How to Hard Boil an Egg That’s Easily Peeled

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Instructions for a perfect, peelable hard-boiled egg every time
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Packed with protein, low in calories, and versatile? Hard-boiled eggs are a staple in the kitchen with their firm yolk and solid whites. But how do you make the perfect hard-boiled egg, and how can you make sure it peels easily? In this article, we’ll teach you how to make hard-boiled eggs like a master chef! Plus, we’ve thrown in plenty of tips and tricks to ensure they peel nicely.

How do you hard-boil eggs?

  1. Place your eggs at the bottom of a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
  2. Cover the eggs with cold water and a pinch of salt.
  3. Place the pan on medium heat and cover with a lid.
  4. Let the water come to a boil, then turn off the heat and let the eggs sit for 15 minutes.
  5. Chill the eggs in cold water or an ice bath before peeling.
Section 1 of 3:

How to Make Hard-Boiled Eggs on the Stove

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  1. Set your eggs at the bottom of a heavy-bottomed saucepan or pot. If you’re cooking more than one, place them next to each other gently to avoid breaking. Avoid placing more than 4 eggs on top of each other.
    • To keep the eggs from cracking as they boil, consider placing a folded cheesecloth at the bottom of the pot to pad them.
    • If you're unsure whether your eggs are fresh, test them by placing them in a bowl of water. If the egg sinks to the bottom, it's fresh. If it floats to the top, get rid of it.
    • Pro tip: Let your eggs come to room temperature before boiling to help prevent cracking and make them easier to peel. [1]
    • See what users have to say about making great boiled eggs on the "How do you make the perfect hard boiled egg?" page of the wikiHow forum.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Hard Boil an Egg
    Cover the eggs gently with at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water. Add a pinch of salt. Steady the eggs with your hand as you add the water to keep them from breaking, or just point the stream of water at the side of the pan. [2]
    • Cold water helps to keep the eggs from overcooking. Never drop eggs directly into a pot of hot water, or the shells will crack and the egg will run (giving you poached eggs).
    • Salted water helps to make the egg white firm up more quickly. It also helps plug small leaks if the shell cracks during the cooking process. [3]
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  3. Watermark wikiHow to Hard Boil an Egg
    Cover the pan with a lid. Let the water come to a gentle boil. The water will boil more quickly with the lid on, but it's fine to leave it off if you'd rather keep an eye on the eggs. [4]
    • You can stir the eggs very gently every now and then to make sure they've not settled at the bottom, where they'll cook less evenly and break more easily. Use a wooden spoon to stir gently.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Hard Boil an Egg
    As soon as the water reaches a full boil, turn the heat off. Leave the lid on the pan. The heat of the water and the remaining warmth from the burner will be enough to finish cooking your eggs. [5] Depending on how hard or soft you like your eggs, you can leave them like this for about 3 to 20 minutes:
    • If you like your eggs soft-boiled , remove them from the water in 3 minutes or less. The whites will be set, while the yolks will be runny and warm. [6]
    • If you like your eggs medium-boiled , remove them from the water in 5 to 7 minutes. The yolks will be semi-soft in the very center and the whites will be firm.
    • If you like your eggs hard-boiled , leave the eggs in the hot water for up to 10 to 15 minutes. The yolks will be firm all the way through.
  5. As soon as you've cooked your eggs for the desired amount of time, drain the hot water from the pan or remove the eggs one by one with a slotted spoon. Place the eggs under cold running water or drop them carefully into a bowl of ice water to bring their temperature down. Let them sit in cool water for about 15 minutes. [7]
    • Once the eggs are cool enough to hold in your hand comfortably, put them in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes to loosen the shells.
    • If you're not particular about how pretty your peeled eggs are, you can skip the refrigerator and start peeling them right after chilling.
    • To test whether an egg is hard-boiled without breaking it, whirl it on a table. If it spins fast and easily, it’s hard-boiled. If it wobbles, it needs more time.
  6. Watermark wikiHow to Hard Boil an Egg
    Press each egg into a clean, flat surface and roll it in your hand to crack the shell. Start peeling from the fatter end of the egg, where there should be a small empty space under the shell. This makes it slightly easier to peel. [8]
    • Rinse the eggs under cold water as you peel them to keep bits of shell and membrane from sticking to the egg.
    • Quick peeling tip: Put the eggs back in the pan you cooked them in and put the lid back on. Shake the pan back and forth to crack all the shells at once.
  7. Watermark wikiHow to Hard Boil an Egg
    After peeling the eggs, they're ready to eat! You can store leftovers in a bowl with a plate on top or a sealed container. In both cases, cover the eggs with a wet paper towel. Change the paper towel each day to keep the eggs from drying out. [9] Eat the eggs within 4 to 5 days.
    • You can also store the eggs in cold water. Change the water each day to keep the eggs from breaking down.
    • Hard-boiled eggs can be stored for several days before cracking and peeling them, but they tend to get a little rubbery and dried out. It's usually better to store peeled eggs.
    EXPERT TIP

    Ollie George Cigliano

    Private Chef & Food Educator
    Ollie George Cigliano is a Private Chef, Food Educator, and Owner of Ollie George Cooks, based in Long Beach, California. With over 20 years of experience, she specializes in utilizing fresh, fun ingredients and mixing traditional and innovative cooking techniques. Ollie George holds a BA in Comparative Literature from The University of California, Berkeley, and a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from eCornell University.
    Ollie George Cigliano
    Private Chef & Food Educator

    Hard-boiling an egg doesn't make it not spoiled. If you hard-boil a bad or spoiled egg, it's still bad. Make sure to check that your eggs are fresh before hard-boiling them

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Section 2 of 3:

Common Mistakes & Fixes

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  1. Letting boiled eggs cook too long can give the yolks a gray-green ring and a sulfur-like smell. There's nothing wrong with these eggs, and they are perfectly safe for eating. However, if you find this unappetizing, reduce how long you let the eggs cook next time. [10]
    • The gray-green color is formed when iron from the yolk reacts with hydrogen sulfide from the white. This reaction occurs after the rest of the egg has finished cooking. [11]
    • Extra heat also tends to over-coagulate the proteins in the egg. This can make the white rubbery and the yolks dry.
  2. If you don't use enough heat when cooking your eggs, you may be left with runny yolks or unset whites. If you notice that the first egg you peel and crack is undercooked, return the rest to hot water and allow them to sit for longer.
    • Undercooked eggs can pose a risk of salmonella infection. The FDA recommends cooking all eggs until the yolks are firm or using eggs that have been in-shell pasteurized. [12]
    • Spin an egg on a hard surface to test whether it’s cooked all the way through. If it spins evenly (like a top), the egg is cooked. If the egg spirals or wobbles, it may be undercooked.
  3. If your egg is hard to peel, steam it . The fresher your egg is when it’s boiled, the harder it may be to peel. Steaming the egg before you cook it can help separate the egg’s membrane from the shell, making it easier to peel. Simply place the eggs in a metal colander and rest the colander on a pan. Boil an 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water in the pan for about 10 minutes, turning the eggs frequently. [13]
    • Some people also like to add a teaspoon of baking soda to the water when boiling eggs that are very fresh, but this can add a sulfuric taste to the eggs.
    • When eggs are just a day or two old, the membrane sticks to the shell, making the egg difficult to peel. The best eggs for hard-boiling are about 7 to 10 days old. [14]
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Hard Boil an Egg
    Eggs cracking while boiling is a common problem, especially if your eggs are very cold. To fix this, simply add a small spoonful of vinegar to the water. This helps the proteins in the egg white coagulate faster, plugging the cracks in the shell. [15]
    • Try to be quick here. If you add the vinegar to the water as soon as you notice a crack, the egg should still boil evenly.
    • You may notice a little whiteness creeping out of a cracked egg. If you don't get to it with the vinegar in time, don't worry. It should still boil fine, but it may look a little funky.
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Section 3 of 3:

How to Use Hard-Boiled Eggs

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  1. Eat hard-boiled eggs as is, chopped up on salads, or as deviled eggs! Hard-boiled eggs are packed with protein, making them a delicious and nutritious addition to just about any meal or snack. They also have a mild taste that’s not too eggy, so they’re extremely versatile in flavor combinations. Here are some of our favorite ways to use hard-boiled eggs: [16]
    • Slice hard-boiled eggs lengthwise and whip up their yolks to make deviled eggs.
    • Mix chopped hard-boiled eggs with mayonnaise, onions, sweet relish, and celery to make an egg salad.
    • Top a salad with halved or chopped hard-boiled eggs.
    • Pickle hard-boiled eggs with apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, peppercorn, and salt.
    • Place slices of hard-boiled egg, avocado, and tomato on a piece of toast.


Community Q&A

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  • Question
    How do you remove the shell without making a mess?
    Community Answer
    Peel the egg while submerged in a bowl of cool water.
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  • Question
    Why does it spin so fast and easy when cooked?
    Community Answer
    Not entirely sure, but most likely because a cooked egg doesn't have a yolk sac wobbling around inside. An egg that isn't cooked yet will allow the yolk sac to sway from side to side when you spin it, thus disturbing the weight of the egg and making it go "off course." With a cooked egg, this doesn't happen so the egg will spin in a perfect circle.
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  • Question
    Can I boil an egg if I don't have a pot or sauce pan?
    Community Answer
    No, a pot or a sauce pan is required. Do not put an egg in a bowl of water in the microwave, as the egg will explode.
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      wikiHow Video: How to Hard Boil an Egg

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      Tips

      • If you use white eggs, throw some onion skins in the water when you cook them. They will color the eggs a pretty shade of brown, and you'll be able to tell the difference between cooked and uncooked at a glance.
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      • Some sources recommend making a shallow hole with a pin at the flat end before boiling, so that the expanding air can escape and the chance of cracking will be reduced. However, studies have shown this isn't always a reliable technique.
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      Tips from our Readers

      The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
      • Let eggs come to room temperature before boiling to prevent cracking. Eggs straight from the fridge can crack more easily when exposed to heat.
      • Try steaming fresh eggs first if they are difficult to peel. Steaming helps separate the membranes for easier shell removal.
      • Use a slotted spoon when lowering eggs into boiling water to prevent cracking them on the bottom of the pan.
      • If the yolks turn gray-green, it means the eggs were overcooked. Reduce the cooking time next batch.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.scienceofcooking.com/eggs/boiled_eggs.htm
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/CAFRKQxICPE?t=31n
      3. ↑ https://annex.exploratorium.edu/cooking/eggs/explore-text.html
      4. ↑ https://youtu.be/CAFRKQxICPE?t=57
      5. ↑ https://youtu.be/CAFRKQxICPE?t=69
      6. ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-a-soft-boiled-egg-kitchn-cooking-lesson-138819
      7. ↑ https://youtu.be/dg51LRrfWY0?t=74
      8. ↑ https://youtu.be/2T15zBDiRTg?t=469
      9. ↑ https://whatscookingamerica.net/q-a/eggs2.htm
      1. ↑ https://food.unl.edu/how-avoid-green-ring-hard-boiled-egg-yolks/
      2. ↑ https://www.incredibleegg.org/recipes/cooking-school/why-eggs-turn-green-when-cooked/
      3. ↑ https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/what-you-need-know-about-egg-safety
      4. ↑ https://www.bonappetit.com/story/easy-peel-hard-boiled-eggs
      5. ↑ https://www.scienceofcooking.com/eggs/boiled_eggs.htm
      6. ↑ https://www.scienceofcooking.com/eggs/boiled_eggs.htmm
      7. ↑ https://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/slideshow/how-to-cook-leftover-easter-eggs

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To hard boil an egg, place it in the pot and cover it with at least 1 inch of water and a pinch of salt. Fill a bowl with ice water and set it aside. Heat the pot on medium heat, stirring the egg every few minutes. When the water reaches a rolling boil, use a slotted spoon to remove the egg from the pot and submerge it in the ice bath. For a medium-boiled egg, remove the egg after 5-7 minutes. For a hard-boiled egg, remove it after 10-15 minutes. To remove the shell, roll the egg across a clean counter to crack it. Then, peel the shell with your fingers.

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