Hard Boil an Egg

Have you ever noticed how tricky getting a hard boiled egg to look just right can really be? If you take them out too soon, then they end up being only half done. If you leave them in too long, or have the temperature too high, then they get that nasty grayish green ring around the yolk. While the only true way to hard boil an egg is really experience, there are a few tricks that you can use to make yours turn out better in the future.

• Place the eggs in the pan. Choose the pan or pot that you will be using to hard boil your eggs in. This pan or pot should be large enough that it can hold as many of the eggs as you need at one time. Be careful as you place the eggs into the pan, since it can be very easy to break the eggs. You want to fill the bottom of the pan only, and stop when there is no more space to place another egg.
• Fill the pan. After you have placed all the eggs into the bottom of the pot or pan, it is time to add the water. Fill the pot with enough cold water to cover all the eggs to at least one inch in depth. It would be preferable to fill the pot with enough cold water to cover the eggs to up to three inches of water, but only one inch is really necessary.
• Boil the water. Once you have filled the pot or pan with the water, place it onto your stove. Place a cover onto the pot or pan, and turn the heat up to high. Heat the water up to a rolling boil before you remove the pan from the heat.
• Remove from heat. After you have brought the pan of water up to the proper temperature, you need to remove it from the source of heat. Leave the cover on the pan when you do this though, since it will help to retain the heat. Let your eggs set in the boiling hot water between 17 and 20 minutes depending on the size of the eggs. The larger the egg, then the longer you leave it in the water. Do not let it sit for longer than 20 minutes though since you will run the risk of over cooking the eggs.
• Peel and eat. After the time has expired, remove the eggs from the hot water. Use a slotted spoon when you do this since it will be easier to cool the egg off. Run the egg under cold water in your sink for about 10 seconds and then set aside. This cold water will help stop the egg from "cooking," and will also make it easier to handle the egg.