How to Hard Boil an Egg

by Mary Sacks

Set up an ice bath. Ice bath should be large enough so the eggs will be submerged in the ice water.
Place eggs in a pot with a lid and cover with cool water by about one-inch. There should only be one layer of eggs. If not, use a bigger pot.
Bring water to a fast boil over high heat.
When the water reaches a boil, lower to med-high and set the timer for the desired doneness.
When the timer dings, pour off hot water into a sink and pour eggs into the ice bath.
Allow the eggs to chill for 10 minutes.

Timing. I’m a nine-minute person myself. I like them done, but not green. So if you are a 19-minute person, because you are afraid they won’t be done you are courting green.
Egg size. The standard for recipe developers is “large.” They are also the most popular one sold. So, if your eggs are small, shorten the time by one minute and if extra-large, increase by one minute.
Peeling. Eggs that are too fresh are hard to peel. Eggs should be at least 3-5 days old, so check the sell-by date.
Here’s a fun piece of science. When making deviled eggs, place the carton of eggs on its side for a day. The yolk will then center itself so you have it directly in the middle of the white. The end of off-centered eggs.
That green layer. It won’t kill. It’s just not pretty. The green layer is caused by overcooking. It is a reaction between the iron in the yolk and the sulfur in the white. Heat speeds up this reaction, so the longer you cook the eggs, the greater the chance of green.
Chef’s Trick. Turmeric. If you overdo this one, you will be sorry. Back in the day, a very light sprinkle of turmeric will enhance the yellow color or your egg salad. It has a slightly bitter taste and is usually used to color foods such as curry, mustards, butter, and cheese. It is used by chefs in an egg salad when the eggs are slightly overcooked and no longer has that bright yellow color.