How to Perfectly Hard-Boil an Egg

When asking our fellow associates how they hard-boil eggs, we found that no two people follow the same process, and we have a feeling that you have your own techniques, too. Curiosity struck us as we asked ourselves, is there a “right way” to boil eggs?

To solve this mystery, we reached out to our Aprons experts for the secret to achieving the perfect hard-boiled egg. Here’s the scoop!

Problems to Avoid

Our chefs explained that when hard boiling eggs, most people encounter one of these three problems.

1. The egg is undercooked, which causes the yolk to become tacky and usually produces a bright orange color.

2. The egg is overcooked, causing a green ring to appear around the outside of the yolk.

3. The worst of them all, your egg looks like it’s been mauled by a bear once you try to peel the shell off.

The secret is that it all comes down to the boil and chill factor. The magic boil time is 14 minutes. Check it out:

The Perfect Method

Now that you’ve seen the proof, try it yourself:

• If cooking a dozen eggs, bring two gallons of water and one tablespoon of sea salt to a boil in a large stockpot.

• Using a slotted spoon, place one egg at a time into the pot, gently laying the egg on the bottom (be extremely careful not to crack the egg’s shell).

• When all eggs have been placed in the pot, bring the water back to a boil. Lower the heat slightly to maintain a very light boil. Boiling water is turbulent enough to smash the eggs into each other and the pan walls, cracking the shells. This will cause some egg white to leak out, quickly overcooking them, and releasing unpleasant amounts of hydrogen sulfide gas giving off that rotten egg smell.

• Boil gently for 14 minutes. During this time, start to prepare an ice bath.

• Once the 14 minute mark has arrived, use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the boiling water and submerge them in an ice bath. When the eggs have completely chilled, they’re ready to peel. The best part—the shell will practically slide right off!

Whether you’re decorating eggs for Easter or whipping up deviled eggs for a party, this recipe is fool-proof. What tips and techniques do you use to perfectly hard-boil eggs?