A well cooked boiled egg is a thing of beauty. It is the definition of simplicity, yet to master it can be difficult. It takes practice to get the timing just right. And there are as many techniques for cooking a boiled egg as there are people who enjoy them. I think that the technique I am about to lay out for you is the most consistent. So keep reading if you want to know how to cook a perfect boiled egg.

First of all, let’s clear something up. Eggs shouldn’t really be boiled. The high heat toughens the white and makes them chewy and rubbery. So, these are more simmered eggs than boiled eggs. Also, the times I am about to give are for large to extra large eggs, cooked at sea level. If you are in the mountains your cooking time is going to vary slightly.

A lot of people will start their eggs in cold water and then slowly bring the temperature up. I find that cooking eggs like this is an unreliable method. Instead, we are going to start with boiling water. So, bring a pot of water to a boil. Before you add your eggs to the pot give them a quick rinse under hot water. I find that this kind of tempers the shells and makes them less likely to explode from heat shock. Also, check the shell for any cracks or weak spot. Carefully lower the eggs into the pot using a slotted spoon. Once the eggs are in the pot bring the water back up to the boil and then turn down to medium-low immediately.

Often when people cook hardboiled eggs they end up with a green ring around the yolk. This green ring has a sulfur smell and doesn’t look great. This just means that egg is overcooked. Reduce the cooking time by a minute or two and you will be able to avoid the green ring of death.

How do you like your boiled egg?

Now that the eggs are cooking it just comes down to how you like them. If you like them soft 4-5 minutes of cooking is what you are aiming for. For medium eggs, 6-7 minutes. For hard-boiled eggs, you are aiming for 8-10 minutes. No matter how you like your eggs you should shock them with cold water once their done cooking. The eggshell acts as an insulator and will retain heat for a long time. If you don’t shock the eggs, they will continue to cook and a perfect will quickly become an overcooked egg. It’s important that you just quickly run them or immerse them in cold water, otherwise, you will cool them to the point where the whole egg is cold, which probably isn’t what you want.

A few Tips on Peeling boiled egg.

The fresher the egg the more difficult to peel. If you are finding that your eggs are really difficult to peel you can leave them out on the counter at room temperature for an hour or two before you cooking. This will artificially age the egg and cause the membrane around the white to loosen from the shell. Some people say that adding a tsp of baking soda to the cooking water will make the eggs easier to peel but I have not tested this and it seems unlikely to work.

I also find that breaking the shell into a lot of little pieces makes it much easier to peel. I find that doing this works better than trying to peel off big pieces of shell. The big pieces are more likely to get stuck on the membrane and tear the white of the egg apart.

I like soft boiled eggs on toast with a touch of butter and salt and pepper. How do you like your eggs?