Boiled Eggs
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Use eggs that are not too fresh; allow them to sit for a few days if possible.
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil.
Cook the eggs
Gently place the eggs in the boiling water using a spoon, ensuring the spoon touches the bottom before withdrawing it.
For lightly boiled eggs, cook for 3 minutes.
For medium eggs, cook for 3¾ to 4 minutes.
For hard-boiled eggs, cook for 6 to 7 minutes.
If using large eggs, add an extra 30 seconds to the cooking time.
For salad eggs, boil for 10 to 15 minutes, then place in cold water for a few minutes to help peel.
Peel
Roll the eggs on the table with your hand to easily remove the shell.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set the protein structure as they cook, giving firmness from soft yolk to fully hard.
The step that matters
Cooking time for the chosen doneness. Egg white and yolk set at different temperatures and times, so even a short extra minute noticeably firms the yolk. Matching the timing to the desired texture, and adding time for large eggs, prevents overcooking or a runny centre.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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