Full Belly Fundamentals: How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

delaney inman
Mar 25, 2024
2 min read

Updated: Nov 18, 2024

There is some controversy in the hard boiled egg community about whether to start with cold water or boiling water. I choose to start with boiling water because I find that it creates more consistent results and removes variables such as how hot your stove gets from the equation.

This blog post and photo shows eggs boiled for between six minutes, with a soft jammy yolk and a firm white, and 12 minutes, with completely set yolks and whites. The six minute egg is my personal favorite. I love using it as a substitute for poached eggs at breakfast time. The 10 and 12 minute eggs are perfect for deviled eggs or on salads!

Let's boil!

Essential Equipment

A medium or large pot, depending on how many eggs that you are cooking at once, with a lid. Mine is the big deal pot from Great Jones.

You need a strainer or a slotted spoon to transfer the eggs.

A large bowl for the ice bath. I normally use the largest bowl from this set.

Step 1: Boil

Bring water to a gentle boil in a medium pot.

Step 2: Add eggs

Gently lower the eggs into the water with a spoon or a strainer. I kind of roll them out of the spoon so that they do not crack when they hit the bottom of the pan.

Step 3: Cook

Cook for the amount of time that produces the egg that you want. Make sure that you start the timer after the egg is in the water.

Time Cooking (minutes)	Consistency	Use For
6	jammy yolks on the verge of being runny, barely set whites	On toast, substitute for poached egg in Turkish eggs
8	jammy yellows that are fully cooked along the perimeter, set whites	Egg salad, toast if you prefer your eggs not runny
10	fully cooked yolks and firm whites	Deviled eggs, cobb and niçoise salads, stand alone as a snack with no potential for dripping
12	completely cooked whites and yellows, these are a bit overcooked for my taste!	Deviled eggs, cobb and niçoise salads

Step 4: Ice

While the egg is boiling, add ice to a large bowl with cold water. Once the egg had been boiling for the amount of time that you desire, remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the ice bath immediately. Let sit in the ice bath for at least 10 minutes.