The Elusive Perfectly Cooked Hard Boiled Egg

A hard boiled egg. It sounds so simple, right? I mean it's two ingredients, eggs and water, so how come it is so difficult to get the perfect hard boiled egg? They are either undercooked or have that unappetizing gray ring around the yolk, neither of which are the outcomes that you were aiming for. So here I am, your own little Hard Boiled Egg Fairy to give you the gift of just how to get to that hard boiled egg that you continue to attempt over and over and yet it eludes you. I may not be the Tooth Fairy but I think the information that you are about to receive is just as exciting as money under your pillow, or at least close.

I too was a victim of the hard boiled egg so in a state of determination I researched and tried many different ways, none of which gave me the result I was looking for. I then went rogue and started experimenting on my own with times and to let the water boil or not boil and the perfect water temperature, and finally I sliced an egg in the middle and inside was like a beautiful ray of sunshine. It was the perfectly cooked hard boiled egg! And its so simple! So here I am to share my knowledge with you and lead you away from the path of frustration and angst.

Directions:

Step 1: Using a pot with a lid, place the eggs in cold water in about an inch of water or how I measure it is to fill the water until it almost reaches the second knuckle of my pointer finger.

Step 2: Put the water on medium-high heat until you reach a slow boiling point (past simmering but not to an full aggressive boil). This step is very important because letting it go to too much of a boiling point risks the eggs cracking.

Step 3: Once the water reaches the slow boiling point cover with a lid and turn of the burner.

Step 4: Use a kitchen timer! Set the kitchen timer to 12 minutes.

Step 5: Get an ice bath ready for the eggs for when the 12 minutes is done. This is simply an bowl of cold water with ice added to it. Do not wait until the 12 minutes is up to start this task, have it ready and available.

Step 6: When the timer goes off, using  a slotted spoon, remove the eggs from the pot and place it in the ice bath.

Step 7: Leave the eggs in the ice bath for 10 minutes and there you have it, The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg!

Just one last word of advance and this is because I have been guilty of this crime. Don't get wrapped up watering the garden or an intense video game session or Words With Friends game when you start your eggs because you find yourself forgetting and coming back to boiling water and no clue how long the water has been boiling or even to a timer that has been going off for some time. I am not saying that you should sit there and watch it ("A watched pot never boils") but stay in the vicinity and check on your eggs a few times to see if the water is close to a boil and if you see the water simmering, just be patient, as hard as it is, and wait because it is only a matter of time before it reaches a soft boil.

Good luck and may there be many Egg Salad Sandwiches and Deviled Eggs in your future.

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