How to Hard Boil (Hard Cook) Eggs

Learning how to hard boil eggs is just one small part of what you can consider your egg-ucation. There is so much to learn about eggs, from buying tips and storing info to cooking tips and egg trivia. Let’s start with how to hard boil eggs and move on from there.

How to Hard Boil an Egg

Knowing how to hard boil eggs (sometimes called hard-cooked eggs) is as easy as setting a timer. Here’s a video of how to boil an egg, explaining some simple steps, which are broken down below:

1. Place eggs in a saucepan and add enough cold water to cover the eggs by at least 1 inch.
2. Bring the water to a boil.
3. Immediately cover the saucepan and remove the pan from the heat.
4. Let the eggs stand for 15 minutes, and then drain the water.
5. Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water to cool them quickly, changing the water to keep it cold if necessary.
6. When cool, hard-cooked eggs can be peeled.
7. Store cooked eggs in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Now that you have those perfectly hard-cooked eggs, why not use them in a deviled egg recipe, a potato salad recipe or an egg salad recipe?

How to Buy Eggs

Before you can learn how to hard boil an egg or make any of our delicious egg recipes, you need to buy the eggs. Buy only refrigerated eggs with clean, unbroken shells. The color of the shell does not affect what’s in the egg. Check the sell-by date on the carton: The expiration or sell-by date indicates that the eggs should be pulled from the grocer’s shelves if they haven’t been sold by that time. A best-by or use-by date indicates that your eggs will still be of high quality if you use them by that date. Gently move each egg to make sure it’s not stuck to the carton because of an unseen crack.

How to Store Eggs

It’s best to store eggs in their original carton, on an inside shelf of the refrigerator as soon as possible after purchasing. Avoid keeping eggs near foods with strong odors that easily can be absorbed. Refrigerate eggs (in the shell) for up to 4 weeks; refrigerate any leftover egg yolks and egg whites (out of the shell) for up to 2 days.

Fun Egg Facts

• In most of the U.S., white eggs are popular. Brown eggs tend to be more sought after in New England.
• The green ring around hard-cooked egg yolks is caused by sulfur and iron compounds in the egg, and it can show up if you overcook eggs. It might look unappealing, but rest assured, the eggs are still nutritious and have a normal flavor.
• You can avoid greenish yolks in your hard-cooked eggs by using the proper cooking time and temperature and being sure you rapidly cool hard-boiled eggs.

Now that you know how to hard boil eggs, how to make a perfect omelet, and how to buy and store eggs, you're sure to be the egg aficionado in your home!