How to Make *Perfect* Hard Boiled Eggs

 

1 First make sure that you are using eggs that are several days old.

2 Put the eggs in a single layer in a saucepan, covered by at least an inch of cold water. Starting with cold water and gently bringing the eggs to a boil will help keep them from cracking. 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.

3 Reduce the heat to low, return the pan to the burner. Let simmer for one 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).

4 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.

5 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.

 

Tips:

• You can make the eggs easier to peel by using eggs at least one week old, and by adding plenty of salt to the boiling water. You can also add two or three teaspoons of white vinegar to the water. It is also easier to peel the eggs when they are properly cooled.
• It is easier to peel the eggs if you crack it a little at the less pointy end, peel a little and then slide a spoon under the shell. Just move the spoon around under the shell and it will easily remove the rest!
• To ensure your egg is hard boiled, when it is cooled off, spin it on a hard surface like a top, and if it spins quickly without flying off in one direction, the egg is finished. Undercooked or uncooked eggs will have a wobbly, unsteady spin and will spiral off to one side.
• Hard-boiled eggs will keep for approximately a week in the refrigerator.
• Another method is to place the eggs in the water as mentioned above. Allow the water to begin boiling then remove the pot from the heat. Cover the pot and leave it alone at least ten minutes, or until the water cools. You end up with perfectly cooked eggs - firm yolk and white, and no cracked shells from rapid boiling.

 

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