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Learn this simple method for how to boil eggs with perfect results every time. Perfect hard boiled eggs, with perfectly firm whites and creamy yellow centers are just a few steps away!
Eggs are an excellent source of protein, tasty, and great for a quick grab-and-go snack. Make a quick Egg Salad for lunch or Deviled Eggs for a party. Once you know how to boil eggs, the possibilities are endless!
Why This Method Works
For the longest time, I believed that a cold start was the only way to boil eggs. After all it had worked for me for 30 years. I got perfectly cooked eggs, but they weren’t always easy to peel, and it could be a painstaking process pickling off tiny little shards of shell that sometimes took that beautiful white with it.
So I started testing and observing other methods and it turns out, a hot start was better. It will give you a beautiful easy peel and perfectly cooked yolk. Every. Single. Time.
I’ll walk you through the method, share some peeling tips and debunked internet hacks, and at the end I’ll share the updated recipe card. I promise this method will teach you how to boil eggs with easy peels, the only way you’ll ever need to know!
How to Boil Eggs
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
BOIL WATER: Bring a medium pot of water to boil over high heat.
ADD EGGS: Carefully add the eggs to the hot water using a slotted spoon or a mesh strainer.
SIMMER: Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer for 12 minutes. You want bubbles, but not a full rolling boil.
PREPARE ICE BATH: While the eggs are cooking, prepare an ice bath. Fill a large bowl about halfway with ice, then add water.
SHOCK: Transfer the cooked eggs to the ice bath and chill for 10-15 minutes. This “shocks” the eggs and stops the cooking process.
STORE: At this point, you can transfer to a bowl and store the eggs in the refrigerator for up to a week, or enjoy right away!
PEEL AND ENJOY! Gently tap the blunt end of the egg to crack, then peel away the shell.
How Long to Boil Eggs
There are several factors that come into play and can change the answer to the question from a simple one to one that’s a little more complex. Things like the size and starting temperature of the egg, the type of pan used, the type of stove top, and even your altitude.
The bottom line? Use this time chart as a guide and take it with a grain of salt. You may need to do a few test runs to find the timing that works best for you.
- 6-7 minutes: Soft-boiled eggs. The yolks are soft with a jam-like texture. They are perfect for setting in an egg cup or topping a salad or a piece of toast.
- 8-10 minutes: Medium eggs. Still slightly soft centers, but firm enough to slice.
- 12-14 minutes: Hard eggs. At 12 minutes, eggs are firm with a light yellow center, at 14 minutes is your traditional hard-cooked egg, with a very light center and a firm white.
Easy Peel Tips
The trickiest part of learning to boil eggs is usually peeling the eggs! To peel an egg, start by tapping the blunt end gently on a hard surface. Once you get it started the shell should come off easily.
If you’re still having trouble, try one of the methods listed below. I’ve collected a handful of tips from around the internet that might help you out.
Take these “egg peeling hacks” with a grain of salt; they may work for you and that’s great! I’ve tried several of these tips, but still, the thing that works the best for me is to dunk them in an ice bath right away!
- Fresh eggs are harder to peel, while older eggs tend to be easier to peel. Eggs will last for several weeks in the fridge, so using eggs that are a week old or more can result in easier to peel eggs. (My take – it doesn’t really matter.)
- Add a teaspoon of salt, vinegar or baking soda to the boiling water. (My take – The results were inconsistent.)
- Run the egg under cold water and peel. (My take – this does seem to help)
- Crack the shell with a spoon, then gently use the back of the spoon to lift the shell off. (My take – this seems a little more difficult than it’s worth.)
- Gently shake the egg in a sealed mason jar. (I haven’t tried this one.)
Recipes Using Hard Boiled Eggs
- Jalapeno Popper Deviled Eggs
- Deviled Eggs Benedict
- Cobb Salad Dip
- Nicoise Salad Lettuce Wraps
- Potato Salad
- Bacon Avocado Chicken Salad
- 7 Layer Salad
- Macaroni Salad
- Avocado Egg Salad
Hard Boiled Eggs (How to Boil Eggs)
Ingredients
- 8 Large Eggs
- Water
- Ice
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to boil.
- Carefully add the eggs, then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 12 minutes. You want bubbles, but not be a rolling boil.
- While the eggs are cooking, prepare an ice bath. Fill a large bowl about halfway with ice, then add water.
- Transfer the cooked eggs to the ice bath using a spoon or a mesh strainer. Let cool in the ice bath for 10-15 minutes. At this point, you can transfer to a bowl and store the eggs in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Store cooked and peeled eggs in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Unpeeled eggs can be stored in a bowl or in their original carton for up to a week.
Notes
- Soft boiled eggs: 6-7 minutes
- Medium eggs: 8-10 minutes
- Hard boiled eggs: 12-14 minutes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
This was an excellent way to cook eggs, I did find on my stove when I turned to low that the bubbles stopped so I brought the heat up to keep bubbles before any rolling bubbles and the eggs came out perfect and very easy to peel. Thank you Kristin!
Thanks for the feedback! Yes, stoves can vary so you definitely need to watch as they cook.
The eggs were barely cooked at all in the center! 😡
Hard boiled eggs…(as Elvis would’ve said, ‘Thank you, thank you very much)!!! Where have you been all my life😁. I tried it YIPPEE I’m 71 & you’ve given me something so simple, yet so special I just had to let you know. I also live in sunny S.CA(El cajon). Tks again, Kristin
I’m so glad you found it helpful!
I just tried this method and the eggs are perfect!!! Thank you so much. 😊
So glad it worked out for you!
As I scroll through these comments while waiting for my water to boil it occurs to me that there might be different results depending on whether or not electric stove is used, as an electric stove burner will have residual heat when turned off but a gas stove will not. Guessing you’re using electric?
Giving a somewhat neutral rating as I chickened out and am just doing a full boil.
Hi Pam, I appreciate you asking a question and I’d love if you came back and gave the rating based on your actual experience. I hope it worked out for you!
Thank you, thank you! Your recipe was so helpful! Eggs were perfect following your tips/tricks.
Downvoting a recipe because you don’t understand how your stove works?
I made 4 eggs that were over a week old. Followed directions exactly. They came out perfect-easy to peel, moist yellow yolk
Thanks!
You are so welcome Sue! Thanks for stopping by.
I decided to give this method a try vs what I usually do. I have a few too many eggs.
It was the worst result I have ever had. 70% (none were new eggs) stuck HORRIBLE. Not sure how this is your method for 20 years. Yikes.
I followed recipe and eggs were impossible to peel and not hard boiled. I had to dump them.
Whoops… replied to the wrong one. Yep. Worse ever! I did two pots and one the yolks weren’t right. But worse stick I ever had hard boiling. 😞
Recipe worked perfect just the way it was stated. Thank you
You are so welcome Kelly! Thanks for stopping by.
Followed directions exactly and my eggs were runny. Had to use them as scrambled eggs.
Under cooked eggs and the shells were hard to take off and took off most of the egg. Going back to my instapot recipe.
Ok, thanks for sharing.
Tried your recipe, and still had a huge cluster of ugly eggs. Thanks for the idea, but I’m still on the hunt for the “magic” recipe. Have a great Thanksgiving
Apparently, I have been boiling eggs wrong. This method, with the ice bath, did the trick. Thanks.
You are so welcome LD! Thanks for stopping by.
i’m so happy to have found this and it works well for me every time although sometimes the eggs peel easier than others and I’m not quite sure why maybe more fresh I’m not sure but my one question is in your initial description you do not mention removing the pot from the heat source but down in the recipe instructions you say that after it comes to a boil to cover it and remove it from the heat source so do you remove the pot from the heat or not? Thanks!
Hi Beth,
The initial description you read in the post is just a simplified version to give you an idea of what’s entailed. The recipe card below will have the detailed instructions to print and follow. As far as peeling, most often the older your eggs are the better they will peel.
Eggs were hard to peel and weren’t cooked all the way through. I did 2 separate batches. ☹️
I followed the directions exactly. They were hard to peel! Came out lumpy.
I add oil to the water. The eggs peel perfectly every time!
Thank you Kristen!! I feel like such a dork-been cooking, quite successfully for over 40 years now-many County Fair Blue ribbons hanging on the wall-fattened 2 ex-husbands good and well before I moved on to the keeper, and seriously I didn’t know how to make a perfect hard boiled egg. The truth is I HATE eggs- I cook/bake with them and prepare them for family. I’ve raised my own chickens and harvested beautiful eggs. I think because I never taste them except in tiny tiny bites in a potato salad, I’ve been missing the boat. Well, thanks to you I have an empty deviled egg plate that won’t make it this years 4th of July picnic…it’s a okay! I feel so smart, like I know a secret. Thanks!! Happy Independence Day! from Alaska!
Hi Mary Ann, So glad I could help! And thanks for the fun comment! 🙂
So is this rapid hard boil of water or just when mild bubbles?
It’s just when it hits a rapid boil. Mild bubbles would be a simmer.
Do yu peel the eggs before putting them in the fridge ?
Personally, I don’t. They don’t stay as fresh. (3 days peeled versus a week unpeeled).
This is the first time in many years of cooking that my eggs turned out perfect following these instructions.
Thank you
You are so welcome D.Sima! Thanks for stopping by.
A perfect hard boiled egg is not hard to cook.followingthe different methods given.
Now please I want you to give the instructions for a perfect soft boiled egg..this will test the mettle of a good chef.
Thanks ,
Ab
For a soft boiled egg you can cut the time in half. 4-6 minutes will yield a lovely, soft boiled egg.
Thank you so much!! I was in a hurry to make deviled eggs for my clients with IDD..on Christmas Eve, amongst other sides, you are a godsend to me!!!
Merry Christmas!!!
You’ve made a lot of VIP’S VERY HAPPY!!!
That is so awesome Debbie! Thank you for sharing. (Glad the VIP’s loved it)
11 am news then Mr Food? By chance were you in California? Lol it sounds like my younger days! Lol
Yup, always been a Southern Cali girl!