Brown eggs waiting to be boiled
Boiled eggs can be breakfast or used in recipes. For most people, soft- and medium-boiled eggs are served as a side or main dish on their own, and hard-boiled eggs are used in salads and sandwiches. Cooking time for a boiled egg depends upon the desired taste for the finished product.
Choosing eggs
Final use for the eggs often dictates how the eggs are cooked. Egg salads can only be made with hard-boiled eggs since softer eggs are too runny to hold their shape when cut or chopped. If cooking hard-boiled eggs, the best eggs are those near the expiration date on the carton, (see reference 2).
The shells of newly laid eggs cling tightly to the inner membrane surrounding the egg. As the eggs age, the air pocket at the end of the egg expands and the shell separates from the white. This allows the shell to slip off easily when hard-boiled. Place the egg in water, and if it stands on end but does not float, the egg is old enough for hard-boiling. Soft- and medium-boiled eggs do not require peeling and the freshness of the eggs is not as critical. For all types of boiled eggs, the shells should be free of cracks and brought to room temperature before cooking. This reduces the cooking time by 1 minute (see reference 1).
Simmering eggs in water method
Water is poured over eggs placed in a layer in a deep pot. The water is brought to a boil and once the water reaches a rolling boil, the temperature is reduced to a simmer. The water will be gently bubbling at the simmer. The eggs remain in the simmering water for 4 to 6 minutes for soft-cooked eggs, 6 to 8 minutes for medium-cooked eggs, and 11 to 13 minutes for hard-cooked eggs.
The lowest time is for medium-sized eggs, and the longest cooking time for each yolk firmness is used for extra-large eggs. Cooking times for large eggs are between the two. A large-sized egg will simmer for 5 minutes for soft boiled, 7 minutes for medium and 12 minutes for a hard yolk (see reference 2).
Plunge the eggs into cold water to stop cooking after removing from the simmering water (see reference 3).
Boil and cover method
Put a single layer of eggs into a cooking pot covered with 1 inch of water. Bring the pot to a rolling boil. Immediately remove from the heat and cover. Begin timing the cooking (see reference 3). The time the eggs must sit in the covered pot will depend upon the size of the eggs and the desired firmness of the yolk.
Medium-sized eggs require: 3 minutes, 5 minutes and 12 minutes for soft-, medium-, and hard-cooked yolk. Soft-boiled, medium-boiled, and hard-boiled large eggs need: 4 minutes, 6 minutes and 17 minutes, respectively. Extra large eggs need: 5 minutes, 7 minutes and 19 minutes for soft, medium and hard yolks. (See reference 1) Once the end of the cooking time is reached, the eggs are put into cold water to stop the cooking process (see reference 3).
Finished egg differences
Hard-cooked eggs have both firm egg whites and yolks. If properly cooked, the egg yolks will be bright yellow without a gray-green ring around them and the whites will be thoroughly cooked without being rubbery. Medium-cooked eggs have a solid white, but the yolk remains slightly runny. Soft-cooked eggs must be eaten out of their shells as the yolks are very runny, but the whites are still opaque (see reference 1). Avoid any eggs with translucent whites. These undercooked eggs could lead to food poisoning (see reference 2).
Peeling and using eggs
Soft- and medium-boiled eggs should be held in an egg cup, have the top of their shell cut off and the egg eaten directly from the shell.
Hard-cooked eggs can be peeled by rolling the egg on a hard surface to create several cracks in the shell. The egg is then held under running water as the peel is pulled from the egg (see resource 1).
The yolks of medium-cooked eggs will prevent them from being diced but they can be halved for serving.
Hard-boiled eggs can also be dyed for Easter egg hunts or decorations. All cooked eggs should be stored in the refrigerator and eaten within 5 days (see reference 2).
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