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Hard boiled eggs in black dish
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Easy Peel Hard Boiled Eggs

Course Breakfast, Lunch
Cuisine Universal
Keyword Easy Peel Hard Boiled Eggs, Hard Boiled Eggs
Prep Time 1 minute
Cook Time 13 minutes
Servings 5 Eggs
Author David of Sunset & Sewanee

Equipment

  • medium sized pot
  • silicone or wire egg rack, or steamer basket
  • Tongs
  • large bowl for ice bath

Ingredients

  • 1 cup water for steaming method
  • 4-5 cups water for boiling method
  • 5 whole eggs, preferably certified organic store-bought and cold
  • 1-4 tbsp salt (use only if you live at high altitude, see instructions)

Instructions

Steaming - Best method!

  • Using a medium-sized pot with a tight-fitting lid, add the egg rack/steamer basket and 3/4 inch of water (just below the egg rack/steamer basket). Place on medium to high heat to bring the water to a boil.
  • Once the water is boiling, add the cold eggs to the egg rack/steamer basket reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover. Cook for 12-13 minutes or see optional cooking times below. (Note: The most common home-style hard-boiled/steamed egg is 13 minutes, the white is set and the yolk is set and opaque yellow all the way through. However, if you take the egg beyond 13½ minutes, the yolk starts to become overcooked and grey.)
  • While the eggs are cooking, prepare an ice bath. Make the ice bath deep enough for the eggs to be submerged in the water by adding two cups of ice and four cups of cold water.
  • At the end of the 12-13 minutes of steaming, remove the eggs using a set of tongs and place the eggs straight into the ice bath. Allow the eggs to completely cool before peeling the shell.

Choose cooking time as follows

  • 3-4 minutes: The white is fully set, but the yolk is very runny.
    The famous 5 minute soft boiled/steamed egg: The white is set but still a little runny in the middle. This is what is commonly seen in finer restaurants served with toast points.
    6 1/2 minutes (Jammy Eggs): The whites are set and the yolk is thick like jam.
    8 minutes: The white is fully set, and the yolk is set, but tender.
    11 minutes: The white is set and the yolk starts to become opaque yellow.
    12-13 minutes: This is the most common home-style hard-boiled/steamed egg.
    Just beyond 13.5 minutes: The yolk starts to turn grey and is overcooked at that point.

Boiling

  • In a medium-sized pot over medium-high to high heat, bring 7-8 cups of water to a boil.
    If you live at high-altitude use the following formulas:
    Add 2 tbsp of salt per cup at 3,000-5,000 feet.
    Add 3 tbsp per cup at 5,000-7,000 feet.
    Add 4 tbsp per cup above 7,000 feet.
  • Lower the eggs into the boiling water one at a time using a skimmer or large kitchen spoon. Reduce the temperature to a simmer or low heat. Cover the pot's lid and cook the eggs for 11-13 minutes (or use the cooking time options specified above).
  • Once the eggs are cooked, drain the boiling water and add the eggs straight into the ice bath to shock them and stop the cooking process. Allow eggs to cool completely before peeling.