Buzz
Boiled eggs are an excellent ingredient for stuffed eggs, egg salads, or can be enjoyed as a light, protein-packed snack that keeps you full. However, if your boiled eggs always end up with cracked shells and greenish yolks, it means you haven’t yet perfected the art of boiling eggs. Luckily, there are several ways to achieve the perfect boiled egg. The good news is you can master these simple techniques in just a few minutes!
- Preparation time: 5 minutes
- Cooking time: 3-20 minutes
- Total time: 8-25 minutes
Steps
Boiling Eggs on the Stove
Place the eggs in a pan or pot. Gently position the eggs at the bottom of a thick-bottomed pan or pot. Arrange them carefully to avoid cracking. Don’t stack them more than 4 layers deep.
- If you’re unsure whether the eggs are fresh, you can test by placing them in a bowl of salted water. If the egg sinks, it’s fresh; if it floats, discard it.
- To prevent eggs from cracking while boiling, you can place a folded piece of cloth at the bottom of the pot. However, this step is optional.
Fill the pot with cold water. Ensure the eggs are submerged about 3cm in water. Add a pinch of salt. You can use your hand to hold the eggs while pouring water to avoid cracking them, or you may pour the water from the edge of the pot.
- Cold water helps prevent the eggs from overcooking. Never drop eggs into hot water if you don't want cracked shells and runny yolks (poached eggs).
- Saltwater helps the egg whites cook faster. It also acts as a 'repair' for any small cracks in the eggshell during the boiling process.
Set the heat to medium and place the pot on the stove. Cover the pot and let the water simmer gently. Keeping the lid on will speed up the cooking process, but if you prefer to keep an eye on the eggs, you can leave the lid off.
- Occasionally, gently stir the eggs to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot, where they may cook unevenly and crack. Use a wooden spoon to stir gently.
Turn off the heat once the water reaches a boil. As soon as the water boils, turn off the heat and leave the pot covered. The heat from the boiling water and residual heat from the stove will fully cook the eggs. Depending on whether you want soft or hard-boiled eggs, the soaking time can range from 3 to 20 minutes:
- If you prefer soft-boiled eggs, remove the eggs after about 3 minutes or less. The egg whites will firm up, while the yolks remain slightly runny and warm.
- If you prefer medium-boiled eggs, remove the eggs within 5-7 minutes. The egg whites will be firm, while the center of the yolk remains soft.
- If you prefer hard-boiled eggs, soak the eggs in the hot water for 10-15 minutes. The egg whites will be fully cooked. With this method, you won’t have to worry about overcooking the eggs.
Cool the eggs to stop the cooking process. Once the eggs are boiled, gently pour out the hot water from the pot. You can also use a slotted spoon to carefully lift the eggs out one by one. Place them under cold running water or immerse them in an ice water bath to cool the eggs quickly. Let them soak for about 5 minutes.
- Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, place them in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes to make peeling easier.
- If you don’t mind the appearance of the peeled eggs, you can skip the refrigeration step and start peeling as soon as the eggs are cool enough.
- To check if the eggs are fully cooked without peeling them, spin the egg on a flat surface. If it spins quickly and smoothly, the egg is fully cooked. If it wobbles, it needs more boiling.
Peel the eggs when you’re ready to eat. Tap the egg on a flat surface and gently press around the shell to crack it. Begin peeling from the wider end – where there is a gap under the shell. This method makes peeling easier. Rinse the egg under cold water while peeling to remove any shell fragments.
- Quick peeling tip: Place all the eggs back into the pot, cover, and shake gently to crack the shells all at once.
Store eggs in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can eat the eggs immediately after peeling them. If you have leftover eggs, store them in a bowl covered with a plate or plastic wrap. In both cases, cover the eggs with a wet paper towel. Replace the wet paper towel daily to keep the eggs from drying out. Eat the eggs within four to five days.
- Another method of storing eggs is by placing them in cold water. Change the water daily to prevent spoilage.
- Boiled eggs can last for several days if their shells are left on, but they are more likely to become rubbery and dry. It’s best to peel the eggs and store them moist in the refrigerator with water or wet paper towels.
Microwave Egg Boiling
Boil water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwaves typically don’t boil eggs as well as a stove, but with a little patience, you can still achieve it. First, bring the water to a boil in the microwave. Follow the instructions for safely boiling water in a microwave to ensure you have the right knowledge.
- It’s important to emphasize: “Do not microwave eggs with the shell on.” Even after removing the shell, the pressure from the yolk can cause the egg to explode, damaging your microwave.
Carefully remove the bowl of boiling water and gently place the eggs in. Use a cloth or microwave-safe gloves to remove the bowl from the microwave. Use a slotted spoon to gently add the eggs one by one into the boiling water. Make sure the eggs are fully submerged.
- Do not drop the eggs directly into the water. The eggs could break upon hitting the bottom of the bowl, and the boiling water might splash out.
Once all the eggs are in the bowl, cover it with a plate or lid. Leave it undisturbed — the eggs will be cooked with the heat from the near-boiling water. The cooking time depends on how well-done you want your eggs. Boiling eggs this way will take slightly longer than using a stovetop pot, as the eggs are not fully submerged while boiling water in a pot.
- If you prefer soft-boiled eggs, leave the eggs for 10 minutes or less. The yolk will be slightly runny.
- If you prefer medium-boiled eggs, leave them for 15 minutes. The yolk will be runny while the white is firm.
- If you prefer hard-boiled eggs, leave them for 20 minutes or more. Both the yolk and the white will be fully cooked, without turning grayish-green.
Remove the eggs and chill them as usual. After soaking the eggs in cold water, remove them using a slotted spoon. The remaining steps are the same as boiling eggs on the stove. Here’s what you should do next:
- Soak the eggs in cold water for 5 minutes to cool them down.
- Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, you can crack and peel them immediately, or place them in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to make peeling easier.
- Cover the eggs with a damp paper towel or submerge them in water and refrigerate. Consume within 4-5 days, changing the paper towel or water daily.
Solving Issues
If the egg yolk turns a grayish-green color, reduce the boiling time. Overcooking eggs will cause the yolk to develop a grayish-green outer layer and a sulfur-like smell. While these eggs are still perfectly safe to eat, they don’t look very appetizing. Simply reduce the boiling time next time.
- The grayish-green color forms when iron from the yolk reacts with hydrogen sulfide released from the egg whites. This reaction occurs after the egg is boiled.
- Too high a boiling temperature can cause the proteins in the egg to overcook, making the egg white tough and the yolk dry.
If the egg yolk is still too runny, boil the eggs a little longer. If you haven’t boiled the eggs thoroughly, you may face the opposite problem of the grayish-green yolk. Underboiled eggs will have runny yolks or whites that aren’t fully set. If you notice that the first egg isn’t fully cooked after peeling, return the other eggs to hot water and continue soaking.
- Undercooked eggs pose a risk of salmonella infection. The FDA recommends boiling eggs until both the white and yolk are solid, or using pasteurized eggs.
- As mentioned earlier, you can spin an egg on a hard surface to check if it’s cooked. If it spins smoothly, it’s done. A raw or undercooked egg will wobble or tilt to one side.
Steaming eggs before boiling helps make peeling easier. Fresh eggs, typically 1-2 days old, have a membrane that sticks to the shell, making peeling more difficult. The best eggs to boil are those that are about 7-10 days old. If you must boil fresh eggs, steam them first to loosen the membrane from the shell:
- Place the eggs in a metal steamer basket and set it over a pot. Bring 2-3 cm of water to a boil in the pot, and steam the eggs for about 10 minutes, turning them regularly. Afterward, boil the eggs as usual.
- Some people like to add a spoonful of baking soda to the water when boiling fresh eggs, but this can give the eggs a sulfur-like taste.
Crack and soak eggs that are difficult to peel. If you find the egg whites sticking to the shell when peeling, gently roll the egg to create small cracks across the shell. Then, soak the egg in a bowl of cold water for about 5-10 minutes. This will help loosen the shell and separate the inner membrane, making the egg easier to peel.
Add vinegar if the egg cracks in the water. This is a common problem, especially with older eggs. If the egg cracks, add a spoonful of vinegar to the boiling water to help the egg white proteins coagulate quickly and seal the cracks on the shell. Be quick—if you add the vinegar as soon as you spot the cracks, the egg will still cook evenly.
- You might notice white streaks on the cracked shell. If you didn’t manage to add vinegar in time, don’t worry. The egg is still fine to eat; it just might look a bit rough.
Tips
- Some dishes that pair well with boiled eggs include stuffed eggs, egg salad, breakfast burritos, niçoise salad, and many more!
- If you plan to cut the boiled eggs in half, it’s best to use the freshest eggs. Fresh eggs have a centered yolk with less chance of developing a greenish hue. Follow the tips above to identify fresh eggs.
- If you use white-shelled eggs, add a bit of onion skin (the dry, brown part) to the boiling water. The onion skin will give the eggs a slight brown color and help you quickly distinguish between raw and boiled eggs.
- Gently stir the eggs a few times while the water boils to ensure they cook evenly and keep the yolks centered.
- When boiling eggs, make sure the water is at a rolling boil. For large eggs, boil for 12 minutes; for extra-large eggs, boil for 15 minutes.
- Using a small spoon can help keep the egg whites intact when peeling. Start by breaking a small piece of the shell, then slide the spoon underneath the shell to gently lift the egg. Just slide the spoon around the egg, and the shell will come off.
- Adding a little baking soda to the boiling water can help crack both ends of the egg (after boiling). Place your mouth on the smaller end and blow. You may need to try a few times, but the egg will pop out the other end!
- Bringing the eggs to room temperature before boiling will prevent the yolks from turning green and reduce the chances of cracking.
- Some sources recommend pricking the flat end of the egg with a needle to release air and reduce the risk of cracking. However, studies have shown this method isn’t always reliable.
Warnings
- Do not place whole eggs directly in the microwave — they could explode. Instead, boil water in the microwave and cook the eggs using the boiling water outside the microwave. You can also blanch the eggs using a similar method.
- Be cautious when working with boiling water in the kitchen. Protect your hands and face to avoid burns.
- Using too much vinegar will cause the eggs to have an unpleasant odor and a strong vinegar taste.
- Do not use cracked eggs, as they may contain bacteria.
