interesting (albeit not entirely practical). He's left out some basics like canned tomatoes and peanut butter, but it's a good read. Also do a search for pantry essentials in Food Blog Search to see what other food bloggers have to recommend. ~Elise Posted by: Irene on March 18, 2009 10:53 PM In an uncovered pan, as soon as the water comes to a full boil, shut off the heat, cover the pan and leave it. In 25 minutes you have perfectly hard-boiled eggs. No fuss, no timing. The age of the eggs does make a difference in ease of peeling. Posted by: Jerry Wayne Anderson on March 24, 2009 12:12 PM If you want to easily peel a hard boiled egg without waiting, just add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the water before boiling. This raises the PH level and decreasing adhering. Once it cools, crack off the shell on each end of the egg, then hold tight to the shell, and blow the egg out its shell. Yes, with your mouth. Catch it! It is slippery. Would love to see a video of that trick. ~Elise Posted by: Delight on March 25, 2009 12:14 PM Thank you! I'm a big fan of "doing simple things well," and I agree, this is the PERFECT way to make hard-boiled eggs. I just tried it and it worked so well! Posted by: WitchDoctor on March 29, 2009 1:40 PM I'm confused by this method of cooking eggs. In the directions of #2, you say to "gently bring the eggs to a boil", then later in the same section you say to "put the burner on high". Well, which is it please? You gently bring the eggs to a boil by starting them in cold water and putting the burner on high. Do not start the eggs in hot water. ~Elise Posted by: William Miller on April 5, 2009 6:55 AM Wow! Thanks so much for your site. I just boiled our Easter eggs and my "sacrificial egg" was PERFECT. I did have one of the 21 crack, but that is way fewer than I lost last year. Posted by: Stacy on April 8, 2009 4:13 PM One of my favorite ways to eat hard boiled eggs is the way I ate them as a child. Cut open, and mashed up a bit with a tad of sea salt and some fresh black pepper. Delish! I don't use vinegar in the pot when I make them because it affect the flavor. Posted by: Karla on April 9, 2009 1:54 PM Adding salt to the water to compensate for the lower boiling point at high altitude sounds like a great idea, but it's not likely to help much. The boiling point of seawater, as salty as it is, is only 100.6 degrees C, compared to 100 degrees C for pure water. Now imagine trying to add enough salt to raise the boiling point by 4 or 5 degrees C! Posted by: Becky on April 9, 2009 8:47 PM Is there a way to prevent HB eggs from stinking? I keep a week's worth of HB eggs in the fridge as a way for an easy and healthy snack. Thing is, they usually smell. We put them in a plastic container and store them in the fridge. Otherwise, yes, they do end up smelling. ~Elise Posted by: Heidi on April 10, 2009 7:56 AM Perfect! I think! I put 25 eggs in a pot. I got online to find out how long to boil them and came across your site. So, I added the vinegar and salt. By the time I checked the eggs they were boiling but I don't konw how long they were already boiling for. So, I let them boil another 2 minutes I think. I took it off the stove, covered the pot, let it sit for about 10 minutes and went to cool them with cold water. The water in my complex was turned off!! I ran to the freezer and dumped the ice maker full of ice into the pot. Perfect eggs! No green. Our elevation is between 9,000-10,000 ft. and the eggs are perfect. Posted by: Margaret on April 10, 2009 1:44 PM Thanks for saving the day this easter with this post from ages ago!! Posted by: kara-noel on April 11, 2009 7:00 PM Thankyou for your instructions. I need to make a batch tonight to make deviled eggs tommorrow. I never knew that the eggs should not be store bought fresh. Makes sense. I have always had a bad time peeling them and usually destroyed a few. Again thank you! Posted by: Dawn on April 11, 2009 8:05 PM I never notice them boiling either! Once I put them on the stove I tend to wander off and forget about them! I do remember eventually and they always come out great anyways! I love boiled eggs with a bit of seasalt, it's delicious and boosts my day! Posted by: Jessie Marie on April 12, 2009 12:56 PM Thank you so much for these tips. After having trouble year after year peeling my Easter Eggs, I decided to this year search online for information to get them to come out right. Followed your advice and the eggs were perfectly cooked and easy to peel! Posted by: Rebecca on April 12, 2009 9:20 PM This is how I've always cooked my eggs and they've never come out wrong. I usually boil a dozen to take to work on Mondays for everyone in the office and they just rave about how perfect they are ... perfectly yellow yolks every time. Posted by: Mac on April 13, 2009 7:12 PM So much to remember! My fool-proof method for perfect hard-boiled eggs, sans sulphur ring, and with a yolk that is a consistent yellow throughout: 1) Put eggs in a small pot. Fill with water so they are (almost or completely) submerged. 2) Pot > stove > high heat. 3) When water boils turn to medium heat, leave for 10 minutes. 4) This last part, you can do it however you like, but what I do is run cold water on the pot with the eggs for a while until the eggs are warm. Then I drop them an inch or so onto a hard surface so they crack then I roll them and peel. Rinse to get rid of small shell pieces. Posted by: Joyce on April 24, 2009 3:47 PM -Cover eggs with water in a small pot, put on high heat. -As soon as the water starts to boil, remove from heat (I set timer to 7 minutes just as soon as I turn on the heat, works good for me at my altitude (90ft above sea level...lol). -Cover pot with lid...wait about 15 minutes. -Drain the hot water from pot. -Fill pot with cold water, drain it, fill it again with cold water. -Wait 2 minutes. Drain the water. Eggs should be cool enough to handle. -Roll them puppies in your hands to crack the shell. -Peel from fat end first. Shell should come off easily and sometimes all in a bunch. -MOST Important step---> Eat the eggs! Enjoy. Use your own tastes as to salt, pepper, or whatever is your preference. I eat them by biting off an entire half at a time, chew, swallow....repeat! OINK. haha I never made 'deviled eggs' or anything else with them. Why? Cause as soon as they are done I eat them! Yumm. -Good luck! Posted by: Tom on April 27, 2009 10:43 AM I just boiled 3 eggs the way mentioned at the top of this post and YES they are perfect, thanks for the advise! Posted by: laura on April 28, 2009 5:35 AM This discussion reminds me of a passage from Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison's "Song of Solomon," where one of the characters makes the perfect soft boiled egg for her nephew. I probably read the book over 20 years ago, but to this day it's how I cook eggs. I can't find an actual passage but from what I remember, the eggs and the water must "meet on equal terms" (i.e. the same temperature), when the bubbles in the boiling water reach the size of peas, remove it from the heat, cover and go do some "small obligation" like answering the door. Upon completion of that, your eggs are perfectly soft boiled, with the yolk just slightly soft, not runny. Since then I've just left the eggs in the water a little longer for hard cooked eggs. Posted by: Michelle on April 29, 2009 2:56 PM This really did make the perfect hard boiled eggs! Thanks for sharing it. Posted by: kelly on May 10, 2009 4:30 PM Thanks so much Elise. I just made hard boiled eggs for the first time ever by following your recipe. They came out perfect! Just ate one. The yolk was nice and yellow, and perfectly cooked. Thanks again! Posted by: Tony on May 11, 2009 9:05 PM The method you described was perfect, thank you for sharing! Posted by: Aaron on May 21, 2009 11:13 AM Just tried the salt in the pan to keep the eggs from cracking - 2 of the 5 have cracks?! The best thing to do to keep the eggs from cracking is to not let them boil for too long, or to have too many eggs in the pan. Vigorous boiling bumps the eggs together. ~Elise Posted by: Sheri on May 28, 2009 8:00 AM WOW this method works perfectly! My whole life I'd been simple boiling water, THEN putting the eggs in, keeping the water boiling for a full 6 minutes. They always came out grey/green and I never knew why.. well now I do! I just cooked 2 following this method and they were the best eggs I've ever had. Thanks Elise! :-) Posted by: Jen on May 28, 2009 6:16 PM I don't know what went wrong. I followed the recipe exactly and I get eggs that I have bright orange waxy-looking centers, not the smooth yellow I expected. Screw it - I'll buy them hard-boiled from now on. I can't even boil an egg! This is why it pays to test an egg first, before cooling down the rest of them. Could be for your elevation, pan, etc. you need a few more minutes. I would add 3 minutes to the cooking time and try again, this time testing one egg before cooling down all of the rest. ~Elise Posted by: egglady on June 2, 2009 1:57 PM Definitely going to try this next time! I like my boiled eggs peeled and mashed in a mug with a little butter and salt. MMMM! Enjoyed reading through this! ~Glenn Posted by: Glenn on June 18, 2009 3:41 PM I forgot to refrigerate my boiled eggs last night. Can we still eat them or throw them out. Great question. A few hours is one thing. Overnight is another. If you crack one open and remove the shell and the egg smells bad, throw it out for sure. If there are any cracks in the egg's shell and you left it out overnight, throw it out. ~Elise Posted by: Ellie on June 21, 2009 7:08 AM Just wanted to say that this was the best boiled eggs I have ever made. I followed your directions to a T and they came out perfect. Thanks for this. Posted by: Derek on June 22, 2009 1:34 PM I apologize for the inconvenience, comments are closed. ~Elise Link to this recipe Bookmark this page using the following link: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_perfect_hard_boiled_eggs/ Do you have a website? You can place a link to this page by copying and pasting the code below. 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