How long to boil eggs? (the perfect boiled egg)

Hard boiled eggs are delicious in many easy dishes. They are easy to make, but, most people give them a long hard boil which makes a dry, powdery, sometimes greenish yolk and chewy white. Using the technique in this article, you can have hard cooked eggs with tender whites and a bright yellow, moist yolk. You'll have enough to use in any eggs recipe. How long does it take to boil an egg? Read on to learn.

Assemble Your Tools and Ingredients

Making eggs is easy. You don't need a boiled egg cooker. All you'll need for this method: 1 small pot with a lid, and eggs, preferably some that have been in the fridge more than two days because older eggs tend to be easier to peel. You'll also need 1/4 cup of distilled white vinegar. Adding this to the water will help keep the eggs from cracking. Finally, you'll need a bowl of ice water, and something to extract the eggs from the hot water -such as a slotted spoon, or tongs- and a timer. You can buy an egg timer online, or use the cook timer on your microwave.

Get the eggs on the stove

Gently place the eggs in the pot and fill the pot with just enough cold tap water to cover the eggs, then pour in the vinegar. Cover the pot with a lid and set it on the stove. Set the ice water bath near the pot. Turn the burner on high and keep an eye on it.

Cook the eggs

When cooking hard boiled eggs it is important to remember, it is very easy to go overboard. Many people ask "how long do you boil an egg?" The answer is: you don't. You boil the water, then gently cook the egg until it is done. As soon as it reaches a rolling boil, turn the heat off and leave the pot sitting, covered, for ten minutes. If you pull it out at 5-7 minutes, this is how to soft boil an egg. Ten minutes is the perfect hard boiled egg time.

Stop the cooking

As soon as your timer rings, gently extract the eggs and lower them into the ice bath. Some of them might crack, but this is perfectly fine. Allow the eggs to cool completely in the ice bath for at least 5 minutes. This halts the cooking so they do not become overcooked from residual heat.

Store or eat

The eggs can be stored as-is or eaten immediately! Look how yellow and mois the yolk is in the picture. That is the texture to aim for. Don't be discouraged if you mess up a few times, simply eat the mistakes (don't waste food!) and try again!