With egg price on the rise, it’s more important than ever to get the cooking times right. Luckily, I did this research many years ago. The principles still apply.
Whether you like them soft-boiled or hard boiled, this recipe explains all the factors involved in making perfectly boiled eggs for your setup. As a bonus, I've also tested several methods of making eggs easier to peel and have come up with the best method for peeling boiled eggs.
If you’ve ever boiled an egg you’ve probably run into problems at one time or another. Two challenges generally arise: cooking the egg and peeling the egg. You might have found your eggs under/overcooked, or when you tried to peel the egg it ended up looking like the surface of the moon.
The good news is that both of these problems are easily resolved with a little understanding of the science of eggs. Read on and you'll be boiling expertly oval eggs whether you're going for a perfect hard boiled egg or a gooey soft cooked one.
Table of contents
Setting Temperatures of Yolks and Albumen
Egg yolks set at a much lower temperature than egg whites (70 degrees C vs 80 degrees C). Since the heat source (boiling water) is outside the egg, it cooks from the outside in. In theory, this means that by the time yolk is set, the white has also reached its higher setting temperature.
Since the boiling water is much hotter than the setting temperature of the egg, it’s very easy to zoom past the desired temperature. Because the temperature is rising so fast, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when to stop the cooking to get the egg exactly how you like it, whether you're going for runny yolks or firm yolks.
The problem with most boiled egg instructions is that they create a formula (put eggs in cold water, bring to boil, boil for X minutes) assuming you put the exact same size and temperature of egg into the same amount of water in the same pan on the same stove… Well, you get the idea.
How Do You Cook the Perfect Boiled Egg?
The best way to figure out what works for your setup is to boil a dozen eggs and start pulling the eggs out of the water in thirty-second increments after about 3 minutes. But who wants to waste that many eggs? Well, luckily I have a friend that farms eggs and I've been busy experimenting in my lab to come up with an (almost) foolproof method of boiling eggs.
Since the main problem with boiling an egg is the narrow window of time during which the egg is perfect, I asked myself how I could slow the cooking down to expand that window of perfection. I found my answer in the way I cook my chicken for chicken soup
This is how I adapted the technique for eggs. Put refrigerated eggs in a heavy bottomed pot and cover with cold tap water so they're covered by about 1" (2.5cm) of water. Bring the water to a full boil (100 degrees C) over high heat, and then remove the pot from the heat. Let the eggs cook the rest of the way using the residual heat in the water. As the temperature of the egg rises, the temperature of the water will fall, which will give you a much wider window when your egg is perfectly cooked.
Boiled Egg Variables
Before I give you cooking times for the eggs though, you need to know that there are many other factors that will affect the cooking time of the egg and I've outlined some of the major ones below along with what I did in my kitchen.
- Initial egg temperature - An egg right out of the fridge will take longer to cook than an egg at room temperature. But since room temperature varies by season, and most people have their fridges set to around the same temperature. I decided to develop my method using eggs straight out of the fridge.
- Egg size - Size greatly effects the cooking time; the bigger the egg, the longer it will take to cook. I did all my experiments with large eggs (not extra large or jumbo)
- Egg to water ratio - The more water you use relative to the number of eggs, the longer it will take to boil and the longer it will retain heat. Too much water and your eggs will cook too fast, too little and the temperature will fall too fast, resulting in uncooked eggs. Ideally, you'd measure out a certain amount of water for each egg you're boiling. But that seems a little extreme for something so simple. I typically use a pot that comfortably houses the number of eggs I'm going to cook (not crowded, not too spaced out, i.e., six eggs in a medium saucepan), and then cover the eggs with enough water so there's about 1" of water above the top of the eggs.
- Heat retention of the pot you use - Thicker pots, made of denser materials (iron vs aluminum) tend to retain heat better than thinner pots. I used a heavy bottomed stainless steel pot to boil my eggs. If you're using an electric stove (coil or plate type), you should remove the pot from the stove and put it on a trivet after the water boils, as these types of stoves tend to retain heat long after you've turned them off.
- Heat output of your stove - Some stoves are able to boil a pot of water much faster than others. IH (Induction) cooktops tend to be the most efficient, while electric plate type stoves tend to be the least efficient. I've tested this method on both IH and gas cooktops using 5-8 eggs. If you try and do too many eggs, or use an under-powdered stovetop it will take too long for the water to come to a boil. If the water takes too long to boil, your eggs are going to be sitting in hot water for much longer, which will affect the amount of time they need to sit in the water after you turn the stove off.
- Altitude - The boiling temperature of water falls as your altitude rises. If you live in the mountains, this will certainly affect your cooking times, so you'll need to adjust accordingly. I boiled my eggs at roughly sea level.
- Room temperature - If you're in a very cold room, your water will cool faster than if you're in a warm room. I boiled my eggs in a 24 degree C (75 F) room.
How Many Minutes for Hard-boiled Eggs? How Many Minutes for Soft-boiled eggs?
With all that in mind, here are the cooking times for various types of boiled eggs. The times start after the water has come to a boil and you've turned off the heat.
- 2 minutes - The white isn't fully set and the yolk is totally raw.
- 4 minutes - The white is fully set, but the yolk is thick and runny.
- 6 minutes - The white is fully set, and the yolk is mostly set, but still a little runny in the middle.
- 8 minutes - The white is fully set, and the yolk is set, but tender.
- 10 minutes - The white is fully set, and the yolk is fully set.
Remember to transfer your eggs to cold water as soon as you take them out of the pot to stop the cooking immediately. Otherwise, your eggs will continue cooking even after you've taken them out of the water.
What's The Best Way to Peel an Egg?
If you do a search on google for "peel an egg" there are literally dozens of purported ways to make peeling an egg easy. Most of them don't work with fresh eggs, and while using older eggs works pretty well, who wants to wait two weeks or more to make a boiled egg? It might not matter so much for egg salad, when you want those perfect half-ovals for devilled eggs, frustration mounts.
The good news is, I’ve come up with a method that works every time, no matter how fresh the egg is. The secret is to put a small crack in the bottom of the egg(the fat side) BEFORE you boil it. The crack needs to extend all the way through the hard shell, but it must not rupture the soft inner membrane (otherwise you’ll end up with egg white spewing out of the crack as it boils). I use a small curved object (like the end of a pestle or back of a spoon) to crack the egg on. It creates a more predictable circular crack rather than a linear crack that could spread and rupture the membrane.
So why does this work? My theory is that by putting a small crack in the shell, it allows water to enter the egg and saturate the membrane, mimicking the membrane of an older egg.
By putting a small crack in the shell, it allows water to enter the egg and saturate the membrane, mimicking the membrane of an older egg. If any scientists out there want to compare some cross sections of the albumen-membrane interface under a scanning electron microscope it would be awesome to finally put this mystery to rest.
Recipes Using Boiled Eggs
Once you've mastered the technique, you'll be ready to try the many dishes on No Recipes that include boiled eggs. Japanese Potato Salad, Japanese Egg Sandwich, Ramen Eggs, and Egg in a Biscuit all feature boiled eggs. You can also use them to crown a bowl of ramen, bejewel a composed salad, or tuck inside a bento. You'll be finding new ways to show off these beauties every day.
Master Other Perfect Eggs
Now that you've mastered the art of boiling eggs how you like them, how about becoming a poached egg pro, or a sunny-side up superstar? To help you along, I've put together a short digital cookbook where I walk you through my techniques for making the perfect egg recipes every time!
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
Instructions
- Take the eggs from the refrigerator, then tap the bottom of each egg on a curved surface (like the back of a spoon) to make a small circular crack through the shell. Be careful not to rupture the inner membrane.
- Place 6 eggs in a single layer in a saucepan that's big enough to hold 12 eggs and add cold tap water to the pot until the eggs are covered by 1-inch of water.
- Put the pot on a burner over high heat until the water comes to a rolling boil.
- Set a timer for your desired doneness (see times above), and turn off the heat.
- Remove the boiled eggs from the water when they are done. Place eggs in a bowl and repeatedly cover the eggs with cold water until the water doesn't warm up anymore. This will stop the eggs' cooking. Let them soak in this cold water for at least 20 minutes.
- Crack every bit of shell by tapping firmly with the back of a spoon and then peel the egg from the bottom in a spiral pattern towards the top. Be sure to keep the egg wet at all times.
Deb says
Hi, thanks for this. I use a pressure cooker (NOT an instapot) but my eggs were over cooking. Then someone else shopped and there were medium eggs! I managed perfect Hard boiled with 4 min at temp and 4 min off. I like that you start with refrigerated eggs. you thinking and technique make sense to me.
Marc Matsumoto says
You're welcome Deb! Glad to hear this was helpful!
Thien says
Thanks Sir,
In case, I can control exactly water temperature (ex, 80 Degree C). May I don't consider about cooking time after eggs completely yolk?
Thanks
Marc Matsumoto says
The problem is that yolks set at a lower temperature than the egg white. So if you want a soft boiled egg with a firm yolk and soft center, you have to cook the egg at a higher temperature than you want the yolk to be at and remove the eggs from the water before the heat rises in the center to set the yolk. If you don't mind the egg white being soft too, you can make this style of egg: https://norecipes.com/onsen-tamago-hot-spring-eggs/
Corey says
Still getting the hang of the perfect crack to get the perfect peel but if I follow the instructions to the T then I get exactly the doneness shown!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Corey, I'm glad to hear this has been helpful for you. What is the difficulty you're having with the crack? Is the crack spreading and causing albumen to leak out, or is the egg still difficult to peel?
Penelope says
Hi Marc, I always place my eggs in boiling water rather than start with cold, (using a long thumbtack to make a hole in the bottom to prevent cracking) I am wondering why boiling an egg for 'soft boiled' has gone from 3 mins.to 5.over the years. Has there been some mysterious change to eggs or chickens over the years? I initially thought that it could just be that the eggs are bigger but they don't appear to be that much bigger. Any ideas?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Penelope, putting them in boiling water is definitely a more predictable way of boiling eggs since it eliminates the differences between stoves (and how cold the water was when it entered the pot), but my eggs almost always crack when I do this. I've tried the thumbtack method, but then I get a stream of albumen that squirts out of the hole. I wonder what I'm doing wrong. As for time for boiling eggs increasing I think there could be two explanations. The first is that eggs have indeed increased in size. If you're in the US, Australia, Scandinavia or Japan, the other reason is that these countries require the washing of eggs before they can be sold to consumers. I believe the US was the first to mandate this and it started sometime in the 1970's. Aside from cleaning off any pathogens on the outside of the egg, this also removes a thin membrane on the outside of the egg that protects it. That's why eggs that have been washed need to be refrigerated. Most of the world does not refrigerate their eggs and I'm guessing the US was probably the same way until they started being washed. This would account for the 2 minute difference as the eggs are going to be starting at a temperature about 35 degrees F lower than what they would be if they were sitting out on the counter.
Sylvia Sharpe says
Great
I love boiled eggs, my mum always got them absolutely perfect, but i have never been able to master the art, Unfortunately my mum has passed away and I never did ask her the secret, thanks for this I will give it me best shot.
Marc Matsumoto says
Sorry to hear about mom Sylvia. The trick with boiled eggs is to understand all of the things that can effect the boiling time and control for them. Then it's just a matter of finding the perfect timing for your setup, and you should be able to get perfect eggs every time.
Adder McCoy says
Okay I was Allowed to try this under strict supervision (brother holding baseball bat,2 sister's with fire extinguisher)and after two cartons of eggs due to trying to get small crack in bottom, finally got it right. Followed the instructions and, well I'm allowed to cook boiled eggs in the kitchen. They were Perfect!! To explain the"allowed in kitchen"part. Was trying to boil eggs before and ended up catching mom's kitchen on fire. Mom wasn't too upset,got a new kitchen. But my 6'6"tall 290lb(with around only 0,09%bodyfat) dad wasn't happy. At least I could run faster than him.
David Witney says
Tried this out this morning,l have been put off having boiled eggs before although a real favourite because of not being able to get a consistent soft boiled egg,but this morning thought l would try this method! And guess what? perfect soft boiled eggs.bring to boil ,take off heat let sit 3 mins,perfect!!!!!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi David, glad to hear my method worked for you! Enjoy your new found super power.
Swannie says
Brilliant "norecipe"!
Works exactly as described
Marc Matsumoto says
Glad to hear it Swannie! Thanks for dropping by to let me know!
Eyza says
the other way is after you boiled the eggs and let them cool in room temperature, than you crack the eggs all over and you let it sit in water just to get the water into the cracked egg shell.. and voila, you can easily peel it of or you can just peel it off under running water tap or submerge it in water while peeling them off.. but make sure you crack them like a lot.. hehe..
Plumber says
Just done 4 minutes to the letter over cooked bullshit
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Plumber, are you in Europe? If so, do you keep your eggs out or in the fridge? These instructions are for refrigerated eggs, so if you used room temperature eggs, they would cook faster. Other factors to consider are the amount of water, atmospheric pressure and altitude, as all of these factors influence how long eggs take to cook. Happy to help you trouble shoot, but you'll need to provide some more specifics about your situation.
Elisha Seal says
Ive tryed putting a crack in the bottom of the egg and it works like a treat. I just crack them on my flat bench though and have had no problems. Im definitely a number 6 gal. Thanks for the advice on boiled eggs ☺
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Elisha, I'm glad to hear it worked for you! Thanks for stopping by to let us know!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Bill, older eggs are best for boiling, but fresh eggs work better for poaching. The reason is that the albumen gets more watery as an egg ages, so when you dump the egg in the water, most of the white flowers out and you don't have much left with the yolk. Fresh eggs have very viscous albumen that clings to the yolk.
Bill Jordan says
I find that eggs past their "sell buy" date are perfect for poaching/ H. Boiling as they stand up in the pot. Simply remove from heat upon H. boil, and cover with ice cold water upon desired cooking time( my preference is 3 min. to cover hash browns, cream of wheat, home fries etc. to 10 minutes for egg salad and deviled eggs). The latter must be older grade A -as fresh will never peel easily. Fresh- AA grade are best for frying or scrambled! And Hollandaise..
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Geoff, glad I could help and thanks for sharing your technique!
Geoff Meurk says
Great article Marc, thank you. I had stopped making boiled eggs for breakfast, as I had tried all sorts of things but your method, and was not getting a consistent result. Now I am enjoying "x for brekky" again thanks to your easy to follow method. Just for your info, my eggs begin at room temp, not from the fridge, and 2 mins 50 seconds provides my perfect result, as soon as the pot reaches boiling, I remove pot from the heat and place the pot on another element which is not going, (just to make sure) and begin the timing. (Also, I ensure water covers eggs, but it is not by an inch, more like 1 cm or possibly slightly less, but your method still works fine) As soon as time is up, I tip water out and run the pot complete with contents of eggs under the cold tap for a period until the eggs are cold enough to handle, then place eggs in egg cups ready for serving with little toast soldiers (for dipping into the egg once top is cut off with sharp knife) Salt and pepper to taste sprinkled on top of open top egg....voila! (The salient point you made here, is that you need to stop the egg continuing to cook once you have the egg at the result you want......such a simple fact, but clearly I had not been considering that, so thank you so much) Many thanks from Geoff Meurk, Wanganui New Zealand
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Daniel, nope no lid. There are 3 big possibilities that come to mind. Is your water coming to a full boil before you stop it? If so, are you at an elevation significantly higher than sea level? If not, the last possibility is that you aren't adding enough water for the amount of eggs.
Daniel Reeders says
Hi Marc, even after standing for 12 minutes, my eggs were still not cooked inside. I wonder if you are putting a lid on the pot?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Linda, I'm glad to hear you found this helpful!
Linda Rakers Capps says
I loved the boiled eggs article! I did increase the boiling by about 5 minutes, but they peeled easily, which I've never found anything until your article that worked! Thanks!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Chris, you're welcome, I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed the eggs!
Chris Rose says
I just tried your steps and made the most delicious eggs I've ever eaten! Thanks for the tips!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi dB, thanks for your insight, I guess everyone thinks a little differently I've revised to wording to be more specific. Also, I've noticed that with some eggs, they are easy to peel on one side (the cracked side) but are still tough to peel on the other side. Lately I've been cracking both the top and bottom to avoid this problem.
dB says
Marc, I never draw anything because my attempts look like something done by a preschooler. But if you insisted, my egg would be in two dimensions and one end would have a shorter radius and be more pointed than the other. To me, eggs don't have a "top" or a "bottom", rather, a large end or a smaller, more pointed end. Guess this difference is simply a choice of terminology, and what occurs to me when reading "top" and "bottom" is different than what another person might envision. Thanks!
dB says
Marc,
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi dB, I never really thought of the direction the egg is oriented in the carton, but if I asked you to draw an egg, would you draw it with the fat side, on top, or at the bottom? Just curious because I lived in the US for 35 years and I've always drawn an egg with the fat side on the bottom.
dB says
Marc, thank you - your technique for easier boiled egg peeling works. However, you used the term "bottom of the egg" without explaining which end that was. I don't remember how eggs were packed in Japan, but in the US eggs are packed with the small end down, so that would logically seem to be "the bottom", however, the air pocket is on the large end, which is always on the top here (if not also in Japan) so that's the end I cracked. - dB
Marc Matsumoto says
You're welcome Robobird! If not for my readers I'd just be talking to myself ?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Robobird, thanks for understanding. I can't see the ad (different ads show to different people), but I've emailed this to my ad network and asked them to remove it. Unfortunately from past experience these kinds of things tend to be a game of whack-a-mole and when you take one down another tends to pop up. Please feel free to let me know when you see these ads and I'll send a request to get them removed.
Robobird says
I truly appreciate your taking the time to reply. It tells me you care
about your readers. That goes a long way with me...
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Robobird, you're right, if those were my ads that would be inappropriate, except they're not, that's not how ad networks work. I have no control over what runs and while I can file a complaint about individual ads, it won't stop other ads from showing up. If you happened to take a screen capture of the ad, please send it to me and I'll report it, but that's about all I can do. As much as I hate ads, it's a necessary evil to cover the costs of running this site and it's how I make a living. If you want to avoid seeing ads you can sign up for a subscription to my site to support me directly and you will no longer need to look at the ads on the site.
Robobird says
I'm not able to do a screenshot but this is a link to the blog...
https://norecipes.com/recipe/perfect-boiled-eggs
And this is where the ad sends u...
https://prioritiesusaaction.org/risk/?utm_campaign=PR_CORE2&utm_source=2288640&utm_medium=PNADS-DCM&utm_content=136454036-73353146
I know politics are a personal choice but I don't expect to see offensive
political ads on a food blog.
I have a degree in business so I do understand the need for them but it
just seems so inappropriate...
Thanks for listening.
Robobird says
Fyi. I won't follow, like, or share your blog because I find your anti trump ads offensive and totally inappropriate for a cooking page. If you don't have any control over it you might consider reporting it to your website owner.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi JTD, glad to hear it was helpful!
JTD says
Awesome help! Through the years I've never figured out how to get my eggs consistently to the texture I want, and this got me there the first time. Thanks!
s. ghosh says
paralysis by analysis
Samantha Johnson says
My mom has a really easy way of peeling the eggs quickly and easily. Once you have cooked your eggs as you desire, dump the water out of the pot. Fill the pot with cold water and ice. Dump the water (not the ice) out, and refill it a couple of times. Finally, leave the eggs in ice water for 10 minutes. After that, it is pretty easy to peel. Just crack the shell as you usually do, and it should peel off nice and clean.
Mari says
Thanks for the advice, Marc! I'm just learning how to cook eggs (as sad as that sounds- I can make a very good curry with 12+ ingredients but NOT a boiled egg...) and this was very helpful! I managed to make a sort-of soft boiled egg- none of the runny yolk that I was looking for, but it was certainly custardy.
Barbara Moore says
Come to think of it, June, of course - it wouldn't make sense to peel a whole softboiled egg. I scoop my breakfast egg or two out of the shell into a cup or onto a slice of toast; but it's hard peeling off enough shell to get in there.
June Miller says
In response to Barbara's question, I had never considered shelling an egg to be eaten as a boiled egg. Wouldn't it kind of flop around a bit (I suppose maybe you don't put it in an egg cup?) To me, half the fun is cutting the top off the shell, then digging it out by the spoonful. Fun when you have it with soldiers, too!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Andy, sorry to hear you had problems, I'd be happy to help you troubleshoot but I'm going to need more details from you as there are so many factors that can effect the cooking time of an egg. First can you please confirm that you set the timer for 4 minutes after the water containing the eggs came to a full boil? Second was the level of the water at least 1 inch above the top of the eggs? Third what kind of stove did you use (induction, gas, coil, etc)?
Andy says
No way is it 4 minutes. Just tried this and my eggs are virtually raw...
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Barbara, if you like them very soft boiled, you may not need to peel them, you could just cut the tops off and use a spoon. In that case, there's no need to soak them in cold water. Otherwise, you could soak and peel them and then reheat them in warm water. The other option, have you every tried sous vide eggs? I used to love soft boiled eggs until I discovered these: https://norecipes.com/slow-cooked-eggs
Barbara Moore says
What a great blog! Thank you, Marc! I've been having a wonderful time browsing here and am eager to start trying some of the recipes. About boiling eggs, though, I have a question: I like my eggs very soft boiled for breakfast. If I douse them in cold water for 30 minutes after cooking, how can I avoid eating cold soft boiled eggs with my toast in the morning? Not the most appealing prospect, but I'm sure you'll have a suggestion,
William Davis says
Ahh - I missed the link, and apparently the context, thank you !
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi William, I don't boil the chicken. I bring the water to a boil, add the chicken, cover with a lid and let it sit until the chicken is cooked through. Click the link in this post to get the full details.
William Davis says
Matsumoto-san - You boil your chicken for soup?
wolfe says
I recommend everyone listen to his advice, this
guy is a legend! Thanks for your wisdom
Thomas Abraham says
Google
Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a number of unrelated data, nevertheless seriously really worth taking a search, whoa did a single master about Mid East has got more problerms as well.
K. B. says
Did you put the eggs in before the water boiled, or did you put the eggs in when the water was already boiling? If you did the latter, that's why your eggs aren't coming out well. If you put the eggs in before the water was boiling, did you set the timer before the water was boiling or right at the moment when the water started boiling? If you did the former, that's why your eggs came out wrong. I make boiled eggs every single day for breakfast and 6 minutes makes a perfectly tender yolk so long as I put the eggs in to boil with the water, then set the timer at the moment when the water starts to boil.
Woot Woot says
Perfect. I really hate how many other sites tell you to cook for 6 mins then put into cold water. I would always get practically uncooked egg white in liquid and waste of an egg.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Merlyn, my guess is that they soaked the boiled eggs in salt water overnight. Egg shells actually porous which allows them to pass salt through the shell.
Merlyn Flores says
sorry Marc for the wrong spelling of your name.
Merlyn Flores says
Hello March San,
Thank you for the tips in boiling eggs.
When I was in Japan last month, I stayed in R & B Hotel. They served a very nice cooked hard boiled egg. The texture is really good. The taste is really good. You don't need a salt to add a salty flavor because it is a little bit salty. Maybe you could teach us how they do it.
I examined the shell, it has no crack or anything that they can put salt inside of it.
Its really taste good. I could finish 2 to 3 eggs every breakfast.
Thanks in advance.
Merlyn Flores says
Hello Marc San
Missy Frindt says
Perfect! After sometimes getting my soft boiled eggs perfect and other times not so much, this was the best! Turned out just the way I like them! Even peeling them was a breeze!
Thank you!!
Marc Matsumoto says
It's fine if it's been enamel coated like a le creuset.
Johnny says
I don't think boiling in cast iron pots is a good idea.
Eugene K. Chan says
Thank you for replying! I will try your method tomorrow morning. It's really a joy and pleasure to read your blog... the amount of passion you have towards cooking is inspiring!
Marc Matsumoto says
This will work for an old egg that's hard boiled, but it won't work for fresh eggs and won't work with a soft-boiled egg.
Eugene K. Chan says
Thank you for the recipes!
A while ago I found out that this is the easiest way to peel an egg.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkWISKfgqZ0
Amy Gleich says
Ridiculously perfect eggs! I like the yolk done - so I went with the 10 minutes after the water came to a boil. my previous hard boiled eggs always came out with that awful greeny grey outer yolk. That's a thing of the past with this method!
I used my 5 litre cast iron pot - brought the eggs to a boil, once the water was boiling I let it boil for about 20 seconds. I took it off the heat, set my phone for 10 minutes and the minute the time was up I scooped the eggs into a colander and rinsed under cold water. I also tried the tip of gently cracking the eggs before cooking. I'll try that again - some may not have been cracked enough because some eggs were really easy to peel, some were as stubborn as always.
Anyway, thanks for all the great tips and the thorough article! I'm gonna say it - it's an eggcellent read!
Ellen POrtal says
thanks so much for your speedy response...I've got it!! I am making egg salad next week for 40 people...so your timing couldn't be better!! Thanks again!! Ellen
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Ellen, unless your pot is aluminum, you should not need to cover it. Other than that you have the process right for making hard-boiled eggs. I would not recommend dropping cold eggs in boiling water as it will make them explode. Also continuously boiling for 10 minutes will most likely overcook the eggs, giving them a green ring around the edge of the yolk.
Ellen POrtal says
WEll believe it or not I am confused...I thought you put the cold eggs with the crack in the bottom into the cold water, bring to a rapid boil on high heat, keep a lid on the pot, remove from the heat and let the eggs remain in the hot water for about 10 minutes and then transfer to cold water for thirty minutes then peel them easily...is that correct? Some of the comments say that they put the eggs in after the water boils and leave them boiling on the heat for 10 minutes...please clarify!! thanks for help with the seemingly easy task!
Ellen
Trollington says
Hey KFH, here's another solution to one of life's problems with no blah blah. To stop those annoying scrapes and carpet burn on your knuckles, put your arms in two slings so they don't drag on the floor.
Joshua Michaels says
LOL
i boil for 30 to 40 min....fully cooked
good article.peace
Jonathan Nevill says
Wow! It's a pity you were ever given a brain KFH... seeing as how you don't want to use it...
Ace Vu says
What an ignoramus.
Ashkan Yazdi says
I waited for the water to boil before adding the eggs, I did a two-minute egg; however, I left them in the water for about 5 min after I had shut off the heat. Perfectly cooked egg with creamy thick yolk.
SpoonFullOfSugar says
I'm sorry you have no interest in understanding the theory of how things work. You won't have to think for yourself, but you will always have to rely on other people's wisdom. That said, you should probably take another look at the recipe, it doesn't say boil the egg for 10 minutes, if you do that, you will get your regular solid hard boil egg. Cheers.
K F H says
I think your explanation is too long and to me is a lot of bla bla bla for absolutely nothing boil the eggs for 10 minutes PERIOD
Jenn Jeremy Phillips says
Tried this method this morning for a 4 minute egg. I did everything by the recipe except I waited until the water was boiling before adding my eggs. I came out with 2 perfect soft boiled eggs and 1 that needed a little more time. Thanks for giving me a starting place!
Kim says
This is the best outline I have seen for cooking.
It is meticulous and explanatory in the various factors in cooking.
I think I have just found my new favorite recipe site.
Will definitely try this and will be going through many of the other recipes!
Thanks so much for these guidelines!!
Marc Matsumoto says
That's really interesting SR, your explanation makes sense and fits in with my hypothesis.
SR says
Wonderful article! I think I may have an idea why cracking the egg before boiling or cracking all over and soaking it in water makes it so much easier to peel. I have backyard chickens and regularly incubate eggs. You have to increase the humidity in the incubator at hatch time to soften the membrane so the chicks are able to hatch without getting stuck. I'd assume it's pretty much the same concept. 🙂
Jamie says
I boil for 20 min
Al Franken says
Try covering the pot and see what happens.
Al Franken says
This method works well for hard boiled and I will try with soft boiled right now. I crush the shell and peel in a bowl of water. It works out well. Rinse to get rid of all shell fragments. That is for hard boiled. I just top the soft boiled.
mike betterson says
^ you mad bro?
commonsense0000 says
The better you understand something, the more you can manipulate it to fit your needs. People may seek an authority's opinion only because he/she spent time researching a particular subject, not because they hold them up to some kind of pedestal. It saves time from doing it yourself. 🙂
commonsense0000 says
It clearly states there are a number to variables that affect cooking time. It's like half a page worth of info if you had bothered to read. It's even in bullet points to make reading easier.
Mike Barson says
Yeah but they didn't invent fire dumbass. You completely missed the point which isn't hard for you since there's nothing but air between your ears.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi B.T., it sounds like your water cooled too quickly. This could be due to a number of factors. The first could be that your pan does not retain heat very well (such as a thin aluminum pan). The second possibility is that there wasn't enough water in your pot for the number of eggs. The third possibility is that your room was too cold. Hope this helps.
B.T. says
I followed directions let it come to a boil and then let it sit for 10 min. Instead of well done they came out more like the 4 minute egg! What happened.
Wolkenlaufer says
What about those microwave eggy-looking things? Been trying to come up with an exact time, but no go. So far, I set the water level, set the eggs in then set it for around 5 minutes 15 seconds, but just can't seem to find a happy medium. Or large, Or grade A large. Grade B 2 large..... and they CAN"T be too large. Thanks.....
Jon Collins says
Because douchbag scientists invented the gas or electric stove that you cook your eggs on, they perfected pans to channel heat more efficiently into their contents, they improve laying efficiency in the chickens that your eggs come from, they improved welfare and health of chickens that your eggs come from, they worked out the different components of an egg, the nutritional content of those eggs, how to... oh man, do I really have to go on? Go live in the wilderness if you believe that your life should be devoid of the benefits of science.
Karen Wiggins says
I am going to try this RIGHT now. We have chickens so we have fresh eggs all the time. I have really got to find more recipes for using them. I seem to always over cook my boiled eggs. Hopefully not anymore. A way I have found to make peeling easier is to put a little cooking oil in the water while boiling them. but I have going to try cracking the bottom of them now. Thanks for the info.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Gg, the yolk turns a greyish green when it's been overcooked. The solution is to cook it for less time.
Gg says
How do you keep the yolk from turning green?
Melisse says
You know when I was younger I really dont remember having a hard time peeling an egg. Now that im 4? It just seems to me that the last 15 years maybe, its been a pain in the egg shell. These tips are good though for this I thank you. Happy Easter
Jill Sandwich says
When it comes to shelling the egg, the age of the egg has something to do with how stubborn the shell it to get off. & when it comes to boiling the egg, elevation (sea level vs high altitude) also plays a part.
Where I live, a hard boiled egg takes 15-20 minutes, 2 minutes for a coddled egg, anything in between will produce soft boiled. Where I used to live, I could get a hard boiled egg in 7 minutes & all you had to do for a coddled egg was set it on the porch outside & count to 60.
Mark Cousins says
hey Marc just buy a egg timer fool
Mark Cousins says
was the yoke moist and golden yellow running on you fork.......?
Mark Cousins says
get a grip tool it is just a f-ing egg tool
Mark Cousins says
where are the wounderful running eggs that you get your finger toast and dunk it in that wounderful golden yoke
Kenyamasi says
Thank god for eggheads like u- my eggs were peeeerffffect
Mike Barson says
Who needs some douchebag scientist's input on the topic? Your idea makes perfect sense. People should stop appealing to authority since it isn't logical anyway.
Thanks for the post.
Carrie says
It worked! For the first time I had a perfectly cooked egg-5 min and it peeled perfectly. You have no idea how thankful I am for this post. My eggs were older too so that helped but I know this will work for my next eggventure with fresh eggs! lol. Thanks!
ray says
Thanks
wasup23 says
That isn't a grammatical error. Its a vocabulary error. And "..." is a grammatical error. It also does not count as a period. Therefore, it is just one very long run on sentence. ... Jus sayn'.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Alex, I did not use a lid to boil the water or after I took it off the stove. A lid helps retain heat which will make the water boil faster and cool slower and will throw the times above off (assuming all else is equal). If you have the type of stove that takes forever to boil water, or you're doing this outdoors on a cold day, you way want to consider using a lid. In the case of the slow stove, remove the lid once the water comes to a boil. In the case of doing this outdoors, you'll probably want to leave the lid on.
alex says
Hi! I was wondering if i boil the eggs do i put the lid on? And when i take them off the heat do I leave them in the water with the lid on too?
Rosemary Travis Spano says
Ok..I am impatient..I read this and other perfect ways to cook the "perfect" hard boiled egg...I usually have no problem with the way I do it without fussing.
Firstly, I do put the eggs in cold water. Water is about an inch above eggs. I bring to a slight boil...Either i continue to cook for about 5 minutes and then turn off heat and let sit until water is cool...Rinse in cold water...i usually peel the shell with running water...Shell comes off clean..I have also changed water in pot after about 20 minutes and put ice cold water into pot not to waste water. Adding ice cubes help as well..Sometimes I add a bit of white vinegar..I don't know if it really helps but it cant hurt. 🙂
bob says
Thanks grammar Nazi.
rocketd says
I followed this tutorial exactly and I got soft boiled eggs at the perfect texture. However, I did the pre-boil crack, being very careful not to break the membrane, and the results were 50/50 with removing the shell very smoothly. Thanks so much for the tutorial, this feels like a major accomplishment.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Adityaa, I think the layer you're referring to is a the soft membrane between the hard shell and the contents of the egg. This isn't a result of cooking (it's there when the egg is raw). Read the post above for my tips on preventing the membrane from sticking to the egg.
Adityaa chauhan says
After cooking eggs some time a layer comes which creates problem in peeling......
What should I do for that
jo-an torres says
Hi...really not for publication... I am just anal about vocabulary .... EXCEPT means "with the exception of" ACCEPT means to agree to .... I try to help professionals keep their sites clean of grammatical errors...great site
Anna says
I also put them in cold water with ice cubes and it makes a big difference in the peeling process!
Lizzy says
Well what i do is put my eggs in a pot add water. Put them on the stove to cook. When they start boiling I set the timer according to the little chart up there and they come out just like the picture.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Rajesh, you could reheat them gently in warm water (about 140 degrees F). This will reheat them without further cooking the egg.
Marc Matsumoto says
This happens because the proteins in the yolk have a lower setting temperature than the whites. Usually when you "boil" eggs, the water is much hotter than the setting temperature for both the yolk and the white, which is why both the yolk and white will set if you boil it for a long time, if you boil it for a short time, the eggs cooks from the outside in, which is why it's possible to have a fully set white with runny yolk. However if you cook the egg at a relatively low temperature for a long time (between the setting point of the yolk and the white), it's possible to set the egg and still have a runny white. This is what's called a "slow cooked egg". I know you said your friend didn't change anything, but there had to have been some small variation that made the temperature (ambient temp, temperature of eggs, number of eggs, type of pot, altitude, etc) of his water lower than usual. Without knowing more about your friends process it's hard to say.
Rajesh says
but 30 mins in cold water before peeling.. I want to eat a hot/warm boiled egg, not a cold boiled egg... any suggestions?
webhill says
Hi! I have a question. A friend of mine recently boiled some eggs using his tried-and-true hard boiled egg method (whatever it is - he does it all the time, it always works fine, he did not do anything differently this time). The eggs ended up with fully set yolks, but runny/raw whites. How or why could this have happened? They were supermarket/mass-market eggs from a grocery store in Texas, USA. Thanks for any information you can provide!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Miki, I'm not a food safety expert so I can't give you advice on that. That said I usually keep boiled eggs in the fridge for up to 5 days in a sealed container.
Miki says
Hi Marc, this is SO useful. Could you please tell me for how long i can store in the fridge, in their shells, hard boiled eggs that are still a bit soft in the middle (about 8 minutes, according to this chart). It is my favorite way to cook them but i want to be able to have a couple of days window to eat them, so i don't have to boil them every day! What is the safe storage days in shell in fridge?
Many thanks!!
miki
reba says
I love your site, I especially love your egg related recipes... I wish the food network or pbs or someone will give you your own show...
su says
1 boiled egg made wet & added 1/2 teaspoon of water in microwave cup ..heat for 11 - 13 sec in micro-oven depending on how fast it heats up. Listen up for cracking like heating up sound & stop it right then, else It will blast if heated up too much. Or easy way is to water heat on slow flame.
mark says
surround with sausage mince, then dip in whisked egg and breadcrumbs, then deep fry for 4 to 6 minutes. 🙂
Keith Fullerton says
Great scientific method for boiling eggs. Unfortunately, I can't get my chickens to lay the same size egg (although at almost 1 per day per chicken, I can't complain).
I was also having trouble peeling them since they are right out of the chicken fresh. My daughter gave my a trick that works though. It is to put 1 Tablespoon of salt into the boiling water. You then chill the eggs in ice water as normal and the shells pop right off. This is much like Matt's comment
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Allie, I float around, but most of the readers of this site are based in the US. I realize that there are international readers (which is why I didn't delete your initial comment), but for most people reading this, what you were advising could make them sick.
Allie says
Hi Marc, no I don't live in the USA and I thought you said you lived in Japan. Remember the Internet is an international forum whether it is .com or not. Not all users of norecipes.com live in the US of A. But good point about being sure of the source of your eggs. If your eggs have ever been refrigerated then you must continue to refrigerate them. I do like your method to cook eggs. This is more or less the way my grandmother taught me. The age of the egg also effects cooking time.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Joyce, the most likely cause is that your eggs are not very fresh. In a fresh egg, the albumen is much thicker and surrounds the yolk, this prevents, the yolk from getting too close to the shell, you can test this by cracking a raw egg onto a plate. In a very fresh egg, you'll see most of the white clump up near the yolk with very little watery albumen that spreads out. In an older egg, you'll have little to no white clinging to the yolk and almost all the white will run all over the plate.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Allie, thanks for the note, but in the US, all eggs have to be pressure washed before being sold. This removes the protective membrane naturally coating eggs and makes them porous, which is why US EGGS SHOULD ALWAYS BE REFRIDGERATED. I'm assuming you don't live in the US, but please be careful what you advise people to do without knowing the facts.
Allie says
Marc, you have some interesting ideas here. Can I point out one other thing? Eggs are best not refrigerated at all. Non-refrigerated eggs last longer than refrigerated ones, and it has something to do with the environment in a fridge making the shell more POROUS to air which breaks down the inner membrane more quickly. This might be what you want if you plan to cook the egg within a day or two, but if you just want to store the eggs safely, then refrigerating is contraindicant. Notice that supermarkets do not normally refrigerate eggs. The only exception would possibly be if you lived in a tropical environment. Also when baking with eggs, they are normally required to be at room temperature, and when boiling eggs, a very cold shell will crack. So people, keep your eggs in a cool, dark cupboard and stop refrigerating them.
Allie says
Joyce, if you stir the eggs gently until they have set, say about 1 minute, the yolk should stay in the centre. When stirring, the object is to rotate the egg, not just move it around the bottom. Or if you use the method where you put the eggs in cold water and bring them up to the boil, stir until boiling.
Allie says
It is natural for egg yolks to look carrot orange. If the yolks of your eggs are a shade of yellow it is because they have been grain fed and kept out of natural sunlight in cages. I have kept hens in New Zealand which live outside in my orchard and are fed mostly scraps, but also fallen fruit, insects that they forage and supplemented ground maize. They have both brown and white shells and the yolks are carrot orange.
Joyce says
Please advise on how to get hard boiled eggs with the yolk in the centre. I always have the yolk poping out from the side of the egg white. Yours look so lovely with all the yolks in the centre. I have been asking around in vain for so long. Appreciate your advice....thanks a heap.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Diana, no need to use a lid.
Diana says
Do you cook and sit with lid on the pot or without the lid?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Mayuri, please read the post. I'm always happy to help out if you have a problem with the recipe, but if you had read the post your question would have been answered. With eggs, you can't just use a time because each persons setup is different (stove, pot, etc). That's why I've gone over a list of variables that you need to take into account before you set the timer.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Mayuri, please read the post. I'm always happy to help out if you have a problem with the recipe, but if you had read the post your question would have been answered.
Mayuri says
I have a really quick question: So do we need to wait for the water with the eggs to boil and then set our timer to 2/4/6/8 minutes for our desired doneness OR do we just start the timer right when we put the pot with the water and eggs on the stove??? Thankyouuu
Max says
Best thing since sliced bread...
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Britni, these ones came from a local farm, but this is how all eggs look in Japan. It has to do with what the chickens are fed I'm told.
Britni says
Your egg yolks look carrot-orange. Are you using standard chicken eggs from a store, free range or backyard chicken eggs, or another bird egg?
nura says
I too love hardboiled eggs and use them in various recipes. Your version of "hard cooked (10 min?) looked undone to me. I like the yellow fully cooked, but the white not rubbery. My method has worked for years- put eggs in cold water, an inch over, bring to boil, boil for 1-2 minutes, take off heat and sit for 17 min. pour off water and add cold water, repeating as water warms up until water doesn't warm up again). Thats usually twice. I add ice cubes if I am impatient. They are perfectly done in the middle without being tough/rubbery or with any raw spots.Tender and delicious.
I also learned to poke the little hole (just used a push pin) in the fat end before cooking to help with peeling. Your method looks interesting,Iwill try. For some reason I now forget, I have always added a little vinegar to the water,but I don't remember why. I have good results, so, I guess there was a reason:)
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Vostro, it's difficult reheating eggs without cooking them more. You could try peeling them after they've cooled and then drop them in boiling water for a bit to heat them up, but timing this will be tricky.
vostro says
After waiting 30 minutes and peeling , the egg will not stay warm anymore...
but i love eating them warm 🙁
any suggestions on how to warm them up again ?
Thank you for the tricks
Regards
-Vostro
Veronica says
This was so helpful! Thank you!
Didi says
Wow! How did I ever make it to 55 Years old, not knowing this? Thank you for sharing, I will pass it on to my kids and make them believe "mommy" is so clever!!
Cole says
You just got schooled son.
Bry says
I just got through giving this a shot in a 3L / 3.2QT saucepan on an open-coil electric range.
When filled to the 3L line there is about an inch of water above the eggs, so the volume of this pan is pretty much perfect and a few more eggs can still fit on the bottom. I cranked the heat to high and turned it off just as soon as the big bubbles began to show themselves and set my phone timer for 9 minutes.
After dumping off the water, I doused them in cold tap water up to the max line again and let them sit for a short period. The consistency fell between the 6 and 8 minute references in the article. They are super delicious!
The pan I used (a cheap t-fal with induction bottom which likely does nothing for this type of stove) is on the lighter side and I may have pulled it off the heat a few degrees C below boiling point, so these are a few factors to consider for next time.
Thank you for posting, Marc!
SueZ says
Thank you! Thank you! I'm the designated deviled egg maker for family picnics. I've suffered for years from sticky shell syndrome. I tried your technique with half fresh and half not so fresh eggs (it just worked out that way). I THINK I could tell the fresh eggs. I had to be a bit more careful. But no more super glued shells pulling half the egg away. No more screaming in frustration (my husband thanks you, too).
Mojica1211 says
Worked awesome.. Haven't had boiled eggs my way since I was a kid
dale says
Worked perfectly in the hotel kitchenette even! Perfectly gooey yolk on my farmers market duck egg in 5 minutes = best hotel breakfast ever
Marc Matsumoto says
Sorry Tom, I have to disagree. While the ovotransferrin in the white will set at 155F it only accounts for 13% of the protein in an egg. Ovalbumin on the other hand makes up 55-60% of the protein in an egg white and doesn't set until 180F(the footnotes in the link you sent confirm this). Yolks on the other hand are fully set at 158 F. The reason why you can have a firm egg with runny yolk is because you're boiling it in water which is above 180 degrees F, so the albumen (which surrounds the yolk) hits its setting temperature before the yolk has a chance to get that hot.
tom says
"egg yolk sets at a much lower temperature than the egg white"
No! This is the wrong way around. Egg whites set at a slightly lower temperature than the yolks meaning if you control your temperature well a longer cooking time will ensure perfectly set whites and lovely runny yolks. reference: https://www.edinformatics.com/math_science/science_of_cooking/cooking_temperatures.htm
Luvin Spoonful says
I love this article. Perfect eggs - and really interesting reading (who would have thought)
jack says
Big fail...gotta boil not let stand didn't work for me either...dumb
jack says
Does not work...5mins and egg still raw..
Lisa Ralon says
Thanks for this post. Love the details and especially the graphic. Made me some perfect eggs! I appreciate it!
I cooked 2 eggs in a medium pot, and let them sit for 10 min - came out exactly how I wanted.
Samuel says
Either you're a 5th grade science teacher, or you are in the 5th grade. No one is impressed by you correcting someone's "scientific diction." Grow up.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Mommy3, sorry to hear they didn't turn out. How many minutes did you let the eggs sit in the water after the water boiled? What material was your pot made of and what was it's diameter? As I mentioned in the post there are a ton of variables that can effect the outcome so it would be helpful to know the details so I can help you figure out what went wrong.
My guess is that you didn't use a pot large enough for the number of eggs you were cooking. More eggs means a faster drop in temperature which means you need to have more water in the pot to compensate.
Anaslev says
I haven't even started boiling the egg yet but I'm excited to do so. The amount of work you put into this and the detail you enlisted is impeccable and I just want to show awareness to that before I even test it out. Thank you 🙂
Mommy3 says
Unbelievable! I followed this recipe and got 2 dozen under-cooked Easter eggs! wtf
David B says
Natalie... unfortunately, Marc has not optimised his site for viewing on a Nokia 3120.
David B says
Crawdaddy... Here is the simple answer that you crave: "3 minutes"
P.S. Note:
Things should be made as simple as possible, but not any simpler.
-- Albert Einstein
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.
-- H. L. Mencken
Matt says
Easier than breaking the shell: Add a 1/2 to a full teaspoon of baking soda to the water. It will seep into the shell and prevent the egg from bonding to the shell. Works every time and the shell pretty much falls off the egg, no matter how fresh your eggs are. Seriously, wouldn't you rather eat eggs within a day or so of buying them than waiting a week or two?
HollylouiseHill says
4 minute perfection...thank you
sarah says
although I disagree with your use of the word theory (vs hypothesis), I highly commend your use of the scientific method. I also think your explanation of the water entering the egg shell but not the membrane may give you your answer.... if the water heats to the point of vaporization... gases take up a lot more space and thus 'push' the shell and membrane apart.
billy says
thanks for the info. I've been eating alot of eggs because of the ease of it now and have lost five pounds in 2 weeks. great stuff!
norma says
The transferring to cold water worked brilliantly, dippy yoke right to the end of my soldiers.
Christian LeBlanc says
Just right.
vivian says
ngaw so cute, just sitting there at the stove for half an hour waiting for it to hit 100 C :')
Jon Dabach says
finally a definitive answer on boiled eggs! Thank you so much!!!!!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Crawdaddy, while boiling eggs may seem simple it's a lot more complicated than just giving a time because there are so many factors that can alter the outcome. Look at the photo of the eggs at different times for the time, but I'll tell you right now that if you don't follow the directions chances are they're not going to turn out as expected.
Crawdaddy says
These cooking time recipes read like stereo instructions. Written by someone who could complicate a paper clip. Very simple question - HOW LONG?
Rose Marie says
Marc
Thank you for your post. It's funny that you mentioned that in order to peel an egg easier is to make a tiny indentation in the shell prior to cooking. As a matter of fact I have this little device that makes a tiny pin prick in the shell. I've had it for years. My mother saw this little commercial in Belgium over 10 years ago, got one and one for me. I have to say that using this little device works wonders. I never thought of making additional holes in the egg to help peeling, but I will definitely use that. Also, with this little hole, I've never had any of the white part exit out of the egg while it is cooking. It's just small enough to allow water in the shell to make peeling easier.
Thanks for the great post. For the first time, my little device makes sense and I'm ready to peel with even more ease!
I love your website, it's got great recipes that I use regularly and wonderful tidbits that have been tested and work.
Meg says
your water is boiling when there are bubbles coming out of it. no need for a thermometer! 🙂
missanna says
Let me begin by saying I've just cooked the most perfect hard boiled egg ever. Ever. Here is how I improvised on this method: I placed a dozed eggs into a saucepan; it was not heavy-bottomed, just a pan that fits a dozen snugly. I covered the eggs with cold water, like instructed and turned the heat to high. After about 3-4 minutes I began lifting the eggs one by one out of the water with a large table spoon (not the measuring variety, just a large spoon from a standard flatware service) and using a silicone pot holder, I placed the egg into my hand/pot holder and with the spoon, lightly, but briskly tapped the back end of the egg, then placed gently back into the pot. It is easy to see which eggs have been missed, because the ones that have been 'cracked' have a tiny jet bubble stream shooting out of the cracked end (a couple had two jets). Anyway, I waiting till it reached a boil, timed exactly 2 minutes, removed from burner, placed a lid on the pot and timed 12 further minutes. I rinsed in cold water and once the eggs were warm I let them sit 10 minutes in cool water with a couple ice cubes. I chose one and it fell out of it's peel and was - like I said - the. most. perfect. hard. boiled. egg… Ever.
cheftin says
thanks a lot for this idea...i just survived our cooking class...cooking an egg is very complicated but u make things easy for me 🙂
DaveW says
After unsuccessfully trying Marc's method i've decided to stick to the way I cook them. Tap water about an inch over the eggs. Bring to the boil for 1.5 mins. Perfect runny yolk and whites nicely set. Like to eat my eggs hot so I blanch in cold water crack shells with the back of a spoon and remove shells. I used marc's method of pricking each egg but it was actually more difficult to remove the shells, probably as the eggs were still hot. I'll try again next time letting them sit in cold water for 30 mins and reducing the sitting time of the egg from 4mins to 3 mins. I'll let you know how I get on. Cheers mate
Vi H. says
Thank you so much for explaining the method. I have struggled with boiling the perfect eggs and now I don't have to be embarrassed anymore for ugly, pocked hard boiled eggs.
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Marc Matsumoto says
Don't use a thermometer, because the eggs are a lower temperature than the water the water will take way too long to register 100 degrees. Just watch the water and when it comes to a rolling boil (big bubbles), cut the heat.— Sent from Mailbox for iPad
Dallasroadie says
Finally, after years of trying with countless 'recipes', I've achieved the hard boiled egg that I have always wanted. I did 5 minutes, will try 4 the next time.
Thanks, Marc!
Mary Fagan Weller says
My problem is I can not tell when my water is boiling. I stick probe in and it never reaches 100 degrees Celsius. but after 30 mins of trying i take eggs out and it is overcooked. Help!
zeitentgeistert says
about 11 months ago, wendy suggested a 'tool' used in japan to prick the eggs.
i am familiar with this from germany and it works beautifully. so: anyone interested in such an egg-pricker should be able to get one on their next trip to europe - no need to travel all the way to japan.
those still overwhelmed with the task of boiling the perfect egg might consider investing in an egg cooker. after maybe an initial trial, this should pretty much eliminate all guess-work but i would refrain from the microwave versions! (yuck!)
(german) egg cookers come with small measuring cups for the amount of water needed in the cookers and most of them have a pin at the bottom of said cup to prick the eggs... ;-))
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Illona, at your altitude, the boiling point of water is about 1 degree lower than at sea level, but that should not have such a big impact. Unfortunately there are so many variables that can effect the times, it's impossible to come up with a formula that will work for everyone. Here are my thoughts on what might be happening. Because your 4 minute and 6 minute eggs turned out the same, it sounds like the most likely scenario is that your water is cooling off too quickly and does not have enough heat to cook the eggs through. This could be due to a number of factors such as the ambient temperature in your room, the material with which your cookware is made of, and the amount of water. Since you're using IH, I'm assuming your using a stainless steel pot? On the off chance that you're using steel core aluminum, try using a heavier pot as aluminum is an excellent conductor of heat and will cool much faster. If neither that nor the ambient temperature is the culprit, try using a bigger pot with more water.
The other possibility is that high wattage IH tops can boil water very quickly, it's possible that the water is boiling so fast the total time isn't long enough. But if this were the case, your 6 minute eggs should have turned out okay so I'm thinking this is unlikely. If you want to test this you can try and set your stove one or two settings lower than the highest which should make the water take a little longer to boil.
I hope that helps, and let us know how it turns out!
illona says
Forgot to add, I'm about 700 ft above sea level, would that be the problem? If so, how much time would I need to add to this chart?
illona says
Hi! I tried using this method because my eggs are refrigerated and I hate having to bring them to room temperature first. I have an induction stove-top and using large eggs, pretty much did everything as directed (without the cracking the egg part cuz I don't care about peeling it), wanting to get a 4 min egg in the pic above where the white is fully set and the yolk is runny, but my eggs keep coming out like the 2 min egg with the white still runny...I tried cooking it for 4 min like directed then another for 6 min and still the same problem...what am I doing wrong??
JW says
Hi Marc,
Thanks very much for this article. I first heard of this technique from Heston Blumental, but he wanted fresh eggs (not refrigerated - like mine always are) and his recipe didn't take into account the many variations and factors you've mentioned above. Thanks very much for your efforts. I'll make sure I use this technique next time I'm boiling eggs. Unfortunately I often also use XL or Jumbo eggs. Perhaps a future experiment might include these variations.
LH says
I'm so glad I found this post. I've been trying to soft boil eggs for years. Now with your method I'm in egg heaven!!
LH says
I'm so glad I found this post. I've been trying to soft boil eggs for years. Now with your method I'm in egg heaven!!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi CC, I don't think this will scale well to 100. The main problem is that you would need a much larger pot with a lot more water and the time it would take to bring the water to a boil would be too long (cooking the egg all the way through by the time the water came to a boil). A thermal circulator would be the most reliable way to get consistent results with that many eggs.
CC says
Can I use this method even with 100 eggs?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Sheath, 75C is too hot, you will end up with a soft boiled egg. See this post about slow cooking eggs: https://norecipes.com/blog/slow-cooked-eggs/ I usually do 63.5C, but If you want the yolk more set you probably want to go about a degree higher. It will take about 40 minutes to cook the egg at this temperature.
Sheath Reaver says
Hi, Since you said at the beginning of the post about egg Yolks having lower hardening temperature than the whites, is it possible to just boil the water to exactly 75 Celsius and it'll cook the yolks before cooking the whites?
Thanks, I sometimes boil the eggs but it'll have Whites runny and yolks hardened, and I'd like to get consistent results on it. What's the exact temperature for this?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi TCP, the problem with the method you described is that the eggs tend to crack from the sudden change in temperature.
tcp says
Have you ever tried boiling the water first, then add the eggs and remove from the heat? Works really well for hard boiled eggs and takes a lot of variables out of the formula.
thavha ya mipfa says
wow. that just looks absolutely amazing.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi OneLove, there is no lid called for in the recipe. By covering it you're trapping heat, which most likely the reason why it was overcooked.
OneLove says
Thanks for this recipe, it work great at the first time I try, but the egg yolk didn't look like in pic 6. Mine kind of look more like pic 8 but still taste yummy XD.I leave the lid on while let's the egg rest, is it the problem that mine egg like pic 8 not pic 6 ???
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Natalie, what picture are you not able to see? What browser and operating system are you using. I'd be happy to help you with your problem, but I need to know a little more about what the problem is first as the images are not cutting off on my computer.
Natalie Rivera says
ugh u cant see the picture. it cuts off and u cant click on it. so basically stupid recipe
Eric says
THANK YOU RANDOM GUY ON internet for sharing egg wisdom.
wasn't "perfect" but it's clearly a superior technique.
Kerry Maxwell says
Probably not, more likely it will raise the PH and make it alkaline. Especially since you don't specify how much sodium bicarbonate. Most likely the water will be fairly close to a neutral PH of 7 to start with.
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks for reporting back and I'm glad to hear it worked out!
Susan Rowald says
Tried your method and was able to keep the eggs in their shells for the week. I didn't notice any drying out either. So, the storage in the refrigerator for a week in the shells worked fine! Thanks again for solving my boiled egg dilemma ! 🙂
Susan Rowald says
Thanks! I will try it. The method worked great when I cooked a dozen eggs. I peeled them all easily. I usually cook lots more at once though and store them in their shells. I will let you know what happens.
Susan Rowald says
Thanks! I will try it. The method worked great when I cooked a dozen eggs. I peeled them all easily. I usually cook lots more at once though and store them in their shells. I will let you know what happens.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Susan, I hadn't really thought about this too much, but it shouldn't change the shelf-life too much as the membrane should still be intact protecting the egg inside. That said, you might end up with some moisture evaporating through the crack over time, which could render part of the egg dry. Give it a try and see how long they keep.
Susan Rowald says
How long can you store the cooked eggs with the cracked shell like this? I like to cook our boiled eggs once a week and we pull out from the frig each morning.
Susan Rowald says
How long can you store the cooked eggs with the cracked shell like this? I like to cook our boiled eggs once a week and we pull out from the frig each morning.
Mnc says
I just tried, but I'll have to cut a few minutes off to get the same results as you. I knew this might be a possibility, as I had read some comments before attempting, so I fished eggs out every two minutes from very early on.
I think the problem is, that I don't have a proper stove but a small 2-plate thing that you can put away. It plugs into the wall, so it can't draw as many amps. Result is, it takes longer to heat up, so more of the actual cooking happens before the water reaches boiling where I move the pot to the cool cooking plate.
In your "Before I give you cooking times" section, you should consider putting in a line or two for "time it takes to bring the water to a boil". 🙂
Also, thank you! I've wrecked too many eggs, by trying too many different things, without really sticking to anything and changing the variables slightly.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Simon, good point. Electric plate/coil stoves retain a lot of heat after you turn them off, so it's a good idea to remove the pot after you add the eggs.
Simon says
Have to say I just tried this, and I guess the variables also have to be whether you cook over gas or electric or take the pan of the hot plate once boiled or leave it there. I followed your instructions to see if I could improve my randomness in the boiling egg field and after 4 mins I ended up with what I can only describe as a seven minute egg (by the power of six). My toasty soldiers had nowhere to be dipped.
I shall endeavour to adjust my timings in future.
Much love.
Chrissy Tan says
Electric kettle - in the morning - fast and no fuss, no need cold water afterwards. Number 1 and number 2!
George Giblet says
The basic idea is good. However, as you have listed above, there are many factors. It would be more reliable to leave to pot lid on so the water temperature doesn't drop too much under worst case conditions (eg. cold air, cold eggs not much water). I'd say say just use whatever pot, amount of water and egg temperature you like. If it's not right this time, next time adjust the time by say 2mins (or use your photo to guess the time difference). That way each person to tune the method to their situation.
girloftree says
I think you've made this more complicated than it needs to be. I have been putting cold eggs in to lightly boiling water, very carefully and continuing to boil lightly for the desired time (14 minutes for fully cooked eggs). I very rarely have any eggs burst. When they are done, I immediately move them to a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking and they usually peel very well, even when fresh. And of course you should not crowd the eggs and should have water about 1" covering them.
Marc Matsumoto says
The problem might be in the way they were cracked before being boiled. The crack needs to be radial, not linear (see the second photo from the bottom). If the crack is linear it tends to spread and will result in the egg bursting.
Wong Jock Onn says
Dear Marc, Thanks again. That is what I did - put the eggs in cold tap water and then heated them, but bursting occurred. I never put raw eggs into boiling water. However, I'll try again. Thanks, Marc. Best, Jock
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Wong, you can cook fewer eggs the same way, but just use a smaller pot. If there's too much water per egg, it will cook faster as the cool egg won't lower the temperature of the water fast enough. See the photo above for how crowded the eggs should be in the pan. As for the bursting egg problem, that only happens when you put a cold egg into boiling water. Here, the eggs are going in with the cold tap water and are heated to boiling before the heat is turned off.
Wong Jock Onn says
Dear Marc, Thanks for this. I have two questions, if I may. I normally cook just one or two eggs (for one person). Do I still do it the same way? The other question is that when I boil refrigerated eggs, they tend to 'burst', probably because of the stress caused by the quick change in temperature, so I normally boil eggs at room temperature. Any suggestions?
Marc Matsumoto says
After the water comes to a full boil, the set the timer and turn off the heat.
Jennifer says
Do you set the timer after the water starts boiling or when you put it on the stove?
Malea Hansen says
Tried this method of boiling eggs and they were absolutely PERFECT. Thank you for all the time and effort you put in to this and then sharing it so the rest of us can have perfect eggs as well!
Travis says
You should have folks submit photos with timing and elevation details so we can work out how to make the perfect egg anywhere.
Drew Liscomb says
Oohh! Crowdsourced recipe tuning!
Marc Matsumoto says
Wow, that's really odd. I used an induction burner for this, but it shouldn't make a huge difference in boiling times provided you're using a large burner. How long did it take from the point you put the eggs on the stove until it boiled and you turned the heat off?
Johnny says
I'm using a gas stove. The pot was not covered, and I put it on my largest burner on the highest heat. The eggs looked closer to 10.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hmm, are you using a gas or induction stove? I'm assuming the pot was not covered at any time? The only thing I can think of is that the amount if time it took your pot to come to full boil was somewhat longer than the time it took mine to come to a full boil which would have led to your eggs sitting in the warming water longer. How overcooked were they? Did they look more like 6 minute eggs or 8 minute eggs?
Johnny says
Straight from the fridge. My altitude/elevation is 171ft. They were covered exactly with an inch of water from the egg. I used a timer to wait 4 minutes and put them in ice cold water right away.
Thomas Abraham says
Hi Johnny sorry to hear it didn't work. Did the eggs come straight from the refrigerator? What's your altitude? When you day "over an inch of cold water" how much over an inch?
Johnny says
Doesn't work. I even used a digital thermometer. 6 Large eggs, stainless steal pan, covered eggs over an inch of cold water, water came to a perfect 212F boil, took pan off heat and waited 4 minutes = over cooked eggs.
Cody says
I'm old enough that one would think one would know how to boil eggs... I'm not sure I've ever made hard or soft boiled eggs before this. I used your instructions for egg boiling and must say they came out perfect!! I especially liked the way the shells came off without distroying the egg. Thanks...
Marilia says
This truly was perfect!!
Danielle Jacquot says
Does that help them taste different? Or boil better? Or peel better?
Marc Matsumoto says
I'm not sure I follow your logic, maybe you could elaborate? My theory is that as the water evaporates through the pores, the membrane gets saturated with water making the albumen stick less to the membrane, so I'm not sure how what you said is in disagreement with my theory.
K says
Fresh Eggs have more water than older eggs. As the egg ages, water evaporates through the shell leaving a greater space at the bottom or top of the egg causing it to float in water. This may disprove your theory somewhat.
Angela says
I used 10 minutes today, and the eggs turned out great! The yolks were a beautiful yellow and the eggs were tender. Thanks again!
Angela says
I'll have to try your cooking time for my next batch of eggs. I've always done the cold water method as you do, but after they come to a boil, I turn the stove off, cover the pan with a lid, and leave the eggs in for 18 minutes. Thanks for sharing.
Marc Matsumoto says
Nope, but I have tried the pin pricking method and it also works. The cracking method is just faster and less of a hassle than getting out a pin and piercing the egg (unless you have a tool to do it for you).
not_configured says
When I lived in Japan, I bought an tool that pricks the shell of the egg. The top piece has an indentation for the base of the egg, with a hole in the center for a needle to poke through. The base holds the needle and a spring. You hold the egg against the indentation, press, and the needle pushes up into the shell. Have you tried using one of these?
Marilia says
And this article is yet another example of how much I LOVE your blog! I'm a die-hard fan and LOVE all of your information! FANTASTIC STUFF!!! (You'll have to excuse me now, I'm about to make some eggs...)
Pamela says
I'm a 5 (somewhere between a 4 and six haha)! Great tips!
-Pamela (from https://pamelas-plate.com/)
Scott at Realepicurean says
I love this article. I'm definitely a number 4 man.
Marilia says
Marc, this is really helpful. Esp the peeling eggs part.
rblumiere says
Making the peeling of the shell very easy!
rblumiere says
Add baking soda to the water, this will neutralize the PH
Marc Matsumoto says
Nope, no need for a lid.
Vinny Merlino says
marc- do you have a lid on the pot at all during the cooking process
missmochi says
My family has a flock of hens, and I hate trying to peel fresh hard-boiled eggs. The moon surface has nothing on my pitted and mauled egg whites. I will have to try your tiny crack technique!