Ways of Boiling Eggs

Eggs are good for the human body – they contain vitamins A, D, and E, all the fats (especially lecithin), iron, sulfur, and proteins. Boiling eggs is a great way to create an instant meal without too much ado – all you need to do is choose whether you like them soft or hard.

Boiling eggs can be tricky because you do not find out whether you have done it correctly until you cut open the product. The underlying process is a little more complicated than many people suspect, with a wide variety of factors influencing how the finished egg turns out. The good news is there are methods for nearly ensuring the right result each time, and just by following the steps here, you will get the results you are looking for.

1. Choose your preferred style of boiled eggs. Are you someone who prefers a soft-boiled egg or a hard-boiled egg? Occasionally, you might even have to make different levels of boiled egg just to please every member of the household! The times suggested throughout this article are dependent on personal preference, so some experimenting should take place. The types of boiled egg are:
   
   
2. Choose your method. As you will see from the following various suggested methods, making boiled eggs is something of an art form that has arisen through trial and error for many centuries. If you don't already have a preferred method, perhaps try out each method to achieve the desired result before choosing one that you intend to rely on.
   
   
   • For soft boiled eggs, the rule of thumb is to use the shorter cooking times for softly set whites and runny yolks. Increase the cooking time for firmly set whites and slightly set yolks.
   • For hard-boiled eggs, bear in mind that cooking the eggs any longer than 12 minutes should not be done because this risks turning the whites rubbery and the yolks crumbly
   • If you want the egg yolk to remain centered (often important for appearance when using a hard-boiled egg for a special dish), cook the eggs in cold water from the start and slowly bring to the boil. Stir gently using a wooden spoon as this happens, until they're boiling, and you'll find that the yolks stay centered.
   • Note that when a method suggests boiling once the eggs are in the water, that this means simmering. Rapid boiling will cause the eggs to turn rubbery and tough.  High cooking temperatures toughen the protein in eggs, and since eggs coagulate with heat, the best cooking methods will always involve cooking slowly at a low temperature.
3.  Prepare the egg. Eggs that have been refrigerated for several days have a higher  and are more likely to crack, but they are easier to peel. Cooking expert Rose Elliot recommends pricking the egg at its rounded end prior to boiling. She suggests that doing this helps the air to escape and prevents the egg from bursting or cracking. Special egg-prickers can be purchased, or you can use a needle. Alternatively, if you've never found this to be an issue with the eggs you use because you've kept them at room temperature or they're fresh from the hens, then you probably don't need to worry about it.
   
   
   • In each case, you can boil more than one egg at a time; just be sure there is sufficient room. It is possible to purchase special egg holders for more than one egg boiling – speak to a kitchen retailer for more details.
   • If the eggs do crack, a few drops of vinegar will stop leakage from the shell.
   • A cracked egg can also be wrapped in aluminum foil and boiled.
4. Remove hot eggs with care. Use a slotted spoon to remove eggs from boiling water and take the usual precautions around hot water.
   

1. Choose room temperature eggs.
   
   
2. Lay the eggs gently in an empty pot.
   
   
3. Cover the eggs with about 1" or 2.5cm of water. Use room temperature water. If the water is cold, the eggs will take longer to cook. If the water is hot, though, you may risk the water getting too hot too early and overcooking the eggs (that is, exposing the eggs to boiling temperature for too long).
   
4. Cover the pot.
   
   
5. Bring the water to a boil. Stay close and listen; you should be able to hear the water come to a boil. Do not remove the lid to check. Remove the pot from heat as soon as the water is boiling. The eggs will not overcook. Keep the lid on so the water remains at slightly below boiling point. At this stage, decide about how long you want to leave the eggs in for:
   
   
   • Let the eggs sit for 3 to 5 minutes for coddled or "soft-boiled" eggs - runny yolk.
   • Let the eggs sit for 5-6 minutes for Mollet eggs - slightly runny yolk.
   • Remove the eggs as soon as the water boils. This is one method suggested by the Larousse Gastronomique for the cold water to boiling method.