How to cook hard-boiled eggs properly
A hard-boiled egg is properly cooked when: shell is not broken, white and yolk are firm, yolk is only yellow with no traces of green around it. Here are some tips to make this easy.
1 hour 30 min.
Easy
4 eggs
1 IngredientLast modified on: November 4th 2013
For 4 eggs, you will need:
4 
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 8 min.
Resting: 1 hour 10 min.
Cooking: 10 min.
All in all: 1 hour 30 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 1 hour
First problem: how to prevent shell from breaking (as in this photo) and white spilling out into the water while cooking?
Egg shells break during cooking for two reasons:
1) Temperature difference, if they go straight from the fridge to boiling water, the shell always (or nearly always) breaks.
Solution: remove your eggs from the fridge at least one hour before cooking.
Note : Eggs don't need to be kept in the fridge.
Egg shells break during cooking for two reasons:
1) Temperature difference, if they go straight from the fridge to boiling water, the shell always (or nearly always) breaks.
Solution: remove your eggs from the fridge at least one hour before cooking.
Note : Eggs don't need to be kept in the fridge.
Stage 2
2) Because in the bottom part of the egg, the broader end, there is an air pocket (in red on the diagram), and when cooking this air expands and eventually breaks the shell.
You will notice that the older the egg is, the bigger the air pocket, so the risk of the shell breaking is greater with an old egg than a fresh one.
You will notice that the older the egg is, the bigger the air pocket, so the risk of the shell breaking is greater with an old egg than a fresh one.
Stage 3 - 1 min.
Solution: You need to pierce the air pocket so that the air can escape during cooking.
To do this you can use big needle or a small nail (as in the photo), push in it a few millimetres.
To do this you can use big needle or a small nail (as in the photo), push in it a few millimetres.
Stage 4
The aim is to just pierce the air pocket and to make a very small hole.
Stage 5 - 10 min.
Boil a pan of water, and lower in your pierced eggs gently, using a tablespoon.
Leave to cook 10 minutes, no more.
Leave to cook 10 minutes, no more.
Stage 6
If eggs cook longer, yolks will became yellow-green (as in this photo), and develop a sulphurous taste and smell, and white will become rubbery.
Stage 7
To demonstrate the effect of piercing: on left a pierced egg (shell intact), on right an un-pierced egg (shell broken).
Stage 8 - 10 min.
Cool eggs immediately by putting them into cold water.
Stage 9
To remove the shell, tap the bottom of the egg on your work surface to break it.
Stage 10
Do the same with the top of the egg.
Stage 11
Roll the egg round with your hand to break all the shell.
Stage 12 - 5 min.
Then remove the shell, as if peeling the egg.
Stage 13 - 2 min.
Wash the egg to remove any small pieces of shell, and leave in cold water, or covered in the fridge, until using.
Stage 14
Another way to cook, probably priceless: Fill the pan with cold water to submerge the eggs (drilled) and bring to boil.
When boiling is reached, cover, remove from heat and let stay for 10 minutes.
When boiling is reached, cover, remove from heat and let stay for 10 minutes.
Remarks
Gaston Lenôtre, in his books, say that boiling water for eggs should be salted and vinegared. Probably because egg shells are porous, and so that salted water can salt the egg when cooking?
I've tried it, but I don't taste a real difference. What about you?
I've tried it, but I don't taste a real difference. What about you?
Keeping: A few days in the fridge, in a closed jar.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 30 RDI=10 % | 0 | 20 RDI=3 % | 290 RDI=20 % | 1,220 RDI: 20 % |
| Per 100 g | 10 RDI=5 % | 0 | 10 RDI=2 % | 150 RDI=7 % | 610 RDI: 7 % |
| Per eggs | 6 RDI=2 % | 0 | 5 RDI=1 % | 70 RDI=4 % | 310 RDI: 4 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 4 eggs : 0.60 €
- Per eggs : 0.15 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
Some other recipes using this recipeSee them all 46
Gribouille dressing
Gribouille dressing is based on a rémoulade dressing, with shallot, herbs, hard-boiled egg and tuna added. It goes well with fish and vegetables of all kinds and makes a great sandwich filling.
30 K 20 min.
Bistro sandwich
The filling for this indulgent baguette sandwich is made with hard-boiled eggs and cold meat in a rémoulade dressing.
44 K 20 min.
Lambé salad
Lambé's salad is a rather original salad with chickpeas, mimosa eggs, cheese and, above all, a crunchy buckwheat pancake, broken into small pieces and added at the last moment.
5,063 30 min.
White asparagus salad
This spring salad combines warm white asparagus, hard-boiled eggs and small croutons, dressed with a tasty herb vinaigrette.
120 K4.3 50 min.
Baby spinach salad
It might not be obvious, but spinach can be eaten raw, as in this salad, where the leaves are shredded and mixed with croutons, lardons (bacon bits) and hard-boiled eggs.
85 K 45 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Egg
Like these other recipes: Chestnut and hazelnut biscuits, Chocolate sweetcrust pastry, Savoury mini-madeleines with 2 cheeses, Polpete, Lemon tart, ... See them all 226
Other recipes you may also like
Clarified butter
This is a way of melting butter to eliminate all the impurities. The clarified butter can then be heated without spoiling, and is more digestible. It is ideal for cooking at high temperatures where small black specks would spoil the appearance, or for emulsified sauces like béarnaise or mousseline.June 21th 2017456 K4.2 2 hours 15 min.
Sweetcrust pastry (pâte sablée)
Sweetcrust pastry is one of the basic pastry of French patisserie, used in many tart and cakes recipes, but it can also be rolled out and cut into biscuits, delicious with tea or coffee. This recipe is given for those who have a mixer (Kenwood, KitchenAid or other), but it can also be done with your...July 1st 2019476 K 24.4 35 min.
Apricot and almond cream tart
Half apricots arranged on a thin layer of almond cream.July 12th 2023325 K4.1 1 hour 45 min.
Panna cotta
Panna cotta is an Italian dessert which means "cooked cream". It's a set vanilla cream, similar to blancmange, which is frequently served with other things like fruit coulis (fruit purée), caramel etc.. Here is the basic panna cotta recipe.February 21th 2011345 K4.3 25 min.
Tart Tatin
Tart tatin is one of the great classic desserts of French cooking. It's an apple tart cooked upside down. Apples are cooked in sugar until they caramelise. Then a circle of puff pastry is put on top, and the whole tart is baked at 356°F (180°C) for 20 minutes. To serve, the tart is turned over so...October 30th 2015400 K 13.8 1 hour 20 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2024-11-24)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Follow this recipe (as 6 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.
The 6 comments already posted on this recipe
pierce the eggs. Maybe they will shell easier.
This is true in countries that do not wash eggs but in countries that do eggs must be kept refrigerated.
The washing process strips away the natural protection of the egg.