How to Boil an Egg

These rules of thumb will get you started, and a little experience will help learn how to boil an egg perfectly every time. How long does it take to boil eggs? It depends on the size of the eggs and the way you want to boil them.

Hard Boiled Eggs
Put the eggs into a saucepan. Add enough water to cover the eggs by a minimum of one inch. Heat the water until it comes to a boil. Remove the pan from the stove, cover it and let it sit for 15 minutes.

Soft Boiled Eggs
Place the eggs into a saucepan and add enough water to cover eggs by at least one inch. Heat the water until it comes to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.

How to Peel Boiled Eggs
Once the eggs have boiled for the sufficient amount of time, pour the water into the sink, carefully keeping the eggs inside the pan. Rinse the eggs under cold water. The cold water will not only cool them off, it was also stop the cooking process so that you won't overcook the eggs.

Rinse the eggs until they are cool. Gently rap the egg against a hard surface, such as a counter or the edge of the pan, and continue to tap all around the egg until the entire shell is cracked. Begin peeling the shell off at the round end off the egg, which is where a tiny air pocket will make the peeling process easier. Peel the egg under running cold water. Pat the egg dry. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Serving Suggestions for Boiled Eggs
Boiled eggs are delicious peeled and sprinkled with salt and pepper. They are also fabulous when chopped into small pieces, buttered and salted. You may want to add boiled egg wedges to your salad for extra protein and flavor. Many people like to slice their boiled eggs in half, remove the yolks, mash up the yolks with some mayonnaise, mustard, and a bit of paprika, and return the mixture to the center of each egg white half, making deviled eggs, a common staple at picnics.

Does Egg Size Matter?
The size of an egg is determined by its weight. Eggs come in small, medium, large, extra large and jumbo sizes. The boiling times listed above are for large and extra large eggs. If you are boiling a smaller egg, reduce the times listed above by one to two minutes. If you are boiling jumbo eggs, increase the times listed by one to two minutes.

Brown or White?
The color of the shell will not affect the taste of either the egg white or egg yolk.

Free-Range or Caged?
Many farmers today raise free range chickens, meaning the birds are not confined to a tiny box where they do nothing but eat and lay eggs all day while crowded in with thousands of other chickens. Some people believe there's a real taste difference with free-range eggs, others buy them simply to contribute to kinder farming practices.

Organic Eggs
To earn an organic certification, eggs must be produced using natural methods. That means organic feed for the chickens and no hormone injections to increase egg laying. Most often, the chickens will be free range birds. Some people notice a real taste difference with organic eggs, particularly those that are unpasteurized. Extra care must be taken to thoroughly cook unpasteurized eggs, which may contain higher levels of dangerous bacteria than eggs that have been pasteurized.