Boiling the Perfect Egg

Here at Gygi, we prefer boiling eggs in a pot on the stove. They are easy to peel and cook the eggs perfectly. But also – boiling on the stove allows you to pull the eggs out of the water at any moment! This means you can make an egg with a soft and runny yolk or make a fully cooked yolk – in the same batch!

But, in order to do this, you need to know *when* to take the egg out. Use this image to guide your decision!

We cooked these eggs with the boiling water method. We filled a pot with water and brought it to a low boil, then we added the eggs. As soon as the water starts to lightly boil again, we began the timer and turned the heat down to low, letting the eggs simmer.

When time was up, the eggs were removed from the pot and plunged directly into an ice bath for 15 minutes. After that time, the eggs finished cooling in the fridge, and the eggs were peeled a few hours later.

This is the result! If we had peeled the eggs while they were still warm, they would have been softer, so keep that in mind as you decide how long to cook your eggs.

Also, if you want softer egg whites, cooking the eggs with the steam method is a great option. Just cook them one minute longer for the same results pictured here.

So, there you have it! We refer to this guide often when we make a batch of boiled eggs. I love a four minute egg, with some toast to dip into the runny yolk. But my husband likes a six or eight minute egg! And our kids? 12 minute eggs for them. Now, we can make eggs for every body – in one big pot of boiling water!

Which egg would you eat???

Perfect Boiled Eggs

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By Gygi
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6-12 cold eggs
  • water
  • ice

Instructions

1

Fill a large pot with a few inches of water, enough to cover the eggs with one inch of water when they are placed inside.

2

Heat water over medium-high heat until gently boiling (200 degrees F).

3

Gently lower eggs into the boiling water. Use tongs or a mesh strainer to help lower them in with out breaking.

4

Cover pot and let it return to a gently boil. Turn heat down to low and start timer.

5

4 mins for soft yolks. 6-8 mins for gooey yolks. 10-12 for creamy yolks. 14+ minutes for firm yolks.

6

When the eggs are almost done, prepare an ice bath with cold water and ice in a large bowl.

7

Immediately place eggs into the ice bath when they are done cooking. Leave them there for 15 minutes.

8

Remove from ice bath and store in the fridge up to 7 days.

Notes

This method is so reliable for creating easy-to-peel boiled eggs. The trickiest part about it is adding the eggs to hot, boiling water. Use tongs or a strainer to add them gently. Also, the eggs are much more likely to break when the water is at a rolling boil. So, don't let the water get too hot. 200 degrees seems to be the magic number!

With those tips in mind, here are our best tricks for boiling eggs:

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