Learn how to make perfectly boiled eggs with clean-peeling shells and flawless yolks every single time. No fancy gadgets or complicated methods - just simple science and a few easy steps to routinely making the perfect hard boiled egg - that's also easy to peel.Recipe can be scaled up or down by using the slider if you hover your mouse over the number of Servings.
Boil water: Add 3 quarts (12 cups or 96 ounces) of water to a large saucepan. Place the pan over high heat, cover, and bring to a full boil.
Add vinegar and salt: Once the water is boiling, uncover the pan and add the vinegar and the salt.
Add eggs: Let the water return to a boil. Once boiling, use a slotted spoon to carefully lower all the COLD eggs into the pot.
Boil eggs for 30 seconds: Let the eggs boil for exactly 30 seconds.
Cover and simmer: After 30 seconds, cover the saucepan, and reduce the heat to LOW so the water maintains barely maintains a simmer.
Set timer and cook: Let the eggs cook, covered, for 6 minutes for soft-boiled eggs and 11 minutes for hard-boiled eggs.
While eggs are cooking, set up an ice water bath: Fill a large bowl halfway with ice cubes and then add enough cold water to cover the ice. Set the ice bath aside.
Gently crack eggs (hard-boiled only): Use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the pan. Once you’ve removed the egg, carefully and gently tap the egg against the counter to lightly crack the shell in a few places. (Note: Be careful as eggs are hot!! I use a paper towel to hold the egg to protect my fingers, but an oven glove works better.) For soft-boiled eggs, simply remove them from the simmering water with a slotted spoon and proceed to next step. DON’T try to crack the eggs or you’ll end up with runny yolk all over the place.
Add eggs to ice bath: Once you’ve gently cracked the shell in a few places, add the eggs to the bowl of ice water. Let the eggs sit in the ice bath for at least 5 minutes. Alternatively, you place the eggs in their ice bath in the fridge. Or you can skip this step entirely if you prefer a warm hard boil egg.
Peel eggs: To peel the cooked egg, gently tap the egg against the counter, rotating the egg in your hand to make sure you crack the shell all over. Next, hold the egg underneath a stream of gently running cool water and use your hands to peel the shell off the egg, discarding the shells.
Eat or store: Enjoy or store any unused boiled eggs (still in their shell) in the fridge for up to 5-7 days. (Note: Once you remove the shell, you can store the hard-boiled egg in the refrigerator for 1 day.)
Notes
Start with COLD eggs as they will cook more consistently and gently; they’re also less prone to cracking.
Use older eggs as they will be easier to peel than fresh ones. (Tip: I typically purchase a carton of raw eggs at the store and leave them in my fridge for a week or two before hard boiling for the easiest peeling.)
Why vinegar? Vinegar increases the acid PH levels in the water which helps holds the eggs whites together. Vinegar also adds slight flavor.
Why salt? Kosher salt (or coarse sea salt) helps flavor the eggs.
Nutritional information is an estimate based upon 6 servings. Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used.