How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

Best to use eggs nearing, or even after their expiration date. Fresh eggs are nearly impossible to peel.


The night before the eggs are to be cooked (approximately 12 hours), you can place them in an appropriate sized tray or pan, on their sides, to center the yolks, if you desire, or just leave them sit on the counter. Just be sure your eggs are room temperature before cooking. (Many other countries, including Australia, never refrigerate raw eggs, so don’t let this worry you.) The temperature of the egg at the start of the cooking process will affect the cooking time. An egg that is at room temperature at the start of the cooking process will require about one minute less cooking time than eggs taken directly from the refrigerator.

Place eggs in a single layer in a pan; cover with cold water one inch over the tops of eggs. Bring to a boil; remove from heat; cover tightly with a lid and allow to remain in the water approximately 13 to15 minutes (depending on size of eggs, and if they are at room temperature or not). If boiled or cooked too long, the protein toughens or becomes rubbery, and a greenish or purplish ring forms around the yolk.

Then place under running, cold water to cool quickly. This way of cooking does not toughen the whites as boiling does. This also helps prevent discoloration of the yolk and will assist in  the peeling process, as the cold water creates steam between the egg white and the shell, making the shell easier to remove.

Refrigeration is necessary for hard boiled eggs if they are not being consumed within a few hours. Hard-cooked eggs (in the shell) can be refrigerated for up to one week.

How to Peel Hard-Cooked Eggs Easily

First of all, fresh eggs are hard to peel. The fresher the eggs, the more the membranes cling tenaciously to the shells. So try to use eggs nearing their expiration date for easier peeling and nicer looking eggs.

Place the eggs in the pan they were cooked in and add cold water. Crack the eggs under water. This seems to help loosen the membrane under the shell. Start peeling at the larger end, where the air pocket is, and remove the shell under running water to make the shelling easier. You absolutely must get a hold of the membrane under the shell when you remove the shell.