How to Boil an Egg

INTERESTING POINTS

The fresher the egg, the more difficult it will be to peel. It is best to use eggs that are a good week old to boil for your deviled eggs. This is so the whites do not wind up being damaged during peeling.

You may have heard that poking a small hole in the end of an egg before cooking it will make the cooked egg turn out as a more perfect oval shape. In our experiences this is not always the case. Also, it can be tricky poking a hole in the egg without unwanted cracking.

BOIL THE PERFECT EGG

The best way to boil an egg is to place the eggs in a pan, in a single layer, and fill the pan with cold water slightly above the eggs. One to one and a half inches above the eggs is fine. Put the pan on a burner, on medium high heat, leaving the lid off of the pan. Bring the eggs to a boil, place the lid on the pan, and remove the pan from the heat. Let the eggs cool for 2 to 3 minutes for soft boiled, and 15 to 20 minutes for hard boiled. Run cold water into the pan until the eggs are cooled. You can also place the eggs in a bowl filled with ice cubes and water if you need to chill them quickly.

PEELING THE SHELL

If you want to peel the eggs at this point, roll the egg back and forth on a hard surface while applying slight pressure. This will cause the egg shell to crack evenly. Peel the shell from the egg under running water to ease removing the shell.