This foolproof method for making perfectly cooked hard-boiled eggs will give you eggs that peel easily and don't have that gray sulfur ring!
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time 15 minutesminutes
Total Time 25 minutesminutes
Servings 12eggs
Calories 63kcal
Author Amee
Cost $3
Equipment
Large cooking pot
Ingredients
12eggs
1tbspsalt
1tspbaking soda
Instructions
Place eggs in a large, empty pot. Cover with cold water going about an inch above the eggs.
Add salt and baking soda and bring pot to a full, rolling boil over medium-high heat. As soon as the water gets to a full boil, turn off the heat (if it’s a gas stove, leave pot on the burner, if it’s electric then move it off of the hot burner to cool). Cover with a lid and set a timer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice water.
As soon as the timer goes off, transfer eggs to the ice bath and allow them to sit for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a sealed container (can be stored peeled or unpeeled) and keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
More Tips:
Start with room-temperature eggs. If you take the eggs out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking, they tend to cook more evenly.
Do not overcrowd the pot. The pot must have the capacity for the number of eggs you’re cooking to float freely as the water starts to boil.
Use older eggs. Slightly older eggs (around 1-2 weeks old) are often easier to peel after boiling than fresher ones.
Poke a tiny hole in the eggshell. Another trick is piercing the bottom of the shell (the wider end) with a sanitized needle before boiling to help the shell separate when peeling.
Add vinegar to the water. Adding a splash of vinegar to the boiling water can help prevent cracking and make the eggs easier to peel. If a crack occurs, the vinegar helps coagulate the egg whites before they leak from the shell.
Control the heat and set a timer. Start the eggs in cool water. Once the water reaches a full, rolling boil, remove the pot from the heat and leave it for 10 minutes. If you have a gas stove, turn the range off, but leave the pot on the burner.
Do NOT skip the ice bath! Immediately plunging the eggs into an ice bath stops the cooking process. Shocking the eggs this way helps create a small gap between the egg white and the shell, making them easier to peel.