Video How to get yolk out of hard boiled egg

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Perfect hard-boiled eggs have whites that are firm but not rubbery and yolks that are cooked and still creamy, without a layer of grey around them. This tutorial shows how to make perfect hard-boiled eggs, every time.

Reading: how to get yolk out of hard boiled egg

a bowl filled with whole eggs with some halved eggs around it

Table of Contents

How to Cook Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs Every Time

Today’s post is pretty much as basic as it gets but such a vital skill to have in the kitchen, in my opinion. Because one of my pet peeves is overcooked hard-boiled eggs – you know, the ones that have the ugly green-grey ring around the yolk when you slice them in half and a rubbery texture?

It’s so simple to get perfect hard boiled eggs that are soft and mellow with the perfect, creamy pale yellow yolk in the center and no unsightly grey ring!

a sliced in half boiled egg on a paper towel with a bowl of eggs down below

We tend to eat a LOT of eggs around here and there is often a bowl of hard-boiled eggs in the fridge for a quick, easy breakfast or lunch or snack. They are so easy to chop up and throw into salads for some extra protein.

Last week when we were in Yosemite, I packed a picnic lunch with egg-salad and made sandwiches that were gone faster than you can say “Yogi Bear”.

And when we were doing a Whole30 last year, Paul liked taking them to work for a breakfast on the go.

a bowl of eggs

If you are interested in other kitchen tutorials I have posted you might want to check out how to make roasted garlic or how to make roasted red peppers. Here are some unnecessary pictures walking you through the process of how to make perfect hard boiled eggs.

1. Place the eggs in the bottom of a saucepan or pot in a single layer and cover them with at least an inch of water.

I was just doing 6 eggs this day so I used a small saucepan but this approach works for more eggs as long as you use a larger pot.

eggs and water in a stainless steel pot on a stove

2. Bring the water to a full, rolling boil over high heat, then cover with a lid, turn off the heat, and set the timer for 12 minutes.

There are theories that adding a teaspoon of vinegar or 1/2 a teaspoon of salt to the water can make the eggs easier to peel but I don’t know. It doesn’t seem to make a difference to me.

But definitely set your timer once you put the lid on and turn the heat off. 12 minutes is perfect for me, every time, but if your eggs are smaller or you live at a higher altitude, that could have some impact and you might need a minute or two more or a minute or two less.

But having cooked eggs this way in Utah (higher elevation) and California (lower elevation), 12 minutes is pretty much the gold standard for me.

eggs boiling in a pot of water on a stovetop

3. Run cold water over the cooked eggs to stop the cooking process.

As soon as the timer goes off, take the lid off the eggs and set them in the sink under the tap.

Drain the hot water and run cold water over the eggs to cool them quickly and stop the cooking process. I usually hold my pan at an angle for a minute or so because the hot eggs will warm up cold water pretty fast. After a minute or two under cold water, you can drain the water and store the cooked hard-boiled eggs in a covered container in the fridge for 5 days.

sink faucet pouring water into a pot of eggs

4. Peel your perfect hard-boiled eggs and enjoy!

My best tip for peeling hard-boiled eggs without having the egg white fall apart is to crack the shell on the bottom, rounded part of the egg instead of the pointier end or on the sides of the egg. The round bottom area is where the air bubble is and if you start peeling from there you have your best shot at getting the shell off without massacring the white.

a hand holding up a perfectly peeled egg with a bowl of eggs and empty pot in the background

Once I get the egg peeled, I always give them a quick rinse, just in case there are any small pieces of shell stuck to the egg.

a bowl of eggs behind a sliced hard boiled egg on a paper towel

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