Yet another hard boiled egg question??

Question

I can't believe how many times this has been asked, BUT...

I put cold water in a pan, to cover 8 cold eggs. I brought the water to a boil, then turned off the heat and put the lid on the eggs. I waited at least 15 minutes, maybe even twenty. I trusted that should be plenty, as this was how Her Highness Rachel Ray says to hard boil an egg. After rinsing the eggs in cool water, I put them in the fridge. That was yesterday. Today, I just got one out to eat it, and it's RAW. The white is cooked, the yellow is barely, barely firm. It might even be firm mostly from the cold fridge. I've read the other answers to this same question, and people have answered that you should boil your eggs anywhere from 2-3 to 20 minutes...

How can I get a COOKED hard boiled egg, preferably with no grey? Is there anything I can do with the 7 raw eggs in my fridge? Thanks so much~

Answer 1

You need to time exactly how long you let the eggs sit in the hot water after turning the heat off, and then adjust it up or down according to how cooked the eggs are.

Also, you should peel an egg while it's still warm to see if it's done, that way you can continue cooking the rest if it's not.

The water doesn't need to start out cold, either. Try using hot water from the tap next time.

What kind of pan are you using, and what kind of stove top do you have? If it's gas, then there won't be any heat left on the burner once it's turned off.

Answer 2

1. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature, either leave them on the counter for 30 minutes or run under warm water until no longer cold.

2. Place eggs in a large sauce pan add a good glug of vinegar, a healthy pinch of salt and fill with cold water about an inch over the eggs.

3. Place lid on pan and heat to a boil over MEDIUM heat, this will take a while but will give the best result.

4. When water comes to a boil remove pan from heat, leaving lid on pan, and set aside for 15-17 minutes for large eggs.

5. Remove lid and run under cold water until no longer warm.

If you boil your eggs they'll end up tough, broken and grey/green around the yolks. The trick with this is to slowly bring the water up to a boil and then leave in the hot water, without peaking, for a good length of time. Works like a charm for me!

Answer 3

I do the cold water method but boil for 2 to 3 minutes, turn off burner, leave on the stove for 15 minutes or so. Then I rinse in cold water and plop into the fridge. Eggs are cooked, no green on the outside of the yoke and the center of the yoke is cooked but is a rich orange color.

Answer 4

Boil enough water to cover eight eggs. Slowly lower eggs in the boiling water(eggs should be at room temperature). Bring back the water to boil and boil further for atleast 5/7 minutes for hard boiled eggs. Keep eggs covered for 5/10 minutes in the same hot water but off the heat. Rinse eggs in cold water to stop any further cooking. Now you should be home for eating hard boiled eggs whenever you wish.

Answer 5

Hard-Boiled Eggs

Directions for Large Eggs:
1. Place eggs in a saucepan with enough COLD tap water to cover completely by 1 inch. Bring to a ROLLING boil over HIGH heat. Once the water is brought to a rolling boil, PROMPTLY reduce heat to a lower medium boil and cook an additional 10 minutes for a “hard boiled” egg. For a “soft boiled” egg reduce the time by a few minutes.

2. Remove from heat and IMMEDIATELY place eggs under ice cold water or in a bowl of ICED water to chill promptly to help yolks stay bright yellow. Chill for a few minutes in the cold water until the egg is completely cooled. This is an extremely important step which prevents the greenish “ring” from forming on the surface of the yolk over time. If the egg is not chilled immediately after cooking an unsightly dark greenish ring will eventually appear on the outside of the yolk.

3. To peel...crack on all sides, roll egg between hands to loosen shell,and remove shell. Enjoy, with a light sprinkling of salt if desired.

To serve in egg cup, place egg in cup small end down, slice off large end of egg with knife or egg scissors and eat from shell with spoon.

Refrigeration is necessary for hard boiled eggs if they eggs are not to be consumed within a few hours.


Refrigerated boiled eggs, kept in the shell, can be kept for up to 1 week.

Answer 6

No GREEN and PERFECT...I agree Rachel Ray just got lucky LOL

While there are many ways of preparing Boiled Eggs, we suggest below the directions for making eggs which are the easiest to peel and which will not have the dark green discolored coating on the yolk (see step 2 for tips to help avoid the green discoloration).

Extremely fresh eggs will not peel easily. In fact, an egg that is just a day or two old is almost impossible to peel. As eggs age, the shells will peel more easily. It is advisable that eggs used for hard cooking (including Easter Eggs) be at least 2 weeks old before cooking for easiest peeling. Hard cooked eggs that are cooked slowly over low heat (and not ‘boiled’) will be more difficult to peel.

Directions for Large Eggs:
1. Place eggs in a saucepan with enough COLD tap water to cover completely by 1 inch. Bring to a ROLLING boil over HIGH heat. Once the water is brought to a rolling boil, PROMPTLY reduce heat to a lower medium boil and cook an additional 10 minutes for a “hard boiled” egg. For a “soft boiled” egg reduce the time by a few minutes.

2. Remove from heat and IMMEDIATELY place eggs under ice cold water or in a bowl of ICED water to chill promptly to help yolks stay bright yellow. Chill for a few minutes in the cold water until the egg is completely cooled. This is an extremely important step which prevents the greenish “ring” from forming on the surface of the yolk over time. If the egg is not chilled immediately after cooking an unsightly dark greenish ring will eventually appear on the outside of the yolk.

3. To peel...crack on all sides, roll egg between hands to loosen shell,and remove shell. Enjoy, with a light sprinkling of salt if desired.

To serve in egg cup, place egg in cup small end down, slice off large end of egg with knife or egg scissors and eat from shell with spoon.

Refrigeration is necessary for hard boiled eggs if they eggs are not to be consumed within a few hours.


Refrigerated boiled eggs, kept in the shell, can be kept for up to 1 week.

Answer 7

I make them perfect every time with this method:

Put the eggs in a pan roomy enough for them to fit loosely. Barely cover with cold water.
Watch carefully until the water boils--then time them for EXACTLY 12 minutes. At that point, drain off the hot water & run cold water in the pan until the water stays cool (this stops any further cooking and prevents green yolks).

I've boiled eggs this way for 25 years, and they are ALWAYS perfect.

And a tip----use the oldest eggs possible, because they peel easier when they are old.

Answer 8

I am lazy, so this is what I do:

I put enough cold water to cover, a pinch of salt to stop the egg from oozing if it cracks, and then set the burner high-med/high (whatever your stove takes to boil). I set the timer (right away) for 17 minutes and go about my business.

By the time the timer has gone off, the water has gotten to a boil and boiled long enough for a good hard boiled egg. I then immediately soak in icewater.

*note: the larger the egg (like X-large) add a few more minutes to the timer. You should not have to go over 20min total.

Answer 9

Sara sara get a good cook book,..
I never remember the numbers
I think you boil them eggs for at least 5min
then get off the heat douse them in ice water
I live at 4300 If I trust any magic time or temperature I got a mess.
If anyone mentions the gray put your hands on your hips and bark 'I did the best I can"
But most mash up the yoke and you can always add a little mustard.... REMEMBER
Cooking is an adventure in imagination
The 7 toss the yokes to your cat chop up the whites and make a potato or macaroni salad.

Answer 10

I always boil my eggs 15 minutes. You can put your almost cooked eggs, back into boiling water and let them boil for 10 more minutes. They may finish cooking and turn out perfect, or ?! lol, I've never tried this procedure, so good luck!