How to Cook the Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs
The Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg. If you follow these instructions, you will have eggs with bright yellow centers- perfectly cooked. None of those dark gray/green rings around the yolk from over-cooking!
Ingredients
- 1 dozen Eggs - farm fresh if possible! If they are truly farm fresh, let them age in the fridge for a week to ten days before boiling them.
Instructions
- Place eggs in a single layer in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Do not add more eggs than a single layer or they will not produce the perfect egg.
- Cover the eggs with water, making sure that the water covers the eggs by 1 – 2 inches.
- Place the saucepan over medium to medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
- Boil, uncovered, for 1 minute.
- Cover the pan, remove from heat and let stand for 12 minutes.
- Remove the eggs from the hot water and plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Allow the eggs to cool.
- To peel the eggs, simply tap them on a hard surface and carefully peel away the shell.
- If they seem hard to peel, try peeling them under a slight stream of cold water. It helps to separate the membrane from the egg.
- Peeled eggs can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 5 days.
- If your eggs are too fresh, they will be difficult to peel. If this is the case, place the unpeeled eggs in an airtight container and let them sit in the fridge for 3-5 days. Then, try peeling again.
Notes
If you are using farm fresh eggs, let them age in the refrigerator for 5-10 days before boiling – it will make them so much easier to peel! You can also use ¼ to ½ teaspoon of baking soda to the water as you cook them. This will cause your eggs to have more of a smell when cooked, but will make them easier to peel.
Peeled hard-boiled eggs can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week by placing them in a bowl of cold water to cover (you will need to change the water daily) - or in an air-tight container (without water) - covering the eggs with damp paper towels before sealing.
Unpeeled hard-boiled eggs - still in their shells - can be safely stored in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks. Be sure to mark the shells.
To center the yolks perfectly - in anticipation of making deviled eggs, scotch eggs. . . Place a rubber band around a carton of eggs and set the carton on it's side - in the refrigerator - for 24 hours before boiling them. The yolks will be centered!
It is not safe to leave hard-boiled eggs - including those in their shells - out at room temperature for long. If they need to be out of the refrigerator, keep them cool while they are being served. If they have been out long, toss them.
