How to Boil Eggs | Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs (2024)

What You’ll Need

• Large pot – Your pot needs to be big enough to hold all the eggs you want to cook in a single layer, while leaving a little space between them, but not enough space to bounce around, causing them to crack.
• Water – Fill the pot with enough water to cover the eggs by about an inch. The amount of water needed will change depending on the size of the pot and the amount of eggs. If it’s hard to visualize, just place the eggs in the pot, fill it with enough water to cover them by an inch, then remove the eggs and start boiling the water.
• Large Eggs – Use as many eggs as you need, but don’t overcrowd the pot. Extra Large eggs may require an extra minute of cooking time. Older eggs are said to be easier to peel, but I haven’t necessarily found that to be true using this boil-first method. Brown eggs, white eggs, it really doesn’t matter.
• Large Bowl – For creating the ice bath to cool the eggs and stop them from cooking further.
• Ice – For the ice bath. You’ll need enough to fill about half of the bowl.

How to Boil Eggs

See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions

BOIL WATER: Bring a medium pot of water to boil over high heat.

ADD EGGS: Carefully add the eggs to the hot water using a slotted spoon or a mesh strainer.

SIMMER: Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer for 12 minutes. You want bubbles, but not a full rolling boil.

PREPARE ICE BATH: While the eggs are cooking, prepare an ice bath. Fill a large bowl about halfway with ice, then add water.

SHOCK: Transfer the cooked eggs to the ice bath and chill for 10-15 minutes. This “shocks” the eggs and stops the cooking process.

STORE: At this point, you can transfer to a bowl and store the eggs in the refrigerator for up to a week, or enjoy right away!

PEEL AND ENJOY! Gently tap the blunt end of the egg to crack, then peel away the shell.

How Long to Boil Eggs

Easy Peel Tips

The trickiest part of learning to boil eggs is usually peeling the eggs! To peel an egg, start by tapping the blunt end gently on a hard surface. Once you get it started the shell should come off easily.

If you’re still having trouble, try one of the methods listed below. I’ve collected a handful of tips from around the internet that might help you out.

Take these “egg peeling hacks” with a grain of salt; they may work for you and that’s great! I’ve tried several of these tips, but still, the thing that works the best for me is to dunk them in an ice bath right away!

• Fresh eggs are harder to peel, while older eggs tend to be easier to peel. Eggs will last for several weeks in the fridge, so using eggs that are a week old or more can result in easier to peel eggs. (My take – it doesn’t really matter.)
• Add a teaspoon of salt, vinegar or baking soda to the boiling water. (My take – The results were inconsistent.)
• Run the egg under cold water and peel. (My take – this does seem to help)
• Crack the shell with a spoon, then gently use the back of the spoon to lift the shell off. (My take – this seems a little more difficult than it’s worth.)
• Gently shake the egg in a sealed mason jar. (I haven’t tried this one.)

How To Store Hard-Cooked Eggs

Once your eggs are cooked, you can peel them or leave them in the shell.

• Place peeled eggs in an airtight container in the fridge. Keep them moist by placing a damp paper towel in the bottom and on the top. They should be eaten within a few days.
• If your eggs are still in their shell, you can keep them in the cardboard container the eggs came in, or store them in a bowl in the fridge. They will last at least a week.

Recipe