How to Make the Perfect Hard Boiled Egg

Mastering the art of making the perfect hard-boiled egg is something everyone should take the time to master in his or her lifetime. Whether you are trying to simply hard-boil an egg to add to a salad, create a classic egg salad sandwich from it, or make some fancy deviled eggs for an upcoming brunch, you need to know how to hard-boil an egg perfectly.

There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to hard-boil an egg and failing miserably. First, you have to make sure you get it cooked right. You’d be surprised how easy it is to overcook or undercook an egg this way. Second, peeling the eggs. Of course, if you’re just going to chop it up for a salad or sandwich, it doesn’t matter too much what the eggs look like. However if you want those cute little deviled eggs for a party, you want them to come out looking pristine.

My friends, I have the perfect way to hard-boil an egg for you that will have them coming out cooked just the right way AND easy to peel.

I’ll wait for you to pick your jaw up off the floor.

The key to a perfectly hard-boiled egg? Patience. You need to wait for them to finish resting, wait for them to settle in the ice bath and then carefully (and gently!) peel back the shell so every egg comes out look beautiful. If you just let yourself be patient with it at first, you’ll master the speed you want to soon enough.

I use hard-boiled eggs in a lot of recipes, but my favorite way to devour them is just a simple preparation. There are four ways I like my hard-boiled eggs. Start by cutting them in half and then, season one half with salt and pepper.

Season another with salt and cayenne pepper.

Season another with a little freshly chopped dill.

Finally, season another with some hot sauce and black pepper.

Sitting down to a small plate of hard-boiled eggs in the morning with a cup of coffee and the morning paper has become somewhat of a ritual for me ever since I learned the art of preparing hard-boiled eggs. I’m pretty sure you’re going to fall (back) in love with the hard-boiled egg once you learn how to cook them just right.

It’s the little skills that make everything else easier, trust me. Happy egg cooking!

Ingredients

6 large eggs
Water
Ice
Optional: Salt, pepper, cayenne, fresh chopped dill, hot sauce

Directions

Place raw eggs into a large saucepan and cover the eggs with cold water, approximately 1-inch above the eggs. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Once the water reaches a rolling boil, remove the pan from heat and cover. Let sit for 12 to 15 minutes.
Remove eggs from water and tap on the counter all over to crack the eggs in several places. Place the eggs in a bowl of ice water and let rest 1 minute. Peel and serve with whatever garnishing you want!