How to Boil an Egg
When it comes to boiling an egg – timing is everything.
Eggs are a fantastic source of protein and you can have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you have them for breakfast they can fill you up until lunch time. You can boil you eggs in advance and enjoy them throughout the week as a mid morning snack or the main ingredient to your curried egg sandwich or add to your tuna salad.
Test your eggs
Before you do anything, test your eggs for freshness. Eggs can be kept in the fridge for up to 6 weeks. The use by date on the packaging is only a guide. Once you have cracked an egg that is off – you won’t forget the smell and will always check before you crack the shell in the future…
Check the egg by gently placing it in a clear bowl with water.
If the egg:
- lies on its side – it is fresh;
- stands on its end – it is still okay;
- floats – it stale, most likely bad – bin it.
Common mistakes when booking boiled eggs
Adding eggs straight from the refrigerator. Bring the egg to room temperature so it is less likely to crack with the shock of being added to warm water.
Dropping the eggs into the water. The shell is delicate and you don’t want it to crack, use a spoon to gently add your eggs to the water use a table spoon or a slotted spoon.
Cooking the eggs with an off-centre yolk. If your eggs aren’t super fresh and you want to have the yolk in the centre when cooked, gently swirl them in the pot of water for a minute or two.
Overcrowding the pot. If you have too many eggs in the pot they will knock together and crack or slow down the cooking time.
Adding eggs to rapidly boiling water. If the water is too bubbly the eggs will bounce around and the shell will crack. Add your eggs to warm water and bring to a simmer a gentle simmer until they are cooked to your liking (see below).
Leaving your eggs in hot water after they have come off the heat. To prevent the green / grey ring around the yolk, remove the eggs from the warm water and plunge them into very cold water. Lightly crack the shell a little on one side. This will also help the shell to come off easily, BTW – if the egg does have a grey ring around the yolk – it’s still okay to eat – it just doesn’t look appetizing.
How to boil an egg
Add the room temperature eggs to enough warm water to cover the eggs by about 2 cm of water and bring the water to a gentle simmer until they are cooked to your liking (see below). Remove from the water and plunge into a bowl of ice cold water, lightly crack the side.
How long to boil an egg:
- 5 minutes: set white and runny yolk – just right for dipping into
- 6 minutes: liquid yolk – a little less oozy
- 7 minutes: almost set – deliciously sticky
- 8 minutes: softly set – this is what you want to make Scotch eggs
- 10 minutes: the classic hard-boiled egg – mashable but not dry and chalky
When you learn how to boil an egg to your liking you’ll never be too far away from the brink of starvation!
Related Article: How to Poach an Egg
Resources: Find egg more recipes ideas here
