Hard "Boiled" Eggs

Hard (and soft) “Boiled” Eggs

Take the guesswork out of cooking your hard “boiled” eggs. Don’t boil them!

First of all, you need to start with older eggs. Fresh eggs, five days old or less, don't have an "air pocket" that allows the shell to peel away easily. The closer to the expiration date the better.
Secondly, take the eggs out of the refrigerator and allow them to come to room temperature before cooking. This will reduce the risk of them cracking.
Put your eggs in a saucepan large enough to keep in one layer. Cover with cold water. Add one teaspoon of salt, this helps the eggs peel easier. Bring to a boil and immediately turn off the heat or remove the pan from the heat and cover. Let stand for 15 minutes.
Drain off the water and either plunge them into ice water or let cold water run over them until cool enough to handle.
Not only will this take the guesswork out of it, but the whites will be more tender and you shouldn't have that green ring around the yolk, especially if you used the ice water method.

For soft boiled eggs, follow the directions above, but allow the eggs to sit for 3 to 5 minutes instead of 15 minutes. You'll have to determine by trial and error how you like your egg done and the time it takes to get them there.

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