These hard-boiled eggs are cooked perfectly every time without turning the yolks green.

Divine Hard-Boiled Eggs

eggs

Place eggs in a pot; pour enough water over the eggs to cover. Cover and turn stove to high; bring to a boil; turn off heat and place pot on a cool burner. Let the pot sit with the cover on for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl halfway with cold water; transfer the eggs from the pot to the cold water. Replace the water with cold water as needed to keep cold until the eggs are completely cooled. Chill in refrigerator at least 2 hours before peeling.


This is the method I use and it always works perfectly.  Another hint...If you are making deviled eggs, or a dish where it is important the yolk be centered...try this trick...while the eggs are still in the carton, place a rubberband or two around the carton and place in refrigerator on its side.  Leave on side overnight prior to cooking and you will have perfectly centered yolks every time!

Makes perfect hard boiled eggs. If you plan on using the eggs immediately after cooling you can tap them with a spoon to slightly crack the shells before placing them in the cold water. The shells will peel off like butter in about an hour letting you skip the refrigerator step. This recipe produces gorgeous firm eggs with brilliant yellow yolks and deviled eggs have never looked better!
Thanks for sharing!

For the longest time I did not know how to boil eggs the correct way. As silly as this recipie may seem I think it is a must to have on this site for the new cooks. 

I have been using this method for years and it works every time. I have one extra step, though, which eliminates the 2-hour refrigeration. When the eggs have steeped in the water for 15 minutes, I drain them and put the lid back on the pan and shake it vigorously until each of the eggs is cracked. Then I put ice cubes in the pan to cover the eggs and fill it with cold water. I let it sit for 15-20 minutes and the eggs are cold. Because the cold water is underneath the cracked shells, they almost fall off the egg when you begin to peel them.

I've been boiling eggs this way all of my life.  It always works for me. Just to reiterate what a couple of other people said, if you use older eggs, they will peel easier.  Fresher eggs are always harder to peel.  So, don't blame the recipe if your eggs don't peel well.  Next time just use them closer to the expiration date and they'll peel easier.  One tip that I've heard that might help, though, is adding a teaspoon of salt to the cooking water right after taking them off the heat.  The salt doesn't actually make the egg inside salty, it just loosens the shell to make peeling easier.  Give it a try and see if it works for you!

I could never figure out how to hardboil eggs without the green tinge until I met my father in law. This recipe is EXACTLY
the same way he used to cook his. If you have family members who are hardcore about hardboiled eggs(or like deviled eggs as much as my husband), give this a go. You'll be pleasantly surprized.

I did this over the 4th of July for deviled eggs and they came out perfect!  A couple other tips: never boil more than 12 eggs at a time and let them get to room temperature before boiling - that reduces the chance of them opening while in the water.

Even though I'm embarrassed, I'm going to review my epic fail with my eggs.  My way of making hard boiled eggs is similar but I've always needed a 'tester egg' so I thought I would try this recipe (using 3 eggs because that is all I needed) and I followed it to a T.  Came time to peel and cut my eggs.  Pull an egg out of the water, spin it on the counter (see a hard boiled egg will spin beautifully while a raw egg just wobbles around..hmmm, my egg isn't spinning like it should...hundreds of people can't be wrong so I'll go with it) peel, and cut.  Imagine my surprise when it was only soft boiled. Let's just pop these other two in a bowl of water and finish them off in the microwave...yes, I've been alive 42 years and NO ONE has ever told me that I couldn't/shouldn't do that...Kaboom and my microwave door blows open and I have hard boiled eggs EVERYWHERE!  Here is what worked for me: 1) Bring eggs to boil and turn heat to the lowest setting 2) Set timer for 18 minutes 3) When timer goes off, take an egg out of water and see if it spins on the counter top.  If it spins it's done, if it wobbles a bit put back in water for a few more minutes and re-spin to check 4) Run cool water over eggs, while in pan.  5) You don't have to cool for hours.  I peeled mine after 2 minutes.  Just make sure you peel under a trickle of cold running water.

Followed the directions exactly and the eggs turned out PERFECT.  As someone else suggested I cracked the shells with a spoon and soaked the eggs in a bowl of cold water to cool them rather than waiting for the refrigerator.  They cooled as I prepared other parts of the meal and were ready to peel in about an hour. Made great deviled eggs and added to potato salad. This is a VERY SIMPLE yet VALUABLE recipe.

Don't try the cracking with the spoon thing like someone suggested- those were the hardest eggs to peel EVER!  Just let them chill according to the recipe.

These turned out perfectly as you can see in the photo. Look how pretty! I have always had trouble knowing for sure when they are done and either the yellow would turn gray or it would have an uncooked bit of yolk. I even used extra large eggs, and they still turned out perfectly! Thanks!!!

This recipe works better if you put 1/2 t. salt in the water as you fill the pot.  That delays boiling until the temp is just a bit higher, and will take care of the issue experienced by many reviewers of eggs not quite done.  Some of the inconsistency in the results probably came about because the recipe does not say what size pot to use.  A larger pot (more water),  would hold the heat longer than a smaller one just big enough to hold the eggs.  These two omissions (salt &amp; amount of water) is why this is not a 5-star recipe, even though it may work perfectly for some of the users.   Of course if you live at high altitude, you may want to simmer the eggs on low 1 or 2 minutes after they first boil and before you take them off the heat.  Once you find eggzactly the right timing for where you live, you will have a foolproof formula.

One more thing about taking the shell of the eggs - this may sound crazy but it is so easy and saves alot of time.  Crack the bottom of each end of the egg. Peel it off about the size of a small coin. Then, put your lips on the bottom of the egg and blow.  The egg will instantly come out of it's shell.  Make sure you hold the other end of the egg, or it will fly across the room!  Try it...

I add a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil to the water before boiling the eggs. The shells actually absorb some of the oil making it a sinch to peel! You will never have problems peeling eggs again!!

Yep, the best way to make a hard boiled egg.  My sister taught me this years ago and I've been doing it this way since.  I just had to add my 5 stars for this!

I can't wait to try the "put a rubber band around the carton and put it on it's side the night before to center the yolk" tip.   I cook mine in my large tea kettle.  Seems I always step away just when they start to boil and spit water on my cooktop.  This way I don't have to watch.  The whistle alerts me.  Also, I've always waited 10 min. and they've been perfect, but will try the 15 to see if it makes a difference. After the wait period I gently pour the hot water out of the kettle, put a little tap water in and finish filling the kettle with ice.  No frig step, no other bowl to wash, no 2 hour wait, and they're perfect.   Thanks for the recipe.

IMPORTANT NOTE: it is helpful to know that you need to bring the eggs to a ROLLING BOIL. If you bring it just to a boil, your eggs will still be liquid inside!

Came out perfect and I didn't have to watch an egg thermometer the whole time! No green centers and most of the shell peeled off easily

This is exactly the way I've been doing my eggs for years.  The only difference is after the 15 minutes I rinse them under cold water, crack the bottoms and stick them in an ice water bath for about 10 minutes.  This lets the water get into the shells so they are always easy to peel &amp; ready much faster than this recipes cooling method.  I also agree with other reviewers to use "older" eggs, if they are too fresh you will have problems peeling them no matter what you do.

Works every time!  This is very similar to the method recommended by the American Egg Board.  The egg board recommends 12 minutes for medium eggs, 15 minutes for large eggs, and 18 minutes for extra large eggs.  Be sure to allow the water to come to a FULL, ROLLING BOIL before taking them off of the burner.  Also, they may not cook all the way through if you don't cover the pan after removing it from the heat.  allowing them to boil for too long will cause a green ring around the yolk, which won't hurt you but sure doesn't look appetizing.  :)

Great recipe - for those at higher altitudes, boil eggs for 5 minutes and then take off the burner and let sit for 15 minutes. I live in Colorado (over 5,000 feet above sea level) and following this recipe exactly left me with slightly undercooked eggs. 

I just left the kitchen after hard-boiling 10 large eggs for tomorrow's Deviled Eggs, basically using this recipe . . . almost. Took the eggs out of the refrigerator about 10 minutes before placing them in the 3-quart pan. I always do them in a single layer; don't know if that makes a difference, but it seems to work for me. Add enough water to go at least 1 inch over the eggs. Add salt. (I never did understand why this was done since the eggs were in a shell, but I've come to the conclusion that it's done to make the eggs more buoyant and off the bottom of the pan, like swimming in the ocean.) Place pan on high heat with lid slightly ajar until large bubbles appear on top of water, then immediately move pan to cold burner, put lid on tightly and set timer for 15 minutes. When timer rings, pour water off eggs and refill pan with cold water. Let eggs sit there while you fill a bowl with ice water. I find that peeling eggs as quickly as possible, even while they're still a little warm, makes the shell come off more easily. Once peeled and 'swished' in the water still in the pan to remove any little pieces of shell that might remain on them, I put the peeled eggs in the ice water, and then into a covered container to use tomorrow.

I love hard boiled eggs and this recipe is foolproof. It's great to have some in the fridge to garnish salads, to take for lunch or for a quick protein snack. I don't think you need the 2 hour chill time before peeling though. I just leave them in the ice water and peel them once they are cool enough to handle.

I tried this recipe for the technique but I only followed it up till the part where you place the eggs in cold water cause I needed the eggs right away. My eggs turned out perfectly cooked and it saves on gas too, not having to boil it for 10-15 mins. My eggs peeled with no problem after I sat it in the cold water for 5 mins. I will definitely be using this technique from now on. Thanks for sharing.

Worked like a charm. The yokes had and excellent color which made my deviled eggs look amazing. 

This hasn't worked for me.  Sure, the yolks are a pretty yellow, but the shells are tough to get off.

I've been cooking for years and years!  I never would have believed this would work, but it's amazing.  Perfect hard boiled eggs!  Thank you!

Just an additional hint.  Don't just use cold water use ice cubes in the water which will keep it cold.  You can continue to add ice cubes until the eggs are completely cooled.  This works beautifully particulary if your like me and rarely use the ice cubes that have stacked up in the automatic ice maker.  I printed this info off and tacked it inside a cupboard door since I can never remember the times.  Thanks, since I have been using this method my eggs are always perfect and they never were before this.

I used this recipe to hard boil my eggs for deviled eggs. They came out perfect. I used the trick of cracking one end with a spoon then putting in the water to cool. They peeled with no issues.

My yolks weren't completely set so I'll add another minute or two next time.  Thanks.

Major Tip for getting eggs to peel easily learned from PBS Test Kitchen show--put ALOT LIKE 4 TABLESPOONSFUL OF SALT IN pan (it will not affect taste) but any egg will peel beautifully--I have always made boiled eggs this way just read the recipe to see if they got it right!!

This is a good recipe, but one thing I've dicovered after years of boiling is not to use very fresh eggs. For some reason, 1-2 week old eggs work best, especially when peeling them.

Love this method! Couldn't be easier. I've even forgotten to plunge the eggs in an ice water bath after cooking and left them just steaming in their own hot water, and while a couple shells were cracked, the eggs themselves were perfect. This is foolproof!

Yup! Yup! Yup!  This is the way my mother taught me to boil and peel eggs because it's the way her mother taught her.  And we always salted over the eggs before boiling.  Mom said it was to help keep the water from boiling too hard and keep them from banging into each other and cracking while boiling.  Others have told me it's to make them peel easier.  Whatever the purpose, it's the way I've always done it.  And I agree with the reviewer who said to use older eggs for easier peeling.  That's the absolute truth!  The fresher the eggs, the harder they are to peel!  Something about the albumen skin letting loose from the shell with age.

Over the years I have made dozens of hard boiled eggs, tried many different "recipes" and have always gotten the green film around the yolk.  This year for Easter I thought I would try one more hard boiled egg "recipe" and I have to say they turned out beautifully.  On another site it says 14 min. for medium eggs and 17 min for extra large.  I had large so I left mine in the pot of hot water for 16 min.  They turned out perfect!

Hardboiled eggs should always be peeled as soon as possible, and under a stream of cool water to make the egg retract away from the shell. Don't put your eggs in the frig if you want to get the peel off and keep your eggs looking pretty for presentation.

I followed the directions to a T.  The eggs were cooked but not overdone and the yolks were creamy with no hint of green.  The problem I encountered was these eggs were really hard to peel.  Out of 6, I had 4 that had "dings" in them.  The other two peeled cleanly.  I'm going to give this a 5 star because maybe my eggs were too new.  I find that older eggs peel better than newer ones.  I really loved the taste and texture of the yolks.  I'll make eggs this way again.

One note: I have found that small eggs require only 12 minutes; then I cool 'em. Big ol' eggs require the full 15 minutes. 

Not only does this method yield perfect hardboiled eggs, but imagine the saved energy (gas or electric) since you don't boil for more than a minute, as opposed to other recipes that require 12 to 15 minutes of boiling!

Eggs turn out perfectly.  This is the method that I always use.  FYI: the ease of peeling an egg depends on how old it is.  When a chicken lays an egg there is no air in it.  As it cools (from body temp) an air pocket forms inside.  For some reason, the older the egg, the larger the air pocket.  They recomend that if you have 2 dozen eggs for easter to boil the older dozen and use the newer dozen for other egg related recipes.  Keep in mind also, that the shelf life of a hard boiled egg is lower...you can only keep them for about a week due to the protective covering being removed when you boil them.  However, unboiled eggs are good for 4-6 weeks in the fridge.  Hope this helps with some of the "too hard to peel" reviews:). 

while my egg yolks weren't runny, they weren't cooked all the way either.  i was slightly disappointed...

I've always had trouble in getting my hard boiled eggs not to have the green colored ring around the yolk. These directions are definitely the way to remedy that. My yolks could have cooked a few seconds longer, so next time I think I will let them come to more of a rapid boil before I remove from the burner - I think I pulled them off too quickly. Thank You for the quick fix to my problem.

I keep chickens so I only have VERY fresh eggs.  The "trick" of slightly cracking the eggs before cooking them has NEVER failed.  Eggs cracked before cooking peel very easily and I never worry about a bad egg or one that has acquired other flavors from refrigeration.

Cooked the eggs exactly as the recipe states, except when I took them out I put them in an ice bath and skipped the refridgerater step. They came out perfect. The prettiest hard boiled eggs I have ever made. The yolks were bright yellow all the way around and fully cooked :)

Easier to peel if you peel when they are still warm.  

Doesn't work at high altitude. If you follow this recipe at high altitude, you will not have cooked eggs.  I will try this again, but will experiment with leaving the eggs in boiling water for maybe 5 minutes before removing from heat.

I've been making deviled eggs for 50 yrs &amp; needed to take several dozen to a Christmas party today.  I cooked 30 eggs for this.  I followed this recipe to a "T" &amp; they were the worst eggs I've ever peeled.  The membrane was tightly adhered to the white of the egg making it impossible to get the shell off without damaging the white.  It took me 1 1/2 hrs to pull off the little pieces of shell.  Out of 30 eggs, instead of getting 60 deviled eggs, I ended up with 34 deviled eggs.  I will never use this recipe again.  Back to my old "tried &amp; true".

The first time I did my eggs following this recipe they worked out just perfect!  The second time (just a few days later) they turned out awful.  The whites were sort of mushy and the yolk was not hard boiled.  Definitely did NOT work.  I can't figure out why it didn't work the second time. :(

Sorry but I cooked these EXACTLY as stated and they still had the green on the outside of the yolks and were very hard to peel.

Great! No sign of green rings around the yolks. I boiled 6 eggs, so I let them sit in the water for only 12 minutes.

Finally I was able to make perfect hard boiled eggs!  :)

Works lovely, but I crack the shells of the ones I put in the cold water so they peel easier, the ones that won't be eaten right away go straight to the fridge w/o the cold bath though.

Love the horseradish, not a fan of mayonnaise so will look for an alternative.

I cant count how many times i've made hard boiled eggs - each time i had to look up the instructions, and there were many recipes.  This was finally it, i was so pleased, and even happier that this is in my recipe box.

Solid recipe.  I used extra large eggs and them sit for 17 minutes.  I also didn't wait to peel the eggs.  I peeled them after they sat in the cold water for 10 minutes or so.

Used this method to make hard boiled eggs for egg salad. Perfect and easy!!

I hate to be the first person to give these a bad review, but these did not work out for me at all- they were totally undercooked. The whites were mushy, the yolk had a gelatinous, almost liquid, consistency, and they were impossible to peel. I even let them boil for a few minutes before taking them off the heat and covering them, so they should have been overcooked if anything, right?  When I saw this recipe, I thought I was missing something spectacular, but it looks like I'll be going back to my old method.

This worked very quickly and made them perfectly.

Works perfectly, just as advertised.  Very easy to peel (unlike my previous struggles using other methods to cook).  Highly recommended.

They turned out perfect.  Soooo easy too.

Maybe this one is for a different altitude, but I live in Montana and I followed these instructions EXACTLY. When I went to peel the eggs, the whites ripped open and the yolks totally weren't cooked. :(

I would have given this a 5 star except mine came out as soft boiled eggs. I could not use them for deviled eggs. Next time, will either allow eggs to room temp or boil 2-3 minutes. I live in NY so no high altitude issues.

These would have been perfect if I was closer to sea level. Needed to cook longer for 7000 ft above.

Perfect method.  I usually only let them sit for about 12-13 mins. and it's perfect.  No unsightly green rings around the yolk and no more rubbery white!

I have been using this method of hard boiling eggs for years.  I only let them sit for 13 minutes in the hot water and they always turn out perfectly.  I don't usually boil a dozen at a time so that may account for the difference in timing.  Using this method there will be no more green ring or rubbery white.

Here's the thing: If the eggs are cold, coming to a boil too quickly will cause them to crack or burst. Allow them to come to room temperature in a pan of warm, not hot water, and then follow the recipe. And, I use ice to cool them even more quickly.

I have a hard time making hard boiled eggs for some reason. The first time making them from this recipe, I kinda effed it up myself, but third times the charm! The shell slid right off the egg! Thank you!

Great directions.  I never know how long to cook my eggs.  Sometimes they are undercooked in the middle and sometimes they are overcooked and greenish.  This is perfect.  Thanks for making it so simple.

The best hard-boiled eggs recipe out there

LOVE the idea of the salt &amp; vinegar. Definitely is a nice touch

My hard boiled eggs turn out perfect every time with this recipe.  No unsightly green rings around the eggs. 

The best hard boiled eggs ever! Thank you

Great! Just a couple of tips to add. For easier peeling, don't use really fresh eggs. Just learned this recently after being unsuccessful many times with trying to peel boiled eggs (thanks, RE friends!) Also, being at higher altitudes may neccesitate a slightly longer cooking time before you turn off the heat (mine were slightly underdone).

I decided to try it this way since so many people said it worked out so well. I followed the directions exactly and the eggs are not cooked completely  and they're slimey :-(

I followed the instructions precisely but had huge problems trying to peel them. 

Some reviewers are finding the eggs hard to peel; it probably isn't the recipe. The fresher the egg, the 'stickier' the shell. My sister used to keep chickens, and when she planned on hard-boiling eggs, she would let them sit in the fridge for at least a week before cooking. Otherwise they were really impossible to peel without the shell shredding the egg white.

Awesome! Thank you so much for your posting!

Sometimes this recipe works perfectly - eggs peel easily.  Other times, this recipe doesn't work at all.  Have to assume it is the eggs.

This is how I have boiled eggs for years and they do come out perfect.  Like some others, I shake the pan hard and make sure they are all very cracked, fill the pan with cold water and ice and the shells come off very easily, sometimes the shell is off before I go to peel them!

This really works for hard boiled eggs! I always have just guessed at the time for eggs and most of the time, they turned out fine....but...there have been some times when they were not done! I will always do them this way from now on.

This recipe makes boiled eggs egg-xactly how they're supposed to be! Pardon the pun.

I only gave this 3 stars because the yolks did indeed come out a beautiful yellow, but 3 of the eggs were a little underdone and all of the 24 eggs shells stuck.  I was super excited to try this, because of all the great reviews. Been looking for a recipe where the shells don't stick. I followed this down to the last letter and my shells stuck. I even followed adivce from those who said to use eggs closer to the expiration date. They were one day from expiring.  I only boiled 12 at a time also.  I was hoping I somehow screwed up the first pot and the second pot would come out fine...but nope..both pots yielded stuck shells. I was doing deviled eggs for easter tonight, and my egg whites looks jagged...thank God they taste good cz they look horrible... :( Back to the drawing board.

I Learned this from a friend many years ago. When you are ready to drop the eggs into cold water...use ice water.  It separates the shells from the eggs perfectly and the shells literally slip right off! So glad to get this great cooking method too!

I knew that my mother had a trick for boiling eggs - they always came out just right and peeled easily.  This is it!  Thanks so much for sharing this!

Awesome technique!  I wasn't familiar with this.  Thank you so much for sharing.

The eggs were perfectly done!  They even peeled easy (although that could've been the age of the eggs...fresh eggs are almost impossible to peel).  I refrigerated them overnight and peeled them the next day to make egg salad.  YUM!

to peel the eggs i usually just pour off the hot water, put the lid on the pot and shake the dickens out of them.  then rinse in cold water until cool enough to peel.  older eggs are easier to peel.

divine hard-boiled eggs

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total: 2 hours, 50 minutes

Servings: 12

Author : rockyroad

Ingredients

Instructions

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