All About Eggs

Boiled eggs can be delicious and nutritious. You should be able to boil them perfectly in ten minutes. In fact, the most common question I get asked as a nutritionist is “how long to boil eggs for hard boiled eggs?” So, I decided it was time to answer it for good. Place the eggs in boiling water, and let the clock run for ten minutes. That’s half the battle won right there. However, boiled eggs have other qualities besides their cooking time. Egg whites contain 17 calories and protein. Egg yolks provide choline and nutrients good for your eyes. The eggshell’s difficulty to peel depends on the egg’s age, not how long you boil it. Here’s a simple guide on boiling eggs. I’ll go over the boiling time, the perfect cooked egg chart, and a little tip for easily peeling boiled eggs.

Poached, well done or sunny-side up?

As a nutritionist, eggs are an important tool in my basket, and the question I hear most is how long to boil an egg.

Egg whites are high in protein and contain, on average, just 17 calories per egg. This makes egg whites a great way to pack a protein punch while reducing caloric intake. For sulfur-sensitive individuals who love eggs, sticking to the whites can even lower the egg’s total sulfur burden.

Egg yolks are one of the most nutrient-dense foods on Earth.

Rich in liver-supportive choline, healthy fats, iron, folate, vitamins D and A, and the nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin, which are both excellent for eye and brain health, egg yolks truly are a superfood.

However, egg yolks are often demonized for their cholesterol content, and can be irritating for the sulfur-sensitive.

With cholesterol, I believe that everything is balance.

If you eat a diet that is rich in healthy fats and good cholesterol, such as grass-fed dairy and wild game, egg yolks should be a healthy addition.

If you suffer from high cholesterol or a sulfur sensitivity, temporarily removing egg yolks from your diet may be a prudent decision, but that's not to say they should be permanently excised.

For buying eggs, look for pasture-raised organic options. Most standard eggs at the grocery store come from cage-raised chickens.

A hen raised on GMO corn or soy simply won’t have the same biochemical makeup of a hen raised on grass.

One way to gauge the health of an egg is to take a good look at the yolk. The brighter and more pigmented the yolk, the more carotenoids and nutrients it contains. If the yolk is a wan, dull yellow - it is probably a watered-down nutritional shadow of a real egg.

Personally, I like to buy Vital Farms Organic Pasture Raised eggs. Vital Farms is recognized for its humane growing practices and transparency, and I urge you to take a look at their site! It will make you think twice about the quality of your eggs.

One large egg delivers around 6 grams of protein and roughly 147mg of choline, a nutrient the NIH lists as one that may help support liver and brain health.

The One Number for Hard Boiled Eggs

Ten minutes. That's the number I'd start with for how long to boil eggs for hard boiled eggs. Drop your eggs into already-boiling water, set a timer, and don't wander off. At 10 minutes the yolk is firm and bright with no green ring. Want it a touch softer in the center? Pull at 9. A fully dense yolk? Give it 12.

The Timing Chart for Every Yolk

How long boil egg for hard boiled comes down to the texture you want, so keep this near the stove. Let it go a bit longer with large or extra-large eggs, and subtract a minute for medium ones. Your altitude and the size of your pot will affect the outcome a bit, so use one egg as your trial run before going with the full batch.

Cold Start or Boiling Start

There are two schools of thought, and both work. Cold start decides how long I boil eggs by counting from when the water reaches a boil, with the eggs going into the pot in cold water. Boiling start, you start with already boiling water. I like boiling start for hard boiled eggs. It is easier to time, and perhaps the temperature shock will make them peel easier.

The Ice Bath Nobody Should Skip

As soon as the timer goes off, take the eggs out and plunge them into a bowl of ice and water. The shock of that cold is what gives you easy-peel hard boiled eggs. Leave them in there for 5 to 10 minutes. The cold makes the egg shrink away from the shell a bit, and stops the cooking so the yolk doesn’t turn gray.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long for hard boiled eggs?

If you want a solid yolk, cook for 10-12 minutes. Get your water to a boil, drop in your eggs and begin timing. At 10 minutes you’ll have a firm but tender yolk, while a 12-minute cook time yields a traditional hard yolk. Remove from the pot and place in an ice bath to stop the cooking and allow the shell to come off more easily.

Why Your Eggs Won't Peel?

Eggs that are very fresh tend to stick to their shell, which is why how long for hard boiled really matters less than how old the egg is. A carton that is a week or so beyond its pack date almost always peels more easily. Overcooking is another enemy. Keep the eggs in the pot too long and they turn chalky with a green-gray ring around the yolk.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.