The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg

I have never been good at making the perfect hard boiled egg, so thanks to my good friend Katie Kaiser, I now know how to make them. Thanks Katie for the guest blog post!

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I’ve developed this method over the years combining tips and tricks I’ve read or heard about from various sources. The trick is four simple principles:

* Eggs that are room temperature and not too fresh

* Baking soda in the water – it somehow helps separate the internal lining of the shell from the boiled white of the egg

* EXACT timing in two segments (on heat and off)

* Ice bath immediately after boiling

 

All you need are eggs and baking soda. But here is the first tip: if the eggs are too fresh, they will be harder to peel. Eggs about a week old are usually perfect. You also want them room temperature.

 

Fill a pot with enough water to totally cover the eggs and add 2-3 heaping teaspoons of baking soda to the starting water. Bring to a full boil.

 

 

Delicately drop the room temperature eggs, one by one with a spoon, into the boiling water. If your eggs are too cold out of the refrigerator, they will likely crack and break when they go into the water. Also, inspect your eggs before you drop them in; any hairline cracks will definitely crack open in the heat of the water.

 

 

 

Set a timer for EXACTLY 9 minutes – this timing is critical!! Boil the eggs with the lid set ajar (or no lid if it is rapidly boiling).

 

 

 

At exactly 9 minutes, take the pot off the heat, put the LID ON, and set a new timer for EXACTLY 2 minutes.

 

 

This resting period is another key trick to the perfect hard boiled egg.

 

 

 

At exactly 2 minutes drain the water into the sink…get a lovely steam facial in the meantime…Then, start running cold water over the cooked eggs immediately and keep it running until the water remains cool.

 

 

 

Drop a reusable ice bag into the water or a bunch of ice cubes if that is easier. The goal is to cool the eggs down as fast as possible. Let them rest for about 5 minutes.

 

 

Voila – a beautiful set of hard boiled eggs.

 

 

 

Now the proof of the technique: tap the egg on all sides to create little breaks, and start to peel…

 

 

You can see that once you get it going, a lot of the shell peels off in one strip. If you look closely, you can see the lining that the baking soda helped separate from the egg…

 

 

 

I like my HB eggs just the slightest bit soft in the middle. If you like them more well done, add a minute or two to the RESTING time at the end (i.e. instead of 2 minutes, do 3 or 4 off the heat with the lid on). Enjoy!

 

 


Thanks so much, Katie! You are queen of making honey, every recipe, and the best at making the perfect hardboiled egg. Thanks so much! Now I have no excuses.

Anika Yael Natori, aka, The Josie Girl

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3 Comments

  1. I loved this simple guide! This will have to be a new breakfast go-to!

  2. What a timely piece today! Thank you so much for this good post.
    How can you find numerous facts? I enjoy the way that you organize everything,
    as it is actually simple to read. Overall, I will recommend this report to everybody who is interested in that topic.

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