How to Boil the Perfect Egg (Published 2019) (2024)

Food|How to Boil the Perfect Egg

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/23/dining/how-to-hard-boil-eggs.html

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In his first column for The Times, J. Kenji López-Alt tests his way to the best egg: perfectly peelable and tender throughout.

How to Boil the Perfect Egg (Published 2019) (1)

As a mostly stay-at-home dad responsible for all the meals in our household, I depend on a supply of boiled eggs in the refrigerator — ready to be added to soups, salads, stews, sandwiches, stir-fries and tacos — as an essential part of my planning.

Years ago, in an effort to answer a perennial question — what’s the best way to boil an egg? — I hatched a plan using the only method I know: lots and lots of testing.

It was a multidecade endeavor. The series of tests I conducted variously as a kitchen monkey at Cook’s Illustrated magazine, as recipe czar at the website Serious Eats and in researching my cookbook produced good data, but none of it felt definitive. Further home experimentations (there have been weeks when my wife, Adri, begged me to stop serving egg salad for dinner) have left unanswered questions and conflicting results.

Do older eggs really peel more easily? (The internet insists they do.) Can an ice bath prevent green yolks? Is there anything the Instant Pot can’t do better? I simply did not have enough data to say for certain.

With that in mind, for my first column on cooking and science for The New York Times, I decided to undertake my greatest egg-peeling experiment yet, and I have finally come up with some answers.

Ninety-six volunteers came through my restaurant, Wursthall, in San Mateo, Calif., in August to peel and taste more than 700 eggs, cooked with various methods, making this — as verified with a cursory search online — the largest-ever double-blind egg-boiling-and-peeling experiment in the history of the universe. (If anyone from Guinness is reading, I have pretty extensive documentation.)

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How to Boil the Perfect Egg (Published 2019) (2024)

FAQs

How to Boil the Perfect Egg (Published 2019)? ›

Put the eggs in cold water that just covers them. Bring the water to a boil and turn off the heat. Cover and time 12 minutes. Place the eggs in an ice bath and let them cool completely.

How to boil the perfect egg nyt? ›

Cover pan and cook eggs, adjusting the burner to maintain a vigorous boil, 6 minutes for a warm liquid yolk and firm whites, 8½ minutes for a translucent, fudgy yolk or 11 minutes for a yolk that is just barely firm all the way through.

How do you get boiled eggs to peel easily? ›

How to Peel Hard Boiled Eggs, Step-by-Step
  1. Step 1: Plunge the Boiled Eggs Into an Ice Bath.
  2. Step 2: Gently Crack the Egg.
  3. Step 3: Roll the Egg.
  4. Step 4: Start Peeling at the Large End.
  5. Step 5: Use Cold Water for an Extra Assist.
  6. Start with Slightly Older Eggs.
  7. Add Baking Soda.
  8. Cook the eggs In Boiling Water.
Aug 17, 2022

What is the secret to making great boiled eggs? ›

Instructions
  • Place your eggs in a single layer on the bottom of your pot and cover with cold water. ...
  • Over high heat, bring your eggs to a rolling boil.
  • Remove from heat and let stand in water for 10-12 minutes for large eggs. ...
  • Drain water and immediately run cold water over eggs until cooled.

Does baking soda help peel eggs? ›

Baking Soda

According to our friends at Delish, adding a teaspoon of baking soda to your boiling pot of water will help the shell peel off seamlessly. Why? The alkaline in the baking soda will help your egg whites loosen up from the shell, making it easier to peel.

How long should eggs boil to be perfect? ›

Put the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Once the water is at a rolling boil, turn off the heat and cover the pot with the lid. Allow the eggs to sit in the hot water for the following times according to the desired doneness: 3 minutes for SOFT boiled; 6 minutes for MEDIUM boiled; 12 minutes for HARD boiled.

What to add to water when boiling eggs? ›

It's not necessary to add anything to the water. Some people also swear that adding a bit of salt, vinegar or even baking soda to the boiling water makes eggs easier to peel and/or makes them taste better. We, however, prefer the simplicity of plain ol' water.

Why won't my eggs peel after I boil them? ›

This is because the egg white or “albumen” in a fresh egg has a relatively low pH level, making it acidic. When cooked, these fresh egg whites bond strongly to the inner shell's membrane. As an egg ages, the pH level rises and the inner membrane is less likely to bond to the albumen, so the shell peels off much easier.

How does Paula Deen boil eggs? ›

Here's Paula's tried and true method:

Next, bring the water to a boil, and right when it starts to rumble, remove the pan from the heat, and cover it with a tight-fitting lid. 3. Now time for that kitchen timer; set it for exactly 20 minutes.

Do you put eggs in cold water after boiling? ›

Once water is boiling, add the eggs and adjust the temperature to maintain a rolling boil. Start a timer for 12 minutes and prepare an ice bath. When the timer goes off, remove eggs from the pot and immediately place into ice bath for at least 10 minutes before peeling.

How do you hard boil eggs so they peel easily? ›

Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and turn off the heat. Let the eggs cook, covered, for 9 to 12 minutes, depending on your desired done-ness (see photo). Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water and chill for 14 minutes. This makes the eggs easier to peel.

How much vinegar should I put in the water when boiling eggs? ›

Therefore, adding one tablespoon or 15 ml of vinegar for every quart of water in the pot is recommended. So, vinegar for hard boiled eggs can save you time and effort when peeling and also help you get more out of your protein-rich snack!

How long to boil an egg hard boiled? ›

How long to boil an egg
  1. 3 minutes for really soft boiled yolk and set white.
  2. 4 minutes for slightly set yolk and set white.
  3. 5 minutes for a medium cooked firmer yolk and white.
  4. 6 minutes for hard boiled with lightly soft yolk.
  5. 8 minutes for firmly hard boiled.

How do you boil the perfect fresh egg? ›

Bring eggs to room temperature by leaving them on the counter. Place the eggs in a pot of cold water just large enough to hold them in a single layer. Make sure water is covering the eggs and then slowly bring to a simmer to prevent cracking. Boil for 8 minutes, drain, and cool in an ice bath.

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