To hard boil an egg, the most reliable method is as follows:
- Bring water to a boil first.
- Gently lower fridge-cold eggs into the boiling water.
- Lower the heat to a bare simmer to avoid cracking.
- Cook the eggs for about 10 to 11 minutes for fully hard-boiled eggs with firm whites and yolks.
- Immediately transfer the eggs to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process and make peeling easier. Let them chill in the ice water for at least 15 minutes or up to overnight in the fridge.
This method ensures hard-boiled eggs with vibrant yolks and easy-to-peel shells
. Different sources suggest slightly varying times, but 10 to 11 minutes is the standard for hard-boiled eggs:
- Serious Eats recommends 11 minutes in simmering water or steaming for hard-boiled eggs
- Love and Lemons suggests leaving eggs in hot water off the heat for 10-12 minutes
- RecipeTin Eats advises 10 minutes boiling time after lowering eggs into boiling water
- BBC Good Food and others note around 10 minutes for classic hard-boiled eggs that are mashable but not dry
In summary, to hard boil an egg, boil eggs for about 10 to 11 minutes starting with eggs lowered into boiling water, then cool immediately in ice water to stop cooking and ease peeling.
