Hard Cooked Eggs
Hard-boiled or hard-cooked eggs are a preparation where whole eggs are cooked in the shell until both the yolk and the white are fully cooked. After cooking, the shell is typically cracked all over and removed.
- Prep
- 26 min
- Cook
- 59 min
- Total
- 1 hr 25 min
- Servings
- As written in source
- Difficulty
- Advanced
Timings are approximate — worked out from the method, not measured in a test kitchen.
Ingredients
Quantities are retained as written by the source and do not scale automatically. Tap an ingredient to check it off as you go.
Cooking instructions
Procedure
Put the eggs in a pot.
Procedure
Fill pot with water. Make sure that the tops of the eggs are covered by at least 25 mm (1 inch).
Procedure
Bring to a rolling boil.
Procedure
Reduce heat to a low boil. Cook for 10–15 minutes, depending on the size and number of eggs.
Procedure
Drain the pot.
Procedure
Cool eggs immediately by running cold water over them or putting in ice water.
Procedure
Crack and peel the eggs under very cold running water, starting by cracking the large (air pocket) end, then taking off the largest pieces first.
Procedure
Hard cooked eggs can be steamed rather than boiled. There are automatic kitchen appliances for steaming eggs, but it can be done with any kind of steamer.
Procedure
Put about 2 cm of water in a pot and bring to a fast boil.
Procedure
Put steamer basket in pot (no water should be in the basket itself—only under).
Procedure
Put eggs in basket.
Procedure
Place lid on pot. Steam for about 12–13 minutes—the heat can be lowered slightly, as long as there is steam.
Procedure
Cool eggs in iced water.
Procedure
Crack and peel eggs as above.
Notes, tips, and variations
Older eggs will be easier to peel, as the air space is larger.
Notes, tips, and variations
If the peeling becomes tragic, you can always make egg salad or bird food!
Notes, tips, and variations
Lowering the eggs' temperature and/or adding salt to the water keeps the shells from sticking, and prevents the greenish tinge sometimes seen on hard-boiled eggs. The greenish tinge doesn't affect taste or safety, and does not indicate decay or toxicity. Instead, it is due to the reaction between iron and sulphur from the egg white and yolk.
Notes, tips, and variations
An alternate method for boiling is to turn off the heat after adding the eggs, cover the pot, and let stand 15–18 minutes.
Notes, tips, and variations
Salt in the boiling water can help keep egg white from seeping out of a crack.
Notes, tips, and variations
Multiple layers of eggs in the pot are more likely to crack: use only a single layer and do another batch.
Notes, tips, and variations
Some people find steamed eggs easier to peel than boiled.
Warnings
Boiled or washed eggs will only keep about a week-the protective cover over the shell is gone.
Warnings
Hard-boiled eggs left out too long should not be eaten. For example, Easter eggs should not be eaten unless the contents of the egg are blown out and cooked separately.
Photo: Biswarup Ganguly · CC BY 3.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0 · Photo source and licence
Wikibooks contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Adapted; quantities retained as written. · Original source
Read it through first
Skim all 23 steps before you start — it is the difference between cooking and firefighting.
Scale it
Use the quantities listed in the original recipe. Adjust them manually if making a different batch size.
Storage
Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently with a splash of water in a covered pan, rather than blasting it, so nothing dries out.
Nutrition information is not available for this recipe yet.
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