How to Tell When a Boiled Egg Is Done
Hard-boiled eggs are the gold standard of high protein ingredients. They're simple and delicious—whether you eat them plain or sprinkled with salt—they can be made in large batches and stored in your fridge for up to a week, and you can serve them in everything from salads to sandwiches to soups. They also come in their own portable little eggshell containers, so just toss 'em in your lunch or gym bag for a super snack, and be on your merry way. Versatile, nutritious, delicious—there is literally nothing more you could want from a food.
I could wax poetic about hard-boiled eggs all day (seriously, I'm obsessed). But instead, I'm going to tell you exactly how to cook them perfectly every single time, because unless you have X-ray vision, it can be pretty tough to tell what's going on under that shell. Indeed, there is a right way and a wrong way to hard boil, and, according to Nick Korbee, executive chef of the New York restaurant Egg Shop, and author of the forthcoming Egg Shop Cookbook, the wrong way will leave you with something chalky and grey—something that he says looks (and tastes) like the Death Star.
First things first: Here's the wrong way to boil an egg.
As you could probably guess, the easiest way to do it is not the best. (Oh, if only life worked like that.) Korbee says the number-one no-no is when you put your eggs and water into a pot at the same time, and bring them to a boil together. Time-saver? Sure. Quality-maker? Nope. "I think that this sounds foolproof and tempting, but it's the least effective way to get a good result," he tells SELF. If your egg is in the water the entire time that it's coming to a boil, odds are it's going to end up overcooked and Death Star-y.
Now, here's how to get a perfectly hard-boiled egg, every time.
For best results, Korbee he recommends adding the eggs after you've already boiled the water, and then submerging them in an ice bath right when they're finished. With this method, he says that there's really no magic to it. "You've got a hot egg, you've cooked it for this long, and you cool it down—you're in control."
Step 1: Boil and season your water.
Boil a pot of water. Korbee tells SELF you want the eggs submerged beneath 1 inch of water, so keep this in mind when you fill your pot. He also recommends seasoning the water with vinegar and salt. These ingredients will do little to the taste of the eggs, but they may make them easier to peel.
Step 2: Then, prepare an ice bath.
Korbee insists that this step is crucial. "Running eggs under cool water will never cool them down quick enough to get the internal temperature you need—an ice bath is the way to go." Making an ice bath is easy: Just fill a bowl with ice, and top the ice off with tap water. It will be chilled just right by the time your eggs are finished boiling.
How to Tell When a Boiled Egg Is Done
Source: https://www.self.com/story/the-best-way-to-hard-boil-an-egg