Having hard boiled eggs in the fridge is great for meal prep. They are great to top salads, make deviled eggs, egg salad, or just to eat with a little salt and hot sauce. I have a good friend who swears by her automatic egg cooker but I just can’t bring myself to buy it. I follow the below method and every time they come out perfect. Every once in a while you will get a stubborn egg who needs a little help getting the shell off but usually only 1 out of every dozen if even that. Follow these steps exactly and have perfect eggs every time.
- Place eggs in an empty pot in a single layer. Fill with water so the eggs are completely covered.
- Bring to a boil
- Simmer for 5 minutes uncovered then turn off the heat and cover them.
- Let them sit undisturbed for 10 minutes.
- Drain water from the pot and fill with ice so the eggs are completely covered in ice. I usually grab a large cup and fill it with ice then dump it in the pot.
- Let these cool completely, at least 10 minutes.
- Drain melted ice water, with the cover on shake the eggs up pretty vigorously. Not hard enough to completely smash them but hard enough to break the shells apart. Start lightly and if the shells are not breaking shake a bit harder. The shells should me mostly broke up and cracked to easily slide out of the shell.
- Now with your hands find the air pocket on one of the ends, it will usually be broken then just gently use your fingers to separate the shell from the egg. If you find one area has that hard to remove film just start peeling at the other end and it should come off perfect.
I use this method at least twice a month and usually cook 12-18 eggs at a time. Don’t skip the icing/cooling step, I think it really helps loosen up the shells from the egg. I hope some of these tips help you get the perfect hard-boiled egg every single time. Or if you love gadgets you can just buy the egg cooker my best buddy swears by but we eat entirely too many eggs in my family for that. I promise with only a pot with a lid, ice, and water you can do the same thing! What tips or tricks do you have for hard-boiled eggs?
