How to Make Hard Boiled Eggs That the Hell Will Peel
I love spiced eggs more than I think so much, but I used to hate cooking them. It’s not about getting the perfect yolk or sulfur smell, but the process of peeling eggs almost always infuriated me. Those days are over, however, as I now know how to make hard-boiled eggs that will peel off without any problems.
As you can see, the problem is that my advice was wrong. While my cookbook, Better Homes & Gardens, served me well in other endeavors, it was completely wrong when it comes to hard boiled eggs. The recipe, which suggested placing eggs in a saucepan of cold water, bringing it to a boil, then covering and removing from the heat, was deeply flawed. Although the eggs would be cooked “properly,” their shells seemed to be very worried about separation, and large chunks of white were flaking with them.
But then I read The Food Lab’s treatise on hard boiled eggs and heaven parted and my life got better. You see, a cold start just doesn’t work. As Kenji explains, the egg white that gradually heats up will firmly attach to the membrane, and that membrane will remove your egg straight up.
Hard-boiled eggs can be prepared in two ways: boil them on the stovetop and steam them in an instant saucepan. And in fact, and in another case, the eggs are beautifully peeled 98% of the time.
On the stove
To boil hard-boiled eggs on the stove, you will need:
- Eggs (as many as you like. Don’t worry about using “old eggs.” I didn’t find fresh eggs harder to peel.)
- Pot or casserole
- Water
- Ice bath
Bring the water to a boil and gradually lower the eggs into it. Set a timer for seven minutes and find a short activity to pass the time. (I usually check my social media or take pictures of my dog.) Once the timer goes off, immediately transfer the eggs to an ice bath and let them cool for at least fifteen minutes.
After cooling, peel the eggs by gently tapping them on a flat surface until they crack, then pry the shells under running water.
If, like me, you enjoy hard-boiled eggs – hard but still slightly cloudy and not dry at all – seven minutes is ideal time to cook, but feel free to add a minute or more if you like them a little more.
You can boil eggs this way all your life and be very happy, but you will notice one slight annoyance: one of the eggs almost always cracks when placed in boiling water.
It usually doesn’t matter much as I feed a wobbly egg to my egg-obsessed spaniel, but I don’t think it’s optimal. If you want to combat unwanted egg rupture, I suggest you try steaming.
In a double boiler
Steamed eggs can be cooked using a steamer basket and a saucepan, or a steamer-equipped appliance such as the Instant Pot. In any case, you will need:
- Eggs
- Enough water to rise an inch in whatever jar you use
- Cooking pot or steamer insert
- Steamer stand or basket.
- Ice bath
If you are cooking on the stove top, fill a saucepan with about an inch of water, place a basket or steamer rack in it, and bring to a boil. Place the eggs carefully in the basket, cover and cook for 11 minutes. Remove from basket and immediately place eggs in ice bath for at least 15 minutes. Clean as described above.
If you are using an electric steamer, you may have to play a little with the sync depending on the model. For the Instant Pot, however, you just need to add a cup of water to the insert, place the rack in there, and place the eggs on the rack. Close the Instant Pot, set the vent valve to the seal position, and press the Steam button. Set the time to seven minutes using the “+” and “-” buttons and check your Twitter or something. Once the timer has kicked in, manually release the pressure by switching the release valve to the “vent” position, then remove the eggs from the pan and place them in an ice bath for at least fifteen minutes. Clean as described above.
I have found that although cooked eggs are easy to clean, steamed eggs are even easier to clean and have fewer dents and pits than cooked eggs. Dents and dimples are not the end of the world, however. I am very happy with the camper if I have all the white left.