How To Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

on Mar 19, 2014, Updated Nov 16, 2023 20 Comments There are a few things I learned in my home economics class in high school that I still remember: how to balance a checkbook, how to care for a baby made out of a five-pound flour sack, and how to make perfect hard-boiled eggs. Come to think about it, that’s probably three more things than I remember from many classes I had in high school and things I use routinely. Well, not the five-pound flour sack baby, but you get the drift.

How to Make Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs

Hard boiled eggs are one of the things that I could do at least once a week. My family enjoys them in any number of recipes or just to have on hand for a quick snack or to add to salad. Many times I use the method I’ve shared previously of preparing hard-cooked eggs in the oven or Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs, but I still love cooking them the time-tested way that Mrs. Dickerson showed me in home economics – boiled. Over the years, I’ve slightly adjusted from her teachings as I’ve found how my family prefers them.

Age Your Eggs

I’ve found that hard-boiled eggs are easier to peel if they have been aged for about 5-10 days in the refrigerator before boiling. It’s best to buy your eggs early and store them to make perfect hard-boiled eggs that you won’t have difficulty peeling. Additionally, if you find that once you’ve boiled your eggs and they are difficult to peel, you can simply place them into an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for 3-5 days and then attempt peeling them again.

Use Baking Soda for Hard Boiled Eggs

For those of you who use fresh farm eggs, I also recommend adding about 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the water as you cook your eggs in addition to aging them. This will cause your eggs to have more of a smell when cooked but will make them easier to peel.

How Long to Boil Eggs

It can be confusing to know how long it takes to boil hard-boiled eggs, but there is a simple method that works every time for me. Single layer. Place eggs in a single layer in a heavy-bottomed pan, such as a Dutch oven. If you have too many eggs in your pan, they will not cook perfectly or peel as easily. Start cold. Cover the eggs, plus add about 2 inches, with fresh cold water and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda. Boil. Set the pan over medium heat and bring it to a boil. Boil for one minute. Make sure that you time this very carefully. Remove from heat. Remove your pan from the heat and cover it with a tight-fitting lid. Allow to sit for 12 minutes exactly. Plunge. Plunge the cooked eggs into a bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking any longer. Peel. Peel the eggs and enjoy!

How Long Will Hard-Boiled Eggs Last in the Refrigerator?

Hard-boiled eggs will last for up to a week in the refrigerator – peeled and unpeeled. I like to go ahead and peel them for easier use and store them in a glass container with a tight-fitting lid. For travel, you can also store them in a zip-top container and remove as much air as possible from the bag as you seal it.