If you’re unsure whether your eggs are fresh, test them by placing them in a bowl of salt water. If the egg sinks to the bottom, it’s fresh. If it floats to the top, get rid of it. To keep the eggs from cracking as they boil, you can try placing a folded cheesecloth at the bottom of the pot to pad them. However, this isn’t required.
Cold water helps to keep the eggs from overcooking. Never drop eggs directly into a pot of hot water, or the shells will crack and the egg will run (giving you poached eggs). [1] X Research source Salted water helps to make the egg white firm up more quickly. It also helps plug small leaks if the shell cracks during the cooking process. [2] X Research source
You can stir the eggs very gently every now and then to make sure they’ve not settled at the bottom, where they’ll cook less evenly and break more easily. Use a wooden spoon to stir and be very gentle.
If you like your eggs soft-boiled, remove them from the water in three minutes or less. The whites should be set, while the yolks should be runny and warm. [3] X Research source If you like your eggs medium-boiled, remove them from the water in 5-7 minutes. The yolks should be semi-soft in the very center and the whites should be very firm. If you like your eggs hard-boiled, leave the eggs in the hot water for up to 10-15 minutes. The yolks should be firm all the way through. It’s difficult to overcook eggs this way.
Once the eggs are cool enough to hold in your hand comfortably, put them in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to loosen the shells. If you’re not particular about how pretty your peeled eggs are, you can skip the refrigerator and start peeling them right after chilling them. To test whether an egg is hard-boiled without breaking it, whirl it on a table. If it spins fast and easy, it is hard boiled. If it wobbles, it needs more time.
Quick peeling tip: Put the eggs back in the pan you cooked them in and put the lid back on. Shake the pan back and forth to crack all the shells at once.
You can also store the eggs in cold water. Change the water each day to keep the eggs from breaking down. Hard-boiled eggs can be stored several days before cracking and peeling them, but they tend to get a little rubbery and dried out. It’s usually better to keep peeled eggs moist in the fridge with water or a paper towel.
This bears repeating: don’t heat unbeaten eggs in the microwave. Even out of the shell, a build-up of pressure in the yolk can cause them to explode, damaging your microwave. [5] X Research source
Don’t drop the eggs directly into the water. Not only can they break when they hit the bottom, but they can also splash boiling-hot water upward.
If you like your eggs soft-boiled, let them sit for 10 minutes or less. [6] X Research source The yolk should still be somewhat runny. If you like your eggs medium-boiled, let them sit for about 15 minutes. [7] X Research source The yolk should be semi-soft and the whites should be quite firm. If you like your eggs hard-boiled, let them sit for 20 minutes or more. [8] X Research source The white and yolk should be completely firm without being an unappealing grey-green color.
Cover the eggs with cold water or set them in an ice bath for about five minutes so that they cool. When the eggs can be comfortably held, you can crack and peel them right away or stick them in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to make this easier. Store the eggs under a moist paper towel or submerged in water in the fridge. Eat the eggs within four or five days, changing the towel or water every day.
The gray-green color is formed when iron from the yolk reacts with hydrogen sulfide from the white. [9] X Research source This reaction occurs after the rest of the egg has finished cooking. Extra heat also tends to over-coagulate the proteins in the egg. This can give rubbery whites and dry yolks.
Undercooked eggs can pose a risk of salmonella infection. The FDA recommends cooking all eggs until the yolks are firm or using eggs that have been in-shell pasteurized. [10] X Trustworthy Source US Food and Drug Administration U. S. government agency responsible for promoting public health Go to source As noted above, you can spin an egg on a hard surface to test whether it is hard boiled. If it spins evenly (like a top), the egg is finished. Undercooked or uncooked eggs will wobble or spiral off to one side.
Place the eggs in a metal colander and rest the colander on top of a pan. Boil an inch or so of water in the pan for about 10 minutes, turning the eggs frequently. After, boil the eggs as normal. [12] X Research source Some people also like to add a teaspoon of baking soda to the water when boiling eggs that are very fresh. This can add a sulfuric taste to the eggs, however.
You may notice a little whiteness creeping out of a cracked egg. If you don’t get to it with the vinegar in time, don’t worry. It should still boil fine, but it may look a little funky.
