How to make hard boiled eggs

Preparing hard boiled eggs may seem like an easy task until you actually get into the process of doing it. hard boiled eggs are tasty, and they make for a healthy, wholesome meal because of the list of nutrients. However, not everybody has mastered the art of making the perfect hard boiled eggs. If you have been struggling with the same, this article will help you understand how to make hard boiled eggs.

What is the problem most of the times?

Timing is essential when you want to learn the art of how to make hard boiled eggs. Most of the times, we over-cook the eggs. A slight greenish color around the area of the egg-yolks is an indication that the eggs have been cooked beyond the required time. Removing the eggs from the hot water as soon as they are cooked is also very important to get perfect hard boiled eggs every time.

Most Frequently Asked Questions about hard boiled eggs

By completing this post you will the correct answers for all the below questions and more , so please keep reading till finish and if you have any unanswered question , just leave it in comments

  • How do you make hard boiled eggs?
  • Hard boiled egg nutrition how many calories in a boiled egg?
  • How do you hard boil eggs in boiling water?
  • Why are your hard boiled eggs hard to peel?
  • How long are hard boiled eggs good for?
  • When doing hard boiled eggs, should I choose the steam setting or the pressure cooker one?
  • Anyone cook more than a bottom layer with no dividers in between eggs?

Tips to make hard boiled eggs the right way

  1. Place the eggs carefully in a saucepan and cover them with enough water. Ensure that you take ample quantity of water to cover the eggs completely.
  2. Turn on the stove and cook the pan on high heat till the water starts to boil. When you spot that the water has started boiling, remove the pan from the stove and let the eggs remain in the pan for about 10 to 12 minutes. The time mentioned here is an average mark of about six If you have placed more eggs in your pan, you would have naturally poured more water, and you might need to place the eggs in the pan for five minutes more for the eggs to cook perfectly.
  3. If you think that the eggs might over-cook during this time and the egg white might come leaking out of the shell, you can add a spoon of salt or a teaspoon of vinegar to avoid the leakage.
  4. After about 10 to 12 minutes, remove the hot water from the pan carefully and immediately run cold water from the tap over the eggs so that the cooking process is stopped This will stop the eggs from getting over-cooked, and they will remain the nice, crunchy way that you want.
  5. Peel the eggs when they are in the cold water as this makes the peeling process very simple.
  6. It is best to eat these hard boiled eggs immediately; however, you can cover them nicely and put in the refrigerator to be consumed later as well. Remember that you need to eat them within five days of cooking.

One of the best things about this simple process is that it gives you the flexibility to choose the timing based on the consistency of yolk that you want. If you want strictly hard boiled eggs, you can stick to the time mentioned above – 10 minutes. However, if you want the yolk to be in a semi-solid stage, you can allow the eggs to remain in the hot water for about 5 to 6 minutes.

You must have understood your mistake by now, isn’t it? Most of you keep boiling the eggs on a high flame for about 10 to 15 minutes before finally switching the stove off. This is the reason why eggs are usually over-cooked in most of the households. The correct method is to switch off the flame as soon as you see the water boiling.

Even if you learn the best way to make hard boiled eggs, it is a challenge to peel them properly. More often than not, some of the egg white also comes along with the shell, making our eggs look messy. What is the right way to peel hard boiled eggs?

We told you earlier that you should run cold water over the eggs when you have removed them from the pan after the set time limits. During this time, crack up the eggs a little as cold water runs over them. Allow the eggs to settle in the cold water for about 5 to 7 minutes and then break open the shells. You will be thrilled to see the shells coming out nicely leaving your eggs fresh, white and firm – just the way you want it!

Read Also: Are Broiler Eggs Good For Your Health? | Evidence-based

Some things to remember before you try cooking hard boiled eggs

how to make hard boiled eggs

  1. It is very difficult to get hard boiled eggs from fresh eggs.
  2. The eggs must be at least one week to ten days old to get the perfect technique
  3. You should never boil the eggs on a high flame for a long time
  4. You should run cold water over the eggs immediately after you have removed the eggs from the hot water because that will start the “shocking” process. This means that the cooking process will be stopped.
  5. Ensure that you crack the eggs a bit before allowing cold water to run over them.
  6. Peeling will be easier when you allow the eggs to sit in the cold water for about 7 minutes.
  7. The time limits mentioned here are average indications for about 4 to 6 eggs. When you are placing more eggs in the saucepan, you need to allow the eggs to sit in hot water for around 5 to 7 minutes more than the limits mentioned in these instructions.
  8. Ensure that the eggs are covered in the water fully in the pan before you start the cooking process. This is a very important step that you cannot ignore.

Mistakes to avoid while making easy-peel hard boiled eggs

Not using the right size of the saucepan

You should allow the eggs enough room in the pan to cook well. You shouldn’t take a pan that is too big or too small. When you stack too many eggs in a small vessel, they will not cook evenly. Though you follow the timelines mentioned above strictly, you will find that your eggs have cracked or the yolk is not to your desired consistency, if you don’t choose the right kind of pan.

Placing the eggs directly in boiling water

Most of the times, people cook eggs by boiling water first and then place the eggs in it. This is the wrong method. When you introduce eggs to hot & boiling water directly, it will not help in the cooking method at all. The right method is first to place the eggs in cold water and then heat water and eggs together until the water comes to a boil.

Using fresh eggs

If you have followed all the instructions perfectly and still weren’t able to make perfect hard boiled eggs, it only means that you haven’t used fresh eggs for the purpose. Sometimes, even if you manage to get the perfect consistency of hardening, you might not be able to peel off the eggs with ease because of this mistake. When eggs are at least a week or 10 days old, they lose their moisture completely, thus making easier to boil and peel.

Getting the eggs overcooked

If you are thinking of one big mistake that you have to avoid for making the best hard boiled eggs, you have to stop overcooking the eggs. How do you know that the eggs are overcooked? If you notice a slight greenish tint around the yolk area or a rubbery consistency of yolk or dry yolk, it means that the eggs are over-cooked. To avoid this, all you have to do is to keep the eggs in hot water for ten minutes after switching off the stove when water starts to boil. Then, you need to allow the eggs to settle in cold water for about seven minutes before you peel them off completely.

Ignoring the impact of cold water treatment

More often than not, people start to peel off the eggs after they have removed the pan from the flame. However, this is a wrong method. As soon as you remove the eggs from hot water, you should allow cold water to run over the eggs. You have to crack the eggs a little while doing so and allow the eggs to sit in cold water for about ten minutes. This will induce the shocking process, which means, it will stop the cooking process completely, thereby helping you to make the perfect hard boiled eggs.

Why eat hard boiled eggs?

Why are we speaking so much on how to make hard boiled eggs perfectly? Why do people still try to perfect this art, in spite of facing so many challenges? It is because hard boiled eggs have quite a few health benefits associated with them. They are:

Essential Fats

Not many people know that some good fats are essential for the overall development of our muscles and bones. These fats are known as monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. hard boiled eggs are excellent sources of these fats. When you eat the best boiled hard eggs regularly, it can help you improve your cholesterol levels and reduce your risk of cardiac ailments. These fats also improve the insulin production of your body, thereby reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes as well.

Rich source of proteins

Proteins help build the muscles in your body. One hard-boiled egg contains about 6gm of proteins. Hence, it is highly recommended that you intake hard boiled eggs every day for your overall wellness and nutrition.

Vitamins

Boiled eggs are great sources of Vitamin A, which means they are very good for the health of your eyes. One hard-boiled egg can give you around 75gm of Vitamin A per day, which is about 10% of your daily recommended dosage.

Conclusion

To conclude, we would like to bring you some of the major points that we have discussed in this article once again so that you get the basics right when you proceed to make hard boiled eggs:

  • Know exactly what kind of hard- boiled egg you want, so that you can decide on the temperature settings of how long you want to settle the eggs in hot water and cold water.
  • Choose your eggs wisely; never use fresh eggs as they don’t get cooked properly. Also, if you want to peel off the hard boiled eggs easily, you should use eggs that are a week or at least ten days old.
  • Place the eggs in a spacious pan and pour enough water so that the eggs are immersed fully in it.
  • When you place the eggs in the pan and remove them, do so carefully with a spoon so that you don’t end up cracking the eggs,
  • Switch off the stove immediately when you notice the water boiling.

Making easy-peel hard boiled eggs is an easy task if you know the fundamentals. Ensure that you don’t expose eggs directly to the boiling water if you want toe cooking process to be even. There are only a few main things that you have to take note of – freshness of eggs, the timing of heating and timing of the shocking process. Once you get these basics right, you can master the art of perfect hard boiled eggs.

This article not only gives you the tips but also lists out the mistakes that you have to avoid while making perfect hard boiled eggs. Hence, it can be useful for beginners. Make a note of these mistakes so that you can avoid the same when you are trying to make the best-boiled eggs at home. These are very simple to make and are high on nutrition content. When you are not in the mood to cook anything exotic, take those boiled eggs from the refrigerator and cook the best hard boiled eggs. Cut them into two perfect halves and spray some salt & pepper over it and enjoy a simple & wholesome meal.

hard boiled eggs go great with cobb salads, devilled cheese eggs, pizzas and all varieties of simple & exotic salads.  Consuming one hard- boiled egg every day is great for your overall nutrition. So, what are you waiting for? Follow these tips and enjoy perfect hard boiled eggs right from the comfort of your home, right away!

Sophia Alex
I have been a Registered Dietitian for over 11 years, working in many different capacities. The majority of my experience has been working as an outpatient dietitian. I have had a lot of experience in the areas of research, general wellness, weight loss, oncology, CKD/renal failure, celiac disease, diabetes (I and II) and gastrointestinal concerns.

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