Perfect Boiled Eggs
Boiled eggs are only predictable if you lower them into water that is already boiling rather than heating them up with it. Then the clock always starts at the same instant, and the difference between a runny yolk and a jammy one is exactly one minute on the timer.
- Prep
- 3 min
- Cook
- 11 min
- Total
- 14 min
- Servings
- 2
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 235 kcal
Ingredients
Makes: 6 eggs, serves 2
Shopping list
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Method
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Step 1: Boil the water
Choose a pan that holds the eggs in one layer, add 6 cm of water and the salt, and bring it to the boil.
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Step 2: Lower the eggs in
Turn the heat down to a steady boil and lower the eggs in with a spoon. The temperature shock occasionally cracks a shell; salt in the water helps the white seal a crack quickly.
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Step 3: The timing table
For large fridge-cold eggs: 6 minutes gives a runny yolk, 7 a jammy one, 8 nearly set, 9 firm but still bright, 11 fully hard. Take 30 seconds off for medium eggs.
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Step 4: Keep the boil gentle
A rolling boil knocks the eggs against the base and each other and cracks the shells. You only need the surface bubbling evenly.
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Step 5: Straight into iced water
Lift them out with a slotted spoon into a bowl of water and ice for 3 minutes. The cold stops the cooking and shrinks the white away from the shell, which makes peeling far easier.
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Step 6: Peel under water
Tap the blunt end, where the air pocket sits, roll the egg on the worktop to craze the shell all over, and peel under a thin stream of cold water.
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Step 7: Serve
Halve them and season the cut faces. Hard-boiled eggs taste better warm than straight from the fridge.
Tips & variations
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Tip
The grey-green ring around the yolk is an iron-sulphur compound formed by overcooking. There is no reason to boil past 12 minutes.
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Tip
The freshest eggs peel worst, because the white clings to the membrane. For hard-boiled eggs use ones a week or two old.
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Variation
Marinate 7-minute eggs overnight in soy sauce, water and a spoonful of sugar for a ramen-style snack.
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Storage
Five days in the fridge in their shells, two days peeled in a sealed container.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 2 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 235 kcal | 470 kcal |
| Protein | 19 g | 38 g |
| Fat | 16 g | 32 g |
| Carbohydrates | 1 g | 2 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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