How to Boil a Perfect Boiled Egg

How to boil a perfect boiled egg step by step takes only one second water boil and 8 minutes sitting in the water. For a soft-boiled egg only 6-7 minutes is required. Follow these easy steps to boil the perfect egg for egg-salad sandwiches, potato salad, or even deviled eggs. Several of my favorite meals to eat these sides with consist of my skillet pepper steak recipe, watch my YouTube video on how I like mine cooked, and with smoked steak and chicken salad to enjoy a delicious meal.

Never cook an egg that has been cracked prior to placing it in the water to boil, it is unsafe to eat, even boiled. Using filtered water is vital if you have city chlorine water or contaminates inside your well water. I use a Berkey for my every day filtered water and love it! I’ll leave the link to that down below. Just a side note, if you are using eggs from your chickens, I highly recommend washing them with our veggie soap listed in the shop section.

• Wash eggs if necessary
• Place filtered room temperature or cold water in a pot large enough to cover the eggs by 1 inch or more
• Boil the water and the eggs until the water boils rapidly
• Immediately turn off the heat source
• Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid
• Set the timer for 8 minutes for medium eggs or 9-12 minutes for large and extra-large eggs
• Remove the eggs from the water and submerge in cold or even ice water for 5 minutes
• Dry off the eggs with a towel
• Write the date on the eggs with a pencil
• Store in a tight-fitting jar

Should you boil eggs in hot or cold water?

If using hot water on cold eggs will almost certainly crack the eggs due to rapid temperature change. If the eggs are room temperature like mine are, I will use warm water to begin with. But if the eggs are coming from the fridge then I will use the coldest water possible.

How to boil eggs without breaking

By not allowing the water to rapidly boil for minutes while cooking eliminates the eggs breaking from bouncing in the water as they boil. The no-boil water works for me without breaking the eggs.

Can you eat boiled eggs that float?

You can eat boiled eggs that is floating vertically or slightly at an angle while still touching the bottom of the pan. But, if the whole egg is floating to the top of the water, it is usually past its prime for consuming. If the egg is fully floating before boiling, remove it from the pan and do not cook it, it is too questionable to consume, in my opinion.

Also, using an egg recently laid from the chicken is not recommended. Only for the fact, a very fresh egg is much harder to peel than an egg that is a week old. Older eggs are perfect for baking and making hard-boiled eggs. Fresh ones are saved for breakfast.

How long can hard-boiled eggs sit on the counter once cooked?

Once the hard-boiled eggs have been cooked properly, allowing them to cool on the counter should be less than a few hours. Hard-boiled eggs should be stored with their shells on until the moment they will be consumed.

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Storing hard-boiled eggs in the fridge

It is best to consume hard-boiled eggs within one week of making them. The outer eggshell creates a protective barrier preventing bacteria from entering. If the shell is cracked, it is always best to consume those first. Writing the date on the shells will ensure the date is known to calculate the expiration date.

Preventing hard-boiled eggs from smelling up the fridge

The reason I place hard-boiled eggs in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid is to prevent the other foods in the fridge from picking up the smells from the boiled eggs. This also prevents the eggs from being dropped or mistaken for a raw egg.

Can you get Salmonella from hard-boiled eggs?

The general answer to whether you can get Salmonella from hard-boiled eggs is, no. The inside of raw eggs can contain a germ called Salmonella that can you make you extremely if the egg is not properly cooked or not handled properly. Once the egg is boiled and refrigerated, the risk of Salmonella is not common. By properly cooking the eggs, the high heat of the water which is usually held around 160 degrees of the internal egg temperature can kill the bacteria Salmonella.

Signs of a bad boiled egg

You will most definitely be able to tell if a hard-boiled egg has gone bad to the point of it being non-editable by the odor. If the hard-boiled egg smells like sulfur or smells unpleasant, immediately discard it where humans or animals cannot get to it. I use my garbage disposal for removing hard-boiled eggs that are past their prime.

Re-boiling hard-boiled eggs

If for some reason, you crack a hard-boiled egg right after cooking and it is not hard enough inside, you may immediately boil them again for a longer time. Preferably using the hot water again if possible.

How to peel an egg without the shell sticking

There are two ways I peel my eggs:

1. Put the cold hard-boiled egg in a glass canning jar with the lid on and shake my frustrations out
2. Roll the hard-boiled egg on my porcelain sink back and forth over the draining (washboard)

Other ways to peel a hard-boiled egg

Baking soda may make hard-boiled eggs easier to peel since baking soda raises the PH level in the egg, thus claims have said to make them easier to peel. If you want to give this a try, sprinkle about a rounded ¼ teaspoon in the water just as the eggs begin to boil, before shutting the heat source off.

Using the Instant Pot to boil hard-boiled eggs

If using the Instant Pot, for a hard-boiled egg to be used in egg-salad sandwiches, potato salad or deviled eggs do the following steps:

• Place eggs on a rack in the Instant Pot
• Use the correct amount of water per directions (usually at least one to one and a half cups)
• Manual cook for 5 minutes if your Instant Pot does not have an egg setting
• Natural release at least 3 minutes up to 5 minutes
• Quick release immediately after the 3-5-minute natural release
• Remove the eggs from the water and submerge in cold or even ice water for 5 minutes
• Dry off the eggs with a towel
• Store in a tight-fitting jar up to one week

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Recycled boiled egg water

Recycle the water from the boiled eggs for inside or outside plants. Don’t forget the compost and the worm bin. They all benefit from the water that is rich in minerals and calcium! By not boiling the eggs using my method allows the precious minerals and calcium, to actually leech out in the water to be used for many ways. Be sure to let the water come to room temperature before watering the plants so not to scald them.

Boiled eggshells use

There are Many Uses for Eggshells in the garden to help for a more healthy life for your new and old plants. Don’t know how to garden but want to start your own? No worries, my Gardening tips for beginners will give you my tips on being successful. The Beginners blog is packed with so much information that some of you may not have even heard of!

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