# The Last Word on Hard-Cooked Eggs?



## Cooking Goddess (Aug 27, 2015)

Over the ages there have been many threads with many posts regarding many ways to hard-cook an egg.

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f22/how-do-you-boil-an-egg-26432.html

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f22/iso-hard-boiled-egg-basics-84378.html

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f22/differing-opinions-for-the-pefect-hard-boiled-egg-45814.html

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f22/how-to-make-the-perfect-boiled-egg-53851.html

And on, and on...  In the movie "Bull Durham", Annie Savoy states  "I've tried 'em all, I really have..." when she says her monologue equating religion to baseball. That's how I've felt about hard-cooking eggs. I've tried them all. I think I have finally found the true way.

About a month ago, Serious Eats put up an old article about hard-cooked eggs. I never tried it that way before, so I gave it a go. Cue the Monkees, 'cuz I'm a Believer!

*Perfect Boiled Eggs*

It's so simple. Bring a pot of water to a boil (I've used a 2-quart for two eggs with great results). When the water comes to a full boil, immerse your eggs into the boiling water (I use my spider) and boil for 30 seconds with the cover OFF the pot. After 30 seconds, cover pot and immediately reduce to a low simmer. Simmer for required length of time depending on desired doneness. (I have a glass-top stove, so I turn the burner off, slide the pot half-off the hot spot, then turn the heat back to low when it looks like "barely simmer" state has been reached.) 11-12 minutes gives me perfectly done hard cooked eggs. As soon as time is up, remove the eggs from the simmering water (again with the spider, I am) and put into a bowl of iced water. Results? Firm white, cooked yolk, no green ring, and very easy to peel - usually without any dimple in the wide end of the egg.

You do not need salt/vinegar/baking soda. You do not need to put a tiny whole in the large end of the shell. You don't need to crack the egg shells as you dump the eggs in the ice water. Easy Peasy, perfect eggs.

The eggs in the salads I made for tonight's dinner were 8-minute eggs. Just the barest of "done" where they meet the white, the rest of the yolk was soft but not liquidy. Kinda like a paste, but in a nicer way. Himself likes good, runny-yolk sunnyside up ones, and likes a looser yolk just about anywhere. I've just moved away from the "give me a rock-hard yolk, darn it!" stage. This is as soft as I can go. The beauty of cooking them this way gives you the option of taking one out with the spider and cooling it earlier than the second one. Just NOW thought of that! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





Like the man said in the long-ago Alka-Seltzer commercial, "Try it, you'll like it".



* I hope I didn't go over quota with Pop Culture references...


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## dcSaute (Aug 27, 2015)

I swore off getting into discussions on hard/soft boiled eggs several years back, for the obvious reasons.

there are many variables to boiling an egg - the plunk in boiling water for X minutes minimizes the variables - the most important remaining variable is the egg temperature at the start.  we got a new fridge, I had to adjust my soft/med/hard timing because the new fridge keeps colder than the old fridge....

the 'short story' in the link omits the egg temperature issue; I think the longer story covers it.  one will need to tweak the "this is the one and only amount of minutes" nutso approach to compensate for one's altitude and egg temperature.

the beauty of the method is:  you can repeat it any day of the week forever with the same results.  well, except the situation like when DW stopped at the store for a dozen eggs, brought them home, cooked them "immediately" for the time specified to make a deviled egg platter.  the eggs were overdone & green ringed - the store dairy case is not as cold as our fridge . . .

oh, the "dimple" and size thereof is completely unrelated to how it is cooked.  as an egg ages, CO2 exits from the white, this is what creates the air sac on the big end.  older egg generally means bigger air sac.

I poke a pin hole in the big end prior to boiling.  the pin hole doesn't let air in, or water in, or the baking soda in - none of that nonsense.  the purpose is to relieve the internal pressure build up of the expanding air sac so if there is any weakness in the shell it does not crack open.  a perfectly intact shell with no 'defects' can easily withstand the minor amount of pressure that builds up inside, but not every egg is "perfect"


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## Andy M. (Aug 27, 2015)

Glad you found a method you like.


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## Cheryl J (Aug 27, 2015)

I put the eggs in a pot of cold water, bring to a boil, then take it off the burner and cover for 10 minutes.  Empty the pot and refill with cold water, then put the eggs back in to cool.


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## Janet H (Aug 27, 2015)

dcSaute said:


> I swore off getting into discussions on hard/soft boiled eggs several years back, for the obvious reasons.



Me too... yet here I am again posting. 

Here's how I do it:


Cold water in a pot, add eggs from fridge and let them stand in the water for a few minutes.
Turn pot on high and bring to a boil.  
Turn down temp and simmer for 5 mins.  
Run under cold water and peel immediately.

That said, the BEST way I've ever found to cook eggs is in a pressure steamer:



I used to cook dozens of eggs (at once) in this thing and the shells would just fall off under cold running water.  The eggs would crack just slightly during cooking and the steam would get under the shell just loosening it.  The eggs were perfect.  Controlling the pressure was key however as too much would crack the eggs too far and deform the final cooked product.  About 7~ psi as i recall.

I've always thought you might be able to duplicate this at home in a pressure cooker but never had the guts to try.  Has anyone tried?


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## dcSaute (Aug 27, 2015)

>>Me too... yet here I am again posting.

sigh.  I suppose after a while one just can't stand the nonsense anymore.....

>>I put the eggs in a pot of cold water, bring to a boil, then take it off the burner and cover for 10 minutes. Empty the pot and refill with cold water, then put the eggs back in to cool.
>> Cold water in a pot, add eggs from fridge and let them stand in the water for a few minutes.
    Turn pot on high and bring to a boil.
    Turn down temp and simmer for 5 mins.
    Run under cold water and peel immediately.

so.
how cold is the water in the pot?
how big is the burner i.e. how long does it take to come to a boil?
how much water is in the pot?
is the water deeper than wide?
yes, Virginia, it all makes a difference.

all this 'stuff' works within its limits.
if the method works with two eggs in a two quart pan, the method will almost certainly not work with two dozen eggs in a stock pot.

and don't even think about addressing:  "how cooked is a soft boiled egg?"


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## Cooking Goddess (Aug 27, 2015)

Like I said *dc*, "I've tried them all". Really, I have. BUT, I tried this method about a month ago since it was new to me. Since then I have cooked at least two eggs each time, at least three or four times a week, for the last month. (I do NOT want to think of my cholesterol reading next blood draw  ) Perfect. Every. Time. Well, except the time I forgot to leave the lid off for the first 30 seconds. You want to know what happens? The eggs crack. Big time. They're still easy to peel, though! 

Every other method gave me unevenly cooked yolks. The cold-egg-in-cold-water. The leave-it-on-the-counter-to-warm-to-room-temp. Not one resulted in perfect yolks. The real bonus is I get that with this method AND end up with the shells slipping off.

YMMV. I've had enough shell-with-egg tossed into the trash while looking at yolks with green halos. This one works for me.


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## dcSaute (Aug 27, 2015)

your HDL/LDL will most likely be quite fine - it seems the OMG!@@!@!  it's the egg thing has been debunked.  as in most/all/?% of ingested  cholesterol does not affect serum cholesterol - but heh, who am I to put  the diet floggers out of their misery.....

green around the yolk has one single cause:  overcooking.

the green is a chemical reaction between the iron and sulfur in the egg white/yolk.
you  may recall from pre-school chemistry classes that heat accelerates most  chemical reactions....  hard boil yerself the perfect egg; put it in  the fridge; cut it open after 48 hours.  OMG!@!@!@! it's got green!  same chemical reaction; just takes longer at fridge temps.

<<cracking>>  take two eggs with holes poked in their big ends prior to cooking and  call me in the morning....  the lid had _nothing_ to do with it.  ehhh, with the possible except that with lid the atmospheric pressure inside the pot would be very very very slightly higher than without the lid....

the cold-water-easy-peel effect is insanely simple to understand.
you cook the egg and remove it from <whatever> 
water vapor / steam from the cooked white continues to be generated until the egg cools down.

it's  not the ice, it's the temperature.  if tap water is cold enough to   induce the 'instant condensation' - tap water works.  the temp of tap   water works most places in Alaska, may not work so good everywhere in   Florida.

steaming  eggs - at normal pressure, eg in a bamboo steamer - is reported to  result in easy peel.  okay, but I've not heard of any cause to explain  that.

steaming the eggs in an autoclave under pressure does offer  the possibility that the eggs become internally pressurized, and on  exit from the pressurized environment experience the same kind of  "separate and lubricate" provided by the ice water plunge.

if  _prior_ to the egg cooling it is plunked into cold water - I use ice  water - real water with real ice cubes floating around in it.... - that  water vapor "condenses" on the inside of the membrane and "lubricates"  the parting of the white and the shell.
(it's shell / membrane / membrane / white / membrane / yolk at the detailed chicken level.....but who's counting . . .)


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## taxlady (Aug 27, 2015)

Thanks CG. I'm going to give this a try. I've been using the method of putting eggs in cold water, bring to a boil, turn off the heat, put the lid on, wait for ~20 minutes, then cool the eggs in cold water. It works fairly well. We have worked out that the ~20 minutes on our large burner with the large pot is 18 minutes.

From comments in this thread, it has occurred to me that my cold water is a lot colder in winter than it is in summer. That would explain why I get perfect results for several months and then I start having less than perfect for months.

Putting the eggs into boiling water will assure that the temperature is the same every time.


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## Caslon (Aug 27, 2015)

It can be difficult to determine just what is a " low simmer." The problem is, people have varying ideas of simmer.


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## GotGarlic (Aug 27, 2015)

Caslon said:


> It can be difficult to determine just what is a " low simmer." The problem is, people have varying ideas of simmer.



They shouldn't  To simmer means to cook at just below a boil, when you see gentle bubbling. Boiling happens at 212°F, so a simmer is below that - around 190 to 205. It's not exact and a few degrees won't make enough difference to matter.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Aug 27, 2015)

Ok, again I will weigh in.  I agree with DCSaute but use a little different technique, which I will explain.  My water comes from a well 90 foot below ground.  The temperature is a constant 43 degrees year round, from the tap.  I place enough cold tap water into a pot to cover the eggs, and it doesn't matter whether I'm cooking 1 egg, or two dozen in a large pot.  I place the pot over my largest burner, uncovered, and cook over medium-high flame on my gas stove top.  I bring the water up to the temperature where it just starts to boil, them turn the heat down until the water is kept at about 200 degrees.  It's still hot, but does not jostle the eggs around.  I start timing from when the water started boiling, 2 minutes, 40 seconds for perfect soft boiled eggs, that's with solid egg white, and soft yolks, or for seven minutes for hard-boiled eggs.  There is never a cracked egg in the pot.

If I'm going to use the eggs immediately, I pour of the hot water, and bounce the eggs around in the pot to craze the shell, then immerse them in the running, cold tap water for about a minute.  This cools them enough to handle, but still remain fairly warm inside.  The shell comes away very easily, so long as you break that first membrane between the shell and the egg white.  I get whole, perfect eggs nearly every time.

Water boils at around 212 degrees F.  The egg white starts solidifying at around 180 degrees F.  So I bring the water up to 212', but just barely, and then reduce the flame to keep them around 200', plenty hot enough to cook the eggs, but not hot enough to bounce them around in the pot, so there are no cracked shells.

Now I admit that I would have to use another stove for a while to get the burner settings right for the method I use.  But by watching the water behaviour, it should be a simple thing to learn.

I do the same thing with poached eggs, and they come out perfect as well, except that I season the water with salt and pepper before gently putting the egg into the hot, but still water.  I occasionally jiggle them with a spoon to see how done the egg whites are.  When the egg white is firm, and the yolk still soft, I use a slotted spoon to remove the perfectly poached egg.

There you go, yet another technique for making perfect boiled, and poached eggs.

My way isn't the only way.  Other methods are equally effective.  What determines whether an egg is perfectly cooked is how much heat is applied, and for how long.  You can even bake the darned things in the oven and get the same results.  Heat does the work.  Master the heat, and you've mastered the egg.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## Kayelle (Aug 27, 2015)

Cheryl J said:


> I put the eggs in a pot of cold water, bring to a boil, then take it off the burner and cover for 10 minutes.  Empty the pot and refill with cold water, then put the eggs back in to cool.



I do mine exactly the same way, and it's worked perfectly for years. 

Carry on and let the debate go on, I'm done and happy.


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## Dawgluver (Aug 27, 2015)

Cheryl J said:


> I put the eggs in a pot of cold water, bring to a boil, then take it off the burner and cover for 10 minutes.  Empty the pot and refill with cold water, then put the eggs back in to cool.




I do mine this way too, though I drag it out to 12 minutes...


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## Cheryl J (Aug 27, 2015)

Dawg, you're such a rebel.


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## Dawgluver (Aug 27, 2015)

I even add a few ice cubes!

CG, glad you found your perfect method!


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## Caslon (Aug 28, 2015)

Which of the methods mentioned works best if you don't let your eggs age before boiling, I wonder


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## Kayelle (Aug 28, 2015)

Caslon said:


> Which of the methods mentioned works best if you don't let your eggs age before boiling, I wonder



If eggs are hard to peel and you're making the eggs for something like egg salad, there's no need to peel the eggs. Just cut them in half, scoop them out of the shell with a spoon and chop.


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## Cooking Goddess (Aug 28, 2015)

Cheryl J said:


> I put the eggs in a pot of cold water, bring to a boil, then take it off the burner and cover for 10 minutes.  Empty the pot and refill with cold water, then put the eggs back in to cool.


That was my old, trusty way, except the whites stuck to the shells frequently. Hence, trying yet another way.



Dawgluver said:


> I do mine this way too, though I drag it out to 12 minutes...


I'm a 12-minuter too. Or was. I'm learning to like a less-cooked yolk center.



Kayelle said:


> If eggs are hard to peel and you're making the eggs for something like egg salad, there's no need to peel the eggs. Just cut them in half, scoop them out of the shell with a spoon and chop.


Good idea, but I rarely make "egg salad". I usually want them to look pretty when they are hard-cooked.



Caslon said:


> Which of the methods mentioned works best* if you don't let your eggs age before boiling, I wonder*


And yet another reason I love this new-to-me method. When/if we get to the Farmers' Market, I like buying a dozen or two fresh eggs from the farmer. Those eggs are only a day or two away from Mrs. Cluck, so they're pretty fresh. Guess what? THEY peel clean and smooth, too.


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## Caslon (Aug 28, 2015)

Cooking Goddess said:


> That was my old, trusty way, except the whites stuck to the shells frequently. Hence, trying yet another way.
> 
> 
> I'm a 12-minuter too. Or was. I'm learning to like a less-cooked yolk center.
> ...



He he he...non aged boiled eggs that peel nicely?  Which method was your method?     Nevermind, I'll scroll back and use your method.


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## lyndalou (Aug 28, 2015)

Dawgluver said:


> I even add a few ice cubes!
> 
> CG, glad you found your perfect method!



So do I. I use the Julia method. Eggs covered with cold water, bring to a boil cover pot, take off heat and let them sit for 12 mins. then drain run cold water into pot and add a few ice cubes. Perfect every time and no dark ring around the yolks.


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## puffin3 (Aug 28, 2015)

We buy fresh farm eggs once a week and refrigerate them.
The eggs are different color b/c the chickens are all different.
When I boil eggs I take them from the fridge. Into cold water. Bring water to a boil. Remove from heat, drain the pot, into the sink to cool down for about ten minutes. In a bowl of warm water, crack the egg at the 'big' end, then peel. Every time there will be eggs that peel perfectly and some that don't. For the ones that don't I use a spoon to remove the egg from the shell.
A lot has to do with the chicken and it's age and general health.
Store bought eggs ought to all be the same when cooked, however you cook them.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Aug 28, 2015)

The last word on hard boiled eggs will happen that nano-second before the Sun goes Supernova...


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## GotGarlic (Aug 28, 2015)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> The last word on hard boiled eggs will happen that nano-second before the Sun goes Supernova...


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## Andy M. (Aug 28, 2015)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> The last word on hard boiled eggs will happen that nano-second before the Sun goes Supernova...



I recommend that before anyone posts their egg cooking method here they MUST go back and read all the other threads listed in the OP.

I refuse to get into this again.


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## sparrowgrass (Aug 28, 2015)

I have my own chickens, so my eggs are fresh.  On a chicken page, I read about steaming eggs.  I use a bamboo steamer, and set it on top of a pot of boiling water for 17-20 minutes, then plunk the eggs into ice water.  Shells just slip off, no matter how fresh they are.  I will never do them any other way.

You could use a metal folding veggie steamer, or a colander, if you have one that will fit inside the pan and keep the eggs out of the water.


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## Caslon (Aug 28, 2015)

Andy M. said:


> I recommend that before anyone posts their egg cooking method here they MUST go back and read all the other threads listed in the OP.
> 
> I refuse to get into this again.



Agree with that.  No argument here. Will there be a last word?    

Not likely.


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## taxlady (Aug 28, 2015)

Does anyone have any tips to keep the yokes centred? I hate it when I'm making devilled eggs and the yoke is off to the side and the white has gotten so thin it breaks.


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## Andy M. (Aug 28, 2015)

taxlady said:


> Does anyone have any tips to keep the yokes centred? I hate it when I'm making devilled eggs and the yoke is off to the side and the white has gotten so thin it breaks.




http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f22/how-do-you-boil-an-egg-26432-2.html#post351688


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## taxlady (Aug 28, 2015)

Andy M. said:


> http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f22/how-do-you-boil-an-egg-26432-2.html#post351688


Thanks Andy? Have you tried it? How well did it work?


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## Andy M. (Aug 28, 2015)

taxlady said:


> Thanks Andy? Have you tried it? How well did it work?



It seems to work well.  I can't say it's foolproof.


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## taxlady (Aug 28, 2015)

Andy M. said:


> It seems to work well.  I can't say it's foolproof.


Thanks


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## Caslon (Aug 28, 2015)

You people are funny


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## BoracayB (Aug 28, 2015)

Is there a certain amount of time to keep hard boiled eggs
in the refrigerator before they become hard to peel?

I do a dozen at a time and keep some for snacks on the golf course.
  Sometimes they are hard to peel.


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## Addie (Jan 4, 2019)

*Huh?*

I was perusing through this coming week's flyer, making up my grocery list. Since I always buy eggs, I wanted to see what the price was. Imagine my surprise when I read the following:

*England* best brown eggs.

Is there a shortage of eggs or chickens and now we are importing them from England? BTW, they are two dozen for $4.


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## Silversage (Jan 4, 2019)

Addie,
I suspect that was a typo.  They are probably _Eggland's Best_ brown eggs.



They CLAIM to be better - more nutritious - better taste - etc than other brands.  Not sure how that happens, but......advertising, you know.


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## pepperhead212 (Jan 4, 2019)

Through the years I have tried many methods of making HB eggs, but most either overcooked them, or, if they worked once, they were undependable - probably when started in cold water, the timing varies, as it comes to a boil at different times.  The most dependable has been when I'd put them either directly into boiling water for 10 min. (though many would break, unless I punched a hole in them), or I'd put them in a steamer, and set it over a wok, with the water boiling already for 12 min., cooling quickly in iced water.  Still, peeling could be a problem, and I never came up with a reliable method that resulted in easy peeling every time.

However, about a year ago, I discovered a method that I was VERY leary about, but which turned out to make the best HB eggs ever - PRESSURE COOKING!!!   Like me, you are probably thinking that this would result in solid green yolks, since it seems like it would have to overcook them, but they would come out perfect almost every time, with yolks cooked through, but almost never any green.  And here's the really good part - they peel very easily, probably because the white becomes firmer at the higher temps.  I still can't figure out why the higher temps doesn't darken the yolks.

The method was posted on a thread on another forum discussing Instant Pots.  Here's the method:

Place a steamer rack in the instant pot and place the eggs on it, separating them slightly (I put 8 in usually, but 10 large eggs will fit in my 6 qt IP).  Put a cup of water in the pot, put the lid on and seal it, and set it on manual high pressure for 5 min., and start.  When the 5 minutes is up, let the pressure release for 5 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure.  Place the eggs in a bowl of iced water, as always, and you'll have perfect HB eggs!

I still can't figure out how this works, since the 5 min setting on the IP doesn't start counting down until it reaches the pressure, thus some steaming is taking place, as it is heating up, then another 5 minutes of cooking occurs while the pressure releases some.  Yet, simmering for 12 minutes, overcooks them, in my experience.  Go figure.


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## Andy M. (Jan 4, 2019)

I've been using this method lately and it seems to be fool-proof. Perfectly cooked *AND* easy to peel.

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/10/perfect-boiled-eggs-recipe.html


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## Just Cooking (Jan 4, 2019)

My first try with my IP was potatoes for salad, including HB eggs...

The eggs (along with the potatoes) were/are perfect.. I see no reason to do HB eggs any other way.. (disclaimer: for me, I mean)

Ross


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## Cooking Goddess (Jan 4, 2019)

If you don't have an Instant Pot (or any other pressure cooker), you really don't have to forgo perfectly cooked eggs.  I still am holding out on buying a PC. I need more reasons than eggs and making homemade wine.   




Andy M. said:


> I've been using this method lately and it seems to be fool-proof. Perfectly cooked *AND* easy to peel.
> 
> https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/10/perfect-boiled-eggs-recipe.html


Glad that you like it, *Andy*. I'm glad I decided to start one more danged thread about hard cooked eggs!


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## Caslon (Jan 4, 2019)

My last words again (about HB eggs). I microwaved one too long to warm it up. It looked fine, wasn't too hot to the touch. It exploded all over my face when I bit into it.


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