How Long Do Hard Boiled Eggs Have To Cook

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One thing every home cook worth their salt should have is a foolproof method for hard-boiling eggs, and not just during April, when you're likely getting ready to dye a few dozen for Easter. (This year, skip the food coloring and use pantry items to dye your eggs.)

Hard-boiled eggs are great in all kinds of ways. No classic party is complete without deviled egg hors d'oeuvres of course, but you can also add half a jammy hard-boiled egg to spruce up a bowl of ramen or other soup, or you can eat one smeared with a little mayo, as the French do, for a simple-but-satisfying breakfast. And of course what would a picnic be without a gussied-up egg salad?

Sure, it sounds simple—just submerge the eggs in boiling water for a while (how long again?) and you're good to go. That'll work, of course, but if you want to avoid chalky, overcooked green yolks, or egg shells that adhere, glue-like, to the white, then there are a few things you can do to make your egg cooking infinitely better. Here are a few tips, plus an easy recipe below. And don't forget to read up on the best way to peel hard-boiled eggs, too!

Three Tips for Making Better Hard-Boiled Eggs

Use a lot of water. This ensures that the eggs won't significantly lower the temperature of the water when you're putting them in, which helps keep cooking times consistent—and seems to help keep the shells from sticking! And this way, you can drop them in straight from the fridge, without having to let them come to room temp.

Bring the water to a full boil, then slowly drop the eggs in. This also helps keep cooking times consistent.

Don't immediately drop them into ice-water after cooking.You may have been taught this trick to stop the egg from cooking. Unfortunately, it will make the eggshell stick to the white more often than not. Instead, drain them, and the run under cool (but not cold) water for a minute, then peel. Alternatively you can leave them unpeeled, let them come to room temperature, and put them in the fridge where they'll keep for about a week.

Yields: 6 servings

Total Time: 0 hours 20 mins

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Bring a large pot filled with at least two quarts of water to a boil over high heat.
Add eggs, and continue to boil until desired level of doneness: 6 minutes for a wet yolk and firm white, 8 minutes for a jammy yolk, and 12 minutes for a firm, hard yolk.
Remove from heat, drain, and run under cool water until eggs are cool enough to handle. Peel, and eat.

Christopher Michel Chris is the Senior Food & Garden Editor at Country Living, where he covers all things edible or growable.

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