How about a how to on perfect soft boiled eggs? That's trickier, no?

This is exactly how I do it. I've never had a bad batch of eggs doing it this way. The ice water bath is key to removing any sulfurous nastiness.

I've actually done it this way and had white that weren't all the way set.

I do something similar, but I let it boil for about 2 minutes, then I let them sit, covered, for 10 minutes.

I do it this way (except I usually leave them for 12 minutes in the hot water). Perfectly yellow yolks.

I once watched in horror as my roommate boiled a pan of eggs for 25 solid minutes and then left them in the hot water for an hour to cool. She offered me one but I politely declined.

I steam my eggs to hard. They always turn out perfectly yellow, no green rings. about 20 minutes of steaming for 8-12 eggs.

let your eggs sit on the counter for a little bit, to take the fridge chill off them before steaming.

@jaybee - We'll be doing a soft-boiled egg tutorial in a few days. Keep an eye out!

But what about at altitude? Not everyone lives @ sea level.

I pretty much do the same, but before I put the eggs into cold water I crack the shell a little. It supposedly enables steam to get between the shell and the egg white, making it easier to remove the shell once it has cooled completely. Whether that's actually true or not, it's how Grandma always did it and I don't dare question her technique!

This is the method I use as well, though I let them sit covered for about 15 mins. I never had success with hard boiled eggs until I started using this method.

Corrie, I'm going to try your grandma's trick next time. I am awful at peeling eggs and I do let them soak in cold water first.

I start with cold water and bring to a boil, and let it boil for 7 minutes. Then an immediate bath in ice water. Odd thing is, I could swear I read about that method here the last time you did a "how to" on how to boil eggs...

My dad wanted me to make potato salad for supper, and as I was going to be out all day I asked him to boil the eggs.

Well that was a disaster - he forgot about them. FOR 1.5 HOURS. First he acted like he boiled them for 20 minutes, but when I cracked them open to see WHITE yolks, the truth came out.

Similar to *corrie, i use a thumbtack and poke a teeny hole into the flatter end of the egg. Perfect every time.

Oh, but I poke the hole BEFORE I boil them. This tends to keep them from cracking in the water.

SALT. I cannot stress the importance of adding salt to the water as it boils. This changes the boiling point of the water and results in beautiful and easily peeled eggs every time. Other than that, I do everything almost exactly the same. I just use cold tap water instead of ice water.

What LovieDovie said. Must add salt into the water.

I almost always stick to the 10 minutes, but I've actually found that with this method there's some flexibility in the timing. Anything from 7 minutes to 13 minutes has actually produced nearly exactly the same results for me. I don't usually mess around with the times, but when I've ignored the timer, or jumped the gun, I've still had great results. Perfectly tender, moist yolks with no green, and fluffy tender whites.

I heard this method on 30 Minute Meals many years ago (maybe circa 2003-04?) and have been making them this way ever since. Works great every time!

I will say that for 6 or less eggs, I can get away with using a small sauce pan, but for 6 or more, I always use a 5-7 quart metal dutch oven/pot.

I've done this on both gas and electric stoves, and neither seems to make a difference in the results. Definitely the best way to do hard boiled eggs!

I always get perfect hard boiled eggs. I follow the first few steps same as you, but once the water boils, I set a timer for 5 minutes, and walk away. When the timer dings, I drain off the hot water and run cold water into the pan and over the eggs, and then toss in a handful of ice cubes. Perfect eggs, every time.

For 100% hard boiled eggs, same method as Tzurriz except that I omit the ice cubes and crack the shell a little to allow the water cool it down faster and make peeling easier. Works great every time.

My newly discovered favourite 'doneness' is when the white is completely solid, but the yolk is just barely solid, still orange instead of yellow and nice and soft and maybe still a tiny bit gooey. BEST EVER! It is the exactl length of time it takes for me to dry my hair after a shower and brush my teeth.. Umm.. I guess I need to go time it? =D

I personally like a 6 minute egg. Same technique, shorter time. The yolk is very slightly undercooked, moist, delicious. I actually just made some about 20 minutes ago :)

Oh, also, when I have trouble peeling an egg (some shells just don't want to peel off in a big sheet), I'll break through the top where the air pocket is, and then slide a spoon around the egg. The spoon (mostly) slips right around and takes the shell of in one or a few big pieces. It's not a perfect technique, but it's good in a pinch.

I've made hardboiled eggs just like this two times recently, with a little salt added, and I have never met batches of eggs that were so difficult to peel.

Then I read on someone's food blog that it's all about using old eggs. My farm fresh eggs are not going to peel easily unless I let them sit unboiled in the fridge for a long time.

Thats how I do it! Comes out perfect every time :)

I bring it the pan to the boil, turn off the hea tand let it sit for 7 minutes or so. No salt, nothing. Never had a problem and even better you don't need to hang around keeping an eye on it while it boils.

Bibliovore - a few shakes of salt per egg is enough. However, eggs that are very fresh do not peel well regardless of the amount of salt. So it's better to use eggs that have been sitting around for a while.

(salt can prevent the shells from cracking during boiling)

I was always taught to put a splash of vinegar in to prevent cracking as they cook.

I'd love to see a tutorial on tea eggs for some of the "don't overcook them" fussbudgets.

that's exactly how I cook my eggs!!! :)

Adding baking soda to the water (about 1 tsp/quart) raises the ph level and makes the eggs much, much easier to peel (I also add a teeny bit to the cold soaking water). There is no change in flavor.

I always use older eggs but only cook them under very low heat for 7 minutes. I like the softer yolk.

@LovieDovie-- I heard somewhere (maybe here?) that salting water doesn't actually change the boiling point, it just adds flavor- so it's traditionally done in pasta water because unsalted pasta is just gross.

Ok, I have tried this method SO many times because I want it to work sooooo bad, but I can NEVER PEEL THE EGGS! I don't know what the problem is- I salt the water, bring to a boil, and leave covered for 12 minutes then plunk them in an ice bath and the eggs will not peel! WILL NOT PEEL.

Maybe it's something to do with the eggs in Dubai? Now I have to boil them for 7 minutes straight to get the peel off. Oh, and it's nothing to do with my peeling method, I swear!

I like the Joy of Cooking method: bring water to boil, add eggs, reduce to simmer for about 14 minutes (less for smaller eggs), dunk in cold water. Works perfectly every time for me.

The best way to boil an egg by far is used in Germany... They have these egg pokers (but you can use any pin) and poke a hole in the bottom of the egg. Boil water, add the egg(s) while boiling and for a hard egg remove after 11 minutes and for a soft egg after 7. Put the eggs immediately into an ice bath after removing from heat. They are by far easier to peel than anything else.

I use Jacques Pepin's method which is similar to what some are posting. I use the tip of a paring knife to poke a tiny hole in the end, then drop the eggs into gently simmering water (low boil), cook for 12+ mins (depends on size of egg), then drain - crack slightly and put in an ice bath for a few minutes. You will have no green rings on the yolks, no sulphur smell and they are very easy to peel.
Putting the hole in the end allows air to escape while they're cooking and keeps the eggs totally submerged, which is why they cook so well, and then eases peeling.

I discovered this year that I can hard boil eggs in my electric kettle. I put 4-6 eggs in the kettle, cover them with water, then turn on the kettle. It automatically turns off after the water reaches a boil. Then I set a timer for about 12-13 minutes. When the timer goes off, I drain the kettle and dunk the eggs in an ice water bath to stop further cooking.

If you have an electric kettle in your kitchen I highly recommend this method!

This process makes the perfect hard "boiled" egg every time: http://tiptomato.com/?p=166