The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg

How does one achieve a perfect hard boiled egg?  We’re talking about a hard boiled egg that’s easy to peel.  An egg where the yolk is perfectly cooked and yellow and creamy.  A hard boiled egg that’s so perfect you dare not pulverize it into egg salad.  Let me tell you.

I consider myself a pretty damn good cook.  I’ve been cooking holiday meals for the family since I was a pre-teen.  I have a memory as an 8-year-old of trying to make cookies and asking my older sister the difference between shortening and butter – she wouldn’t tell me {tough love} .  I’ve been having people enjoy my food for decades.  My nemesis?  A freaking hard boiled egg. I have no idea why, but for years I was unable to cook a good hard boiled egg.  For some reason, the peel wouldn’t come off in one piece.  It was more like trying to pick individual pieces of sand of your sunscreen slathered toddler.  Then, once I finally got that peel off, I found that I had undercooked the egg and the yolk was still runny.  Or, worse yet, the yolk was so overcooked that the outside was brownish green.  Sam I am, I do not want green eggs [but I’ll always take the ham].  Here’s a good one…  one time I cooked a big batch of not-so-hard boiled eggs, the convert-foodie husband managed to get the peel off after a strenuous battle only to find the yolks were completely underdone.  In an effort to save the eggs, I consulted my dear friend, the internet.  Hark!  Did you know you could make hard boiled eggs in the oven?  I didn’t, but what a great way to finish them off, right?  Wrong.  I forgot about them and they basically exploded.  After the single cell oven massacre, the husband turned the oven off and walked away, mourning over the realization that I would never figure out how to properly hard boil an egg. I’m happy to tell you I have overcome my freakish inability to properly hard boil an egg.  The day has finally come.  Join me in my egg-static celebration {you have to make a post that’s entirely about an egg have at least one pun, right?}.

The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg

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Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: hard boiled egg

Author: Krissy Allori

Ingredients

• 1 dozen eggs white*
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

Instructions

• Arrange eggs in a single layer in a pot. Cover with at least an additional inch of cold water.
• Add vinegar to water.
• Turn heat on high and heat, uncovered, until the water starts to boil. Don’t cheat here. Wait for a real boil.
• Cover and remove from heat. Allow to sit in covered pot for 15 minutes. Use that kitchen timer because you will forget.
• Drain off hot water and immediately submerge eggs into ice water. Ensure there’s enough ice so that it doesn’t all melt. Allow to sit in ice water for at least 15 minutes.

Notes

* I'm super pretentious when it comes to my eggs and will only eat pasture raised organic fed eggs with large vibrant orange yolks and thick hard shells from a local farm. But for hard boiled eggs, I prefer the thin shelled white grocery store eggs. Still free range and vegetarian fed, of course.

Questions about the nutrition information?Check out my Nutrition Disclaimer