Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs Every Time (3 Ways!)

Excellent recipes for eggs and so quick!! I have hens, so have very fresh eggs. I have found after much experimentation, that to get the egg shells to come off easily, I steam the eggs for 10 minutes (for hard boiled). I use an egg steamer rack so they’re equally spaced & easy to remove from the pot all at once. When the timer goes off immediately remove the eggs from the pot and plunge them into ice-filled water. When they’re cool the eggs peel easily.

Thank you so much for sharing your passion for cooking!!

I’ve been hard boiling and peeling eggs very easily for almost 60 years. I start with week-old free-range eggs from my own organically raised chickens. I cook about a dozen at a time, but it works as well for 1 or 2.

I set the eggs outside the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, then shake each egg vigorously a few times (seems to loosen the whites from shells but doesn’t break the yolks). Place the eggs in a dry pan, no heat.

Boil enough water in a kettle to cover the eggs. Pour the boiling water over the eggs. I don’t add soda. Cover the pan and let the eggs sit in the hot water (with stove off) for 20 minutes. Then drain the water and cool the eggs under cold water until easy to handle. (Or if I’m too busy I just put the cooled eggs in their shells in the refrig, and they’re just as easy to peel the next day.)

Roll eggs to crack the shell, and peel over a paper towel. I compost the shells and the paper towel. No muss, no fuss, no waste!

My boiled eggs always cook and peel perfectly using this method. If I don’t use them all right away (gotta love the deviled eggs or egg salad), I’ll store the remaining whole peeled eggs in an airtight bag in the refrig, and they’re ready to use for about a week later.

The steamed method was new to me and completely life changing. It’s so fast and the eggs peel perfectly every time. I’ve used the exact method in this recipe at least a dozen times now and the only method I’ll ever use in the future. I love a 10-12 minute steamed egg!

There is another method that I use. I’d boil the water, put eggs in a pot, pour the boiling water over them, bring to a rolling boil for 6 minutes, and then run cold water into the pot, and peel when slightly warm to the touch. Easy peeling.

I am a new convert to the steaming method – I don’t even use a steam basket. Just an inch of water, boil then add the eggs. (I do use older eggs). I’ve found that the yolk and white cook more evenly, the shell is less likely to break, and frankly it just takes less time and attention. I’m glad you have included as an option.

This morning I used the steaming method for two eggs I had lingering in the fridge. 11 minutes in the steaming basket. The peeling process was a success and I’m happy to say the shell came right off with hardly any trouble at all! Steaming eggs for the win!

I tried all Three methods this morning. First steamer, then classic and then instapot. This was also my first try at my instapot. (Received for Christmas) I was excited for the steamer basket as I bought it just for this purpose. And the suggestion of older eggs was nothing I had heard before.

All older eggs. Classic and steamer resulted in the usual half the egg coming off with the shell.

I am the go to at all holidays for deviled eggs.

The instapot rocked it! I am so excited!

Thank you for the post!

Adding baking soda to the boiling water also works

I LOVE using my Instant Pot to make hard boiled eggs! I usually put them in for 8 minutes, and they come out perfectly! I use the saucepan method if our Instant Pot is occupied, but I don’t like it because it seems to take forever and they don’t peel as easily. Using the Instant Pot gives superior, consistent results!

Thank you so much for support… the eggs boiled PERFECTLY. and thank you so much for helping everybody (not only vegans).

Don’t know how you all figured out old and new eggs, but I’ve tried both and all stick. I live alone so my eggs stay in the fridge for months before I touch them sometimes and if I boil them, well, they still stick like hell.

Have you read the book The Food Lab by J. Kenji Lopez-alt? It explains the science of cooking eggs really well. There’s no tricks, it’s just plain science…for example your comment on fresh vs older eggs is actually incorrect. I encourage you take a look at this book.

I tried the Instant Pot method which did NOT work for me at all – they turned brown and were rubbery after only a 4 minute cycle so I must have done something wrong… and I was unwilling to waste more eggs trying the other steaming method, but the regular boiling method worked well. However, since I raise chickens and ducks, my eggs are very fresh so I’ve found the most useful method is this:

Place the refrigerated eggs into a basket that fits into your pot (mine are a set). Set the egg basket on the counter (to warm a bit) and then fill the pot and bring it to a full boil with the lid on. Remove lid and place the basket of eggs into the already boiling water. Bring it back to a boil (about two minutes but watch it because you turn it off as soon as it starts to boil again). Replace the lid and leave it on and let the eggs sit (with no heat on) for 18 minutes for extra large eggs (or duck eggs), 15 minutes for large or medium eggs. Take out the basket and set it aside while you dump the hot water and refill the pot with cold tap water. Place the basket back into the cold water (the shock helps peel fresh eggs). Finally, if you put the lid back on and vigorously shake the pot for a minute or so, it will break the shells and make them even easier to peel. Peel under running water (tepid water so your hands are comfortable :-) .

Boil for 15 minutes, run cold water over them, put ice in water for a few minutes. And voila!! Peel eggs amazingly fast and no egg whites lost!

I agree with you about using steam and have been using this method for years. I would like to add a few suggestions to make the process even more reliable.
There are several variables which need to be controlled including the size of the eggs, the number of eggs, the temperature of the eggs (whether out of the fridge or not), and the rate at which steam is delivered to the eggs.
My method is to do an initial calibration as follows.
* get the water boiling well then turn the heat down to exactly half. This helps prevent cracking of the shells by having to much steam hit them at once. Wait for 30 seconds for the steam intensity to reduce to a steady state.
*set a timer… I start with 8 minutes
* add a small number of room temperature eggs of average size, say 2, making sure they are not touching each other.
* steam for 8 minutes.
* put eggs into cold water, cool, crack and peel etc.
* assess the result. This is your reliable baseline.
Now you have your baseline, from this point on, you use the baseline but making some time adjustments:
* if you steam more eggs at once. For example if I cook 5 eggs I would add 1 minute, 8 eggs 2 minutes.
* if the eggs are out of the fridge add 1-2 minutes
* if the eggs are smaller or larger than average, subtract or add 1 or two minutes.
Clearly there is certain amount of judgment required but, because you have a known baseline, you will always get a better result. The key concept is that you establish a steady known rate of heat delivery first and then make adjustments.

Easiest hard boiled eggs: put 1/2″ of water (or even less!) into saucepan, and eggs. Bring to boil over high heat (if pan is not crowded, I roll eggs while water comes to boil to ensure yolks are centered). Cover, and lower heat to barely boiling, boiling 11 min for medium yellow yolks, 10 min gives dark yellow, soft but solid yolks. 7 min 15 sec for soft boiled eggs with solid white, runny yolk. Dump out water, replace with cold tap water for a couple minutes. Eggs peel easily (drop eggs onto counter from 1″ or so and break shell all around to make peeling easy). Note: all the water will not boil away in only 11 min unless you leave it on very very high.