How to Hard Boil an Egg- The Right Way

Busy Mama Recipes



This is another that seems silly to some, but useful to others. (Seriously, one of my friends once tried to hard boil an egg in the microwave... did not work.  Another boiled eggs for 45 minutes to make sure they were done.  Oh boy...)

When I worked at Allyson's Kitchen, I thought I knew how to boil an egg.  Duh.  I mean, it's freaking boiling an egg.  How hard is that?  Unfortunately, I was incorrect:

We had an over abundance of eggs for some reason, and a catering event.  Obviously: Deviled eggs.  So, I began the process to make tons of eggs to get started.  I put eggs in a pot, set them on the stove, and turned the burner on.  My plan was to bring them to a boil, let them boil for 10 minutes, then put them in cold water.

"Okay, but do you really know how to boil an egg?" Allyson asked me.  And of course I'm thinking in my head "Yeah.  Duh."  But she is the best cook I know, and an amazing teacher, so I asked her how, and I'm so glad I did.

She gave me these instructions:

1. Wash the eggs.  (Wow.  I had never done that.  Seriously, it seems so obvious.  I wash produce before using it.  Eggs are worse because they came out of a chicken once... bleh.  I couldn't believe after all those years, this was news to me.)

2. Put the eggs in a pot and fill it with cold water.  (That part seems obvious.  If the water is too hot it can crack the eggs, so make sure it's cold!)

3. Bring the eggs to a boil. (Okay, I was still on the same page there.)

4.  Once they are at a roaring boil, take them off the heat and cover for 12 minutes.  (This is where she lost me).

5. Put them in the fridge and let them cool completely before using them.

I asked her why.  Why was her way better than mine?  They both accomplished the same thing: a boiled egg.  She told me that when it's done this way, there is no gray area, so the eggs are much prettier when they are made into deviled eggs, egg salad, or sliced and served with salads.

This photo is an example of what I mean.  Yellow yolk, no gray:

Pretty huh?  Now here is a photo I found online (credit: sizzleeats.com) that shows the gray area when you keep the egg on the heat for too long:

Weird, huh?

Presentation is important.

*I saw a tip on Pinterest that said if you boiled eggs with baking soda in the water, that the peel comes off easier.  I have never tried it, so I have no idea if it's true.  By the sounds of the comments, it works!