How to Make the Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg

They pack protein into a salad, are a fantastic on-the-go breakfast and a necessity for making deviled eggs. Hard-boiled eggs are fantastic but are a bit intimidating to cooks.

Overcook them, there’s a green ring around the yolk. It’s harmless to eat, but doesn’t look pretty and is caused by boiling the egg too long. Undercook them, you have a gooey, unappetizing mess.

We’re sharing our tips for the perfect hard-boiled egg so you’ll never get the green ring again.

Step 1.
Place eggs in a saucepan and fill with cold water. Water should just cover the eggs.

Step 2.
Bring the water to a boil on medium-high heat.

Step 3.
Turn the burner off and place a lid on the saucepan.

Step 4.
Set the timer for 13 minutes.

Step 5.
When the timer goes off, use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the hot water. Place them into a bowl of ice water. The ice water will stop the cooking process.

Step 6.
Allow them to cool and remain in the ice water for approximately 15 minutes.

Step 7.
Once the eggs are cool, start the peeling process by gently rolling the egg to break up the shell.

Step 8.
Once the shell is slightly crushed, start peeling.

Step 9.
When the entire egg is peeled, dip it in a small bowl of water or place it under running water to get rid of any excess shells.

Step 10.
The perfectly boiled egg with a nice and yellow yolk is ready to be used.

Tips to Hard-Boiling Eggs

Do not overcrowd the pan with eggs. The number of eggs you can boil at once depends on your pot size. The eggs should be in a single layer and not tightly packed into the pot.
Older eggs peel much easier than fresher eggs.
It’s easier to begin peeling an egg at the larger part, rather than the smaller part, of the egg.
Make sure to place the eggs in an ice bath right away to stop the cooking process. This will also help the membrane to separate from the egg to make peeling easier.
Don’t let the eggs sit around unpeeled. The longer they sit the harder they will be to peel.
Hard-boiled eggs last about 5 days stored in the refrigerator.

Your Perfect Yolk

There are different opinions on how long to boil an egg. Some like their yolk on the softer side, while other’s like more well done. We tested different times in the Test Kitchen and are sharing our results. Hopefully, it will help you determine what’s the correct length of time to boil an egg for your perfect yolk.

Two Minutes: Whites are set and the yolk is very soft. If served warm, the yolk is runny.