How to make perfect hard boiled eggs!
Easy instructions for hard boiling eggs on a stove
Hard boiled eggs boast a load of great qualities; they are delicious, easy to make, nutritious (these little things are packed with protein) and low in calories. Whether you feel like pigging out on some deviled eggs or making a healthy, low-calorie breakfast, hard boiled eggs are a great choice. But enough about that; you didn't come here to read about eggs -- you came here to make some!
Instructions
- Pick out your eggs. Don't waste fresh eggs if you have some that have been sitting in the fridge for a while -- older eggs tend to cook better, and the shell is easier to remove. These instructions are intended for large white or brown chicken eggs, which are pretty standard. (Using medium or extra-large eggs? No worries; the cooking time for those are shown in step 6, too.)
- Grab a pot big enough to hold all of the eggs you will be boiling. Try to avoid stacking the eggs on top of each other; this will help prevent cracking, and help them cook more thoroughly.
- Fill the pot with water; there should be about 1 inch of water ABOVE the top of the eggs. (Make sure you put the eggs in BEFORE proceeding to the next step. If you dump eggs in boiling water, they are likely to crack!)
- Place on the stove and heat till boiling. You can add some salt to the water to speed up the boiling process.
- Remove the eggs from heat. As soon as the water reaches the boiling point, turn off the heat and play the waiting game.
- Let eggs sit for 17 minutes. If you're using medium eggs, they should only sit for 12 minutes. If you're using extra-large eggs, let them sit for 19 minutes. The quanitity of the eggs doesn't matter.
- Remove the eggs and place them in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes. This step is optional, but it helps seperate the skin from the shell, making them easier to peel.
- Spin test! Also optional. This is an easy way to make sure you've boiled your eggs correctly without breaking them open to check. Take an uncooked egg from your fridge and try to spin it on a flat surface. Since the contents are liquid, it won't spin very well. Now take one of your boiled eggs and do the same thing -- if cooked correctly, it will spin much longer and faster than the uncooked egg.
- Enjoy! Peel your egg and eat it -- yum. Alternatively, make some deviled eggs and eat them -- double yum.