Three Ways to Make Perfect Hard Cooked Eggs

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 12/8/21
Baked eggs
Diana Rattray

Try these different ways to cook your eggs to make each breakfast just a little more special.

Hard-Boiled Eggs

  1. This conventional method is the most common, and it's fast and easy. Depending on how firm you like your eggs, you might want to adjust the time by several minutes either way. If you like the eggs to have some moisture in the yolk, subtract 2 to 4 minutes from the time. If you like them very dry and firm, add a minute or two.
  2. Arrange the eggs in a saucepan. They should be in a single layer. Add cold water to about an inch above the top of the eggs. Cover the pan.
  3. Bring the eggs to a full rolling boil over high heat. 
  4. Remove the pan from the heat and let the eggs stand, covered, for 12 minutes for large eggs, or about 13 to 14 minutes for extra-large.
  5. Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water and peel when you can handle them. The freshest eggs might be difficult to peel, but I have good luck peeling them almost immediately after putting them in the ice water. Just keep dunking them as you peel.
  6. If you aren't serving them immediately, store them in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Once peeled, they should be used right away.

Baked Hard-Cooked Eggs

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 F.
  2. Put the eggs in a muffin tin, mini-muffin tin, or directly on the oven rack. 
  3. Bake for 30 minutes. 
  4. Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water and peel them as soon as they're cool enough to handle. See the directions above for peeling tips and storage times.

Sous Vide Hard-Cooked Eggs

  1. Sous vide eggs are cooked using an immersion circulator, such as the Anova Precision Cooker.
  2. Cook at 166 F (74.4 C) for 1 hour, the yolk was bright and still somewhat moist. If you're making deviled eggs or an egg salad, you might want your yolks less moist. 
  3. At 169 F (76 C), the egg is perfect for 
  4. Here's how to cook the eggs sous vide:
  5. Fill the circulator bowl with water and set the circulator to 169 F (76 C)—or less for a moist yolk.
  6. When the sous vide water is up to temperature, add the eggs. They don't have to be in a bag. Just lower them into the water with a slotted spoon or use a small wire mesh basket. Set the timer for 1 hour.
  7. Remove the eggs to ice water. Peel the eggs in the ice water and serve immediately or refrigerate in the shell for up to four days.