Cooking hard boiled eggs

[CitizenK]

Steam them in an Instant Pot! Cook for 5 minutes on high pressure, let sit for 5 minutes before releasing steam, then plunge in ice water bath for 5 minutes.

+1 I make hard boiled eggs every week. After a lot of experimentation, this 5/5/5 method in the Instant Pot wins. Perfect, easy to peel eggs. I make 8 at a time usually.

 

[HadEnuff]

I seldom hard boil eggs, but sometimes I do, and did so recently. The issue with any recipe I've come across is all of the variables:

The number, size, and temperature of the eggs, the amount and temperature of the water, the mass of the pot, and the efficiency of the heat source.

How long does it take to get all of the water boiling? From the time the eggs are sitting in 180F water, until the time it actually starts boiling, those babies are cooking.

 

[Hopeful]

+1 I make hard boiled eggs every week. After a lot of experimentation, this 5/5/5 method in the Instant Pot wins. Perfect, easy to peel eggs. I make 8 at a time usually.

I also love using my instant pot for eggs, they are much easier to peel. I will have to try this 5/5/5 method. I prefer a softer yolk and often do 6 or 7 minutes under high pressure, with a quick release and immediately into ice water. No mater what method you use, the trick to no grey/green yolks is immediately into ice water.

 

[joeea]

Cook eggs for 12 minutes, then immediately take them off the heat, empty out the hot water and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking.

Do this with one egg. If you don't like the results, adjust the time up or down to your preference.

Problem solved within 30 minutes.

 

[mrWinter]

I struggled with this for a while recently too, trying various online methods. All those that mention adding the eggs to boiling water then turning the heat off and letting sit require you use a consistent amount of water, and usually much more than needed to just cover them, otherwise the eggs cool the water down more than they water heats the eggs.

Current method we are using which works great is:

1. use older eggs if available
2. bring water to a boil
3. gently place eggs in boiling water with slotted spoon
4. set timer for 12 or 13 minutes, keep water boiling (I'm at sea level btw, or like sea level + 50ft)
5. withdrawal eggs from boiling water, safely, using a slotted spoon, at whatever rate you deem appropriate for long term survival
6. dunk eggs in ice bath

Based on my experience and what others are saying here, I think the ice bath and using older eggs are crucial to getting a clean peel.

Next time I make them I'm going to try breaking the shells before going into the ice bath as some others have suggested, that's interesting.

This is all pretty basic stuff though, obviously the real question is with step 5, what is the correct safe egg withdrawal rate?

 

[TromboneAl]

Another reason I will never join costco. 32 HB eggs? I cook 6 and I may have to toss 1 or 2 in the trash.

With Kirkland I'll toss 2 dozen in the trash.

The Best Before date for these is two months in the future. So, eat .5 eggs per day and you're good.

We buy a pack every two weeks or so, but Lena often makes deviled eggs for potlucks. And they are a great low-carb snack.

 

[athena53]

Another reason I will never join costco. 32 HB eggs? I cook 6 and I may have to toss 1 or 2 in the trash.

With Kirkland I'll toss 2 dozen in the trash.

I'm not perfect when it comes to protecting the environment, but all that plastic surrounding the precooked hard-boiled eggs made me cringe.

Eggs are pretty forgiving. I put mine in cold water and boil them till at least one shows a crack. Then I turn them off and let them cool. I do have the occasional batch that's hard to peel and sometimes it's just a few eggs in that batch. I may try some of the more detailed methods posted here.

 

[Red Badger]

Important tip: Use older eggs. They will be easier to peel. At least two days old, older is better.

Better tip (highly recommended):

What Al said. If I want hard boiled, I just by 'em at the store. If I have a hankering for soft boiled eggs, I use a dedicated egg cooker with a meased amount of water. Easy peasy.

BTW, this just might be the most important thread on this forum, ever. Just sayin'

 

[RonBoyd]

I, several years ago, threw in the towel after having tried all of the above methods with unreliable results... including the Pressure Cooker method. I simply purchased a KRUPS Egg Cooker from Amazon for $30 (there are many others, some for half that). I have never looked back or had a "bad" experience since. This unit is particularly useful when we are "on the road" since you can easily compensate for changes in altitude (barometric pressure/boiling point).

https://www.krupsusa.com/KITCHEN-APPLIANCES/EGG-COOKER-F230/p/8000035574

 

[LOL!]

Despite the comments about chalky yolks, you cannot really overcook a hard-boiled egg as long as the egg is immersed in water. The thing won't burn nor turn brown if you let it go 20 minutes or 30 minutes as long as the egg remains submerged. You will waste power though.

 

[NgineER]

Another method, always works and don't have to adjust time for difference in time it takes for bringing water to boil.

Bring water to boil.
Keep heat in, carefully place eggs in water and set timer for 13 minutes.
Empty and rinse in cold water.

 

[ERD50]

Science to the rescue!

I really trust this guy. He uses a scientific method, blind tasting/testing, repeats the experiment, etc.

https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/the-secrets-to-peeling-hard-boiled-eggs.html

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/10/perfect-boiled-eggs-recipe.html

Bottom line, boiling water, eggs in for 13 minutes, chill. I think he does a variation with steaming as well.

His actual experiments with the often recommended procedure of putting the eggs into cold water and bringing them up to boiling shows that makes them harder to peel. The science behind that is the membrane spends more time at a temperature that causes it to bond.

My issue with the recipes that say X minutes for bringing the eggs to temperature - there are so many variables. Pot size and construction, amount of water, heat of the stove top. All that affects the timing, so what works for one person may not work for another.

But boiling is boiling (at least near sea level, not sure if he included altitude adjustments in those articles). Consistent.

Maybe I'll look it up later, but I don't think moderate amounts of salt actually change the boiling point significantly.

edit/add: OK found this: " The boiling point is raised by 0.5 degrees Celsius for water with 29.2 grams of salt dissolved in each kg of water." That's about 6 teaspoons per liter or quart (close enough), to raise less than 1 degree F. That's a lot of salt! OK, I see samclem says 4 TBS, ~ 12 tsp, but how much water? Maybe a degree or two - does it matter?



-ERD50

 

[mpeirce]

What Al said.

Me too.

I often eat them at lunchtime.

 

[Just_Steve]

I'm looking forward to my first half dozen on the induction as it boils so fast.

I put in an induction cooktop when we remodeled the kitchen, it is the most awesome cooktop we have ever had. Instant temp control.

 

[aja8888]

I like the Costco bagged eggs idea! Blow that dough!

 

[RonBoyd]

I put in an induction cooktop when we remodeled the kitchen, it is the most awesome cooktop we have ever had. Instant temp control.

Induction is amazing. I purchased a portable unit to put in the RV... and it quite often sneaks into our stick house.

https://www.amazon.com/Duxtop-8100M...spons&keywords=duxtop+induction+cooktop&psc=1

OT a little, I also purchase this set of induction compatible cookware because it stores in a small package for the RV. (It is a little heavy, however.)

https://www.amazon.com/Magma-Produc...&ie=UTF8&qid=1530115535&sr=1-1&keywords=magma

 

[Sunset]

I never cook hard boiled eggs - as they are already cooked

 

[TromboneAl]

And speaking of soft-boiled eggs, you need one of these:

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I have an egg steamer. It came with a tool to pierce each egg to avoid cracking. Then I put them in a rack with a small amount of water and it beeps when they are done - probably about 12 minutes. I have not measured the electricity use but it seems pretty efficient as it pretty small for an appliance and only needs to heat up about a half a cup of water.

 

[HFWR]

Per Good Eats/Alton Brown:

Place eggs in a muffin tin, bake at 325-350 for thirty minutes. Place in ice water to stop cooking. As others have said, older eggs purportedly peel easier.

As for adding salt to water, what someone else said, it takes a LOT of salt to significantly raise the boiling point of water.

 

[ERD50]

Per Good Eats/Alton Brown:

Place eggs in a muffin tin, bake at 325-350 for thirty minutes. Place in ice water to stop cooking. As others have said, older eggs purportedly peel easier.

As for adding salt to water, what someone else said, it takes a LOT of salt to significantly raise the boiling point of water.

While I like Alton Brown, I find he sometimes goes for sizzle over substance. From the serious eats guy I linked earlier (who is quite scientific):

Alton Brown (a generally trustworthy guy) recommends placing eggs on a moistened towel directly on an oven rack in a cold oven, then setting the oven to 320°F (160°C) and coming back 30 minutes later.

Even before I tested the method, alarms were going off in my head. Recipes that call for cooking in an oven while its temperature is in flux (by either starting the oven cold or turning it off in the middle) are never reliable. Ovens are bad enough as it is—most home ovens swing their temperatures by as much as 50°F (10°C) above and below their set temp, assuming they were calibrated well to begin with). To add the confounding variable of how efficiently your specific oven heats or cools on top of that is asking for trouble.


What may work perfectly in one oven probably won't in another. The method certainly didn't work in mine. One batch heated too quickly and came out with dark spots on the shell and a pale brown color in the white. For a second batch, I lowered the cooking time and managed to get eggs that looked okay when split open, but they were a PITA-and-a-half to peel, which makes sense. Remember: Cold start = harder-to-peel eggs. It doesn't matter if it's in the oven or in a pot of water.


Ovens are inherently unreliable because there is no physics-based indicator or limiter of heat. A pot of simmering or steaming water, on the other hand, stays reliably at the same temperature (assuming constant atmospheric pressure), which means that no matter whose kitchen I'm in and no matter how powerful their stovetop burner, so long as I can boil some water, my eggs will cook reliably, time after time.

What Kenji says, and his experience, makes sense to me. It might work for some people, in some ovens, under some circumstances.

https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/the-secrets-to-peeling-hard-boiled-eggs.html

-ERD50

 

[pacergal]

Thats exactly how I’ve always done it. Start with 1-2 eggs and cold water in pan, bring to a vigorous boil (I don’t cover the pan), turn off burner and let the pan sit on burner for 15 minutes. Rinse in cold water, peel, and eat. Peeling varies some, but always manageable. Has worked perfectly every time.

+1, make sure the water covers the top of the egg by 1-2 inches. If cooking more than 1-2, only have enough eggs to have a single layer in the pot.

 

[Amethyst]

Just don't ever walk away and forget a pot of eggs on the stove. I did that once when I was in college. Took a loooong time to get the appalling stench out of the house, and I had to hear about it from my Dad every hour on the hour.

 

[Walt34]

I, several years ago, threw in the towel after having tried all of the above methods with unreliable results...

Yup, me too.

I got this one from Amazon a few years ago, still works fine. We buy the extra-large size eggs so it took a bit of experimentation to get the amount of water right. It doesn't matter if the eggs are fresh or a week old, cook and immediately into an ice water bath. I usually leave them there for 30 minutes or so, then into the refrigerator.

Oh, since we have hard water and a water softener that results in a bit of mineral buildup on the surface of the hotplate. I just use white vinegar to clean that off.

https://www.amazon.com/Better-Chef-...urable+Stainless+Steel+Base+|+See-Through+Lid

 

[nash031]

I have an egg steamer. It came with a tool to pierce each egg to avoid cracking. Then I put them in a rack with a small amount of water and it beeps when they are done - probably about 12 minutes. I have not measured the electricity use but it seems pretty efficient as it pretty small for an appliance and only needs to heat up about a half a cup of water.

Yep...


I have the Cuisinart Egg Station. Perfect hard-boiled eggs. Poaches. Small omelets/scrambles.

You're all welcome.


That said, I may try the InstantPot method as I love my IP, and if it works it might make my Egg Station obsolete.