You might look at this post and think, “Everyone knows how to boil an egg.” Not so my friends. I see people struggle with this all the time and shhhhh…I used to as well.
I am sharing my method for how to make a perfect hard boiled egg every time. Why? Because summer is upon us and deviled eggs are part of any good host or party guest's repertoire, AND because perfectly boiled eggs from hens raised on pasture are just waiting to be your nutrient dense fast food.
Did you know eggs contain all 8 essential protein building amino acids? That a whole egg contains about 5 grams of fat which will aid you in absorbing the eggs fat soluble vitamins A, K, E, D, B-complex and minerals like iron, phosphorus, potassium and calcium?
Did you know that eggs contain choline which is an important component found in every living cell? Another neat fact about choline? It helps to break up cholesterol deposits by preventing fat and cholesterol from sticking to the arteries.
These are just a few of the reasons eggs are an incredibly satisfying and nutritive food. So, eat a good egg. Be a good egg.
Perfect hard boiled egg ingredients
- Eggs from hens raised on pasture – learn how to choose good eggs here
- Water -filtered if you're a fanatic like me – find a high quality water filter here
Perfect hard boiled egg method
- Boil enough water to cover as many eggs as you plan to boil.
- Once your water is boiling, use a spoon to gently drop in eggs so that they do not crack.
- Allow them to boil for exactly 10 minutes (I use a timer as exact time keeping is not one of my super powers).
- Drain the hot water from your pot.
- Bounce the eggs in the pot so that the shells crack*
- Place the pot of eggs in the sink and run cold water over them for 1:30 minutes.
- Peel your eggs easily and perfectly. Boom! You're a hero!
Chef Note:
*If you do not wish to eat your eggs right away, do not crack the shell. Hard boiled eggs keep nicely in the fridge when their shells are intact. Instead, drain the hot water from the pot and run COLD water over the eggs until they are cool and store for later fast food.
“How to Make a Perfect Hard Boiled Egg” was generously contributed by Monica Ford of Real Food Devotee. Monica's delicious recipes will make your mouth water and your tummy purr. If you're lucky enough to live in Los Angeles, Real Food Devotee can make your life easier by delivering nutrient dense goodies directly to your door.
Sources:
Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens. Gail Damerow. Schoolhouse Rd. Pownal, Vermont. 1995. p 141.
Saitoh S, Sato T, Harada H, Takita T. Transfer of soy isoflavone into the egg yolk of chickens. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2001 Oct; 65(10):2220-5.
Photo credit: An Eye Full Studio
yes !
nope, suck big time… every time I start I have to call my mom to tell me how to do it, lol 🙂
My method is pretty much this one but I can’t bring myself to run the water for so long. I fill the pot with a couple of changes of cool water to cool the eggs.
I love it @Lifestye
I run cool water into a bowl, put in a couple ice cubes & transfer the eggs with a big slotted spoon.
Jacquelyn – That sounds like a great way to conserve the water while cooling the eggs. Thanks for sharing!
Great idea @Jacquelyn !
There are many ways to make hard-cooked eggs but I’d never boil them. Even the phrase “hard-boiled eggs” makes me cringe.
Just start them in cold water to cover, heat just to the point of boiling, turn off heat and leave covered for 10-15 minutes, depending on your preference for doneness of the yolk (12 minutes is about right for me). Then remove to ice water until they cool, drain and refrigerate (or eat immediately).
This is how I do it, too. My husband brings them to a rolling boil for half an hour! The first time he boiled eggs I heard water splashing out of the pan and told him his water was over boiling.
Thanks so much for sharing your methods everyone!
I used to boil for 10 minutes as well but have found that the bring to a boil, cover and remove a great way to do it AND I get to turn my stove off. 12 minutes is usually perfect unless the eggs are extra large. It even worked when I had the reboil some eggs the other night because I didn’t set the timer the first time, was in a hurry and just threw them in the fridge. The first two I cracked open were not fully set so I repeated the process with the timer and they were perfect.
Jeanmarie.. I am with you. This method is how I have done my eggs for over 30 years. We are limited on our water supply, I always have iced water to place them in when they are done .
There are times when they are very fresh eggs that the shell sometimes would want to not peel smoothly, my grandmother had showed me to roll the cooled egg, then with a wet teaspoon slid under the shell, it comes off smoothly without taking pieces of egg with the shell.
Last night I made deviled eggs, realizing I didn’t have any homemade mayo left in the jar, I used goat milk yogurt in its place, with my usual add in’s, homemade zucchini relish and seasonings. No one knew. Ahhhhh eggs.. what would we do without them in our lives and on our plates? 🙂
Someone posted a tip on FB the other day to add a teaspoon of baking soda to the water in order to make it easier to peel fresh eggs. I tried it and it worked wonderfully!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN2gYHJNT3Y
My eggs are always done perfectly, but a lot of egg white comes off with the shell. I usually do the cook to boiling and then let sit method. Will have to try this one and see how the shell comes off. Thank you, Monica!
I have to agree with you @JoAnne I find a lot of people that use the cover for 15 minutes method get a less than smooth peeling experience. I must say, I’m spoiled with a perfect peel every time. Let me know how this works for ya. xoxoox
Great tip! I’ll have to try this – there’s nothing worse than an egg that won’t peel smoothly, and that’s happened to me plenty before! Thanks for sharing this with Summer Salad Sundays, look forward to seeing you again soon!
Enjoy your perfect eggs! XO
Thank you for your submission on Nourishing Treasures’ Make Your Own! Monday link-up.
Check back later tonight when the new link-up is running to see if you were one of the top 3 featured posts! 🙂
Hi @Anastasia
Thanks for the tip! Neato!
My eggs often crack when I put them in boiling water, so I use the “put the eggs in cold water and bring it to a boil” method. Having the eggs at room temperature before putting them in the boiling water does help, though.
Great tip, @Paula
Thanks!