6 minutes: liquid yolk – a little less oozy. 7 minutes: almost set – deliciously sticky. 8 minutes: softly set – this is what you want to make Scotch eggs. 10 minutes: the classic hard-boiled egg – mashable but not dry and chalky.
Bringing the eggs to a boil in cold water allows them to heat up slowly, reducing the risk of cracks.
And starting at 8 minutes, you have eggs that are "hard-boiled." The 12-minute eggs still have smooth, not chalky, yolks, but I wouldn't go much above 12 minutes. Of course, these times are for cooking one or two eggs at a time. If you pile a dozen eggs or more in a pot, the cooking time will be different.
Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower the eggs into the water and let simmer for 7 minutes (6 minutes for a runnier egg). Set a bowl of ice water nearby. Remove and chill immediately in the ice water for a minute or two until the eggs are cool enough to handle.
You might have heard that you should drop your eggs into room temperature or cold water and then bring the water to a boil. This is a myth. In our tests, bringing the water to a boil first and then lowering the eggs into the bath made for easy peeling and more accurate timing.
Lower the heat slightly – so the eggs don't crack due to being bashed around but water is still at a gentle boil. Start the timer – 6 minutes for runny yolks, 8 minutes for soft boiled, 10 minutes for classic hard boiled, 15 minutes for unpleasant rubbery whites and powdery dry yolks.
Then, let the eggs sit in the hot water.
Leave the eggs in the hot water for anywhere from 10-12 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs. The 10-minute eggs will have vibrant, creamy yolks, while the 12-minute yolks will be paler and opaque, with a chalkier texture.
Instead of a gray color, you might notice that over-boiled eggs have a green-colored yolk instead. Overcooking at a high temperature causes a chemical reaction between the sulfur in the egg whites and the iron in the egg yolk, causing green ferrous sulfide to form.
To begin the process, you're not using cold eggs, but rather warming them up gently either by allowing them to sit out for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature or warming them under hot tap water.
An egg on its own is a nutritious option for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Most healthy people can eat up to seven eggs a week without affecting their heart health. Some choose to eat only the egg white and not the yolk, which provides some protein without the cholesterol.
Add salt to the water? Egg white solidifies more quickly in hot, salty water than it does in fresh. So a little salt in your water can minimize the mess if your egg springs a leak while cooking.
LET EGGS STAND in hot water about 12 minutes for large eggs (9 minutes for medium eggs; 15 minutes for extra large). DRAIN immediately and serve warm. OR, cool completely under cold running water or in bowl of ice water, then REFRIGERATE.
The 3-3-3 method cooks eggs for 3 minutes at high pressure. Next, there's a 3-minute natural pressure release. Then, cool the eggs in an ice bath for 3 minutes. This method gives slightly softer yolks than the 5-5-5 method.
Use a slotted spoon or spider to gently lower the eggs into the hot water. Then lower the high heat to maintain a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil, so the eggs don't knock around in the pot. You don't need to add baking soda or vinegar or salt at this point.
How long to boil an egg
The easiest way to tell your hard boiled eggs from your raw eggs is the spin test. Place the egg on a flat surface and give it a spin. A hard boiled egg will spin smoothly and quickly, while a raw egg will wobble and spin slowly. Watch this video to learn more!