HOW TO MAKE (AND PERFECTLY PEEL) HARD BOILED EGGS

HARD BOILED EGGS MAKE FOR A PERFECT AND HEALTHY SNACK ON THE GO. LEARN HOW TO MAKE PERFECT HARD BOILED EGGS WITH THIS EASY METHOD.

hard boiled eggs topped with paprika

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SO MANY EGGS …

farm fresh eggs

With chickens in the back yard, we never have a shortage of fresh eggs! This April marks our one-year anniversary of backyard chicken keeping. To celebrate spring (and their first birthday), the chickens have blessed us with an abundance of eggs. We love farm fresh eggs! As a family of four, we often consume just as many eggs as the chickens produce but sometimes we find ourselves with an overabundance.

Aside from hard boiled eggs, we also love to make breakfast egg cups! This is another quick snack or breakfast idea that is great for busy folks on the go.

WHY HARD BOILED EGGS?

hard boiled eggs in a dish

Hard boiled eggs are simple to make in a small amount of time. This is perfect for busy families! We found that a dish of hard boiled eggs left in the fridge disappeared very quickly, and we all had healthier work / school snacks.

hard boiled eggs in a bowl pin

Here are some reasons why we love hard boiled eggs as snacks:

  • They are healthy! Snacks are often heavily processed, eggs make for a great alternative and they’re packed with protein.
  • It’s farm fresh food on the go.
  • More eco friendly (just compost the shells).

WHICH EGGS ARE THE BEST FOR HARD BOILING?

bowl of farm fresh chicken eggs

There is a method to my madness here, I promise. Have you ever tried to peel an egg that was freshly laid? Pretty terrible, wasn’t it? Whenever we accidentally hard boil fresh eggs, they always end up a little less than perfect looking after they are peeled.

Fresh eggs are harder to peel than older eggs. It doesn’t matter how quickly you cooled the eggs down or any other hacks. Fresher eggs are more challenging to peel because the shells adhere more tightly to the membranes on the egg.

Older eggs are better for use in hard boiled eggs because they peel much easier. Plus I found a mind blowing egg peeling hack that I’ll share a little later in this post.

TOOLS AND INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE HARD BOILED EGGS

hard boiled egg in Negg peeler

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

  • The Negg: This is a hard boiled egg peeler and it is worth every penny.
  • Medium sized pan: the pan size can vary depending on how many eggs you wish to boil. Don’t leave too much space in the pan, because the eggs could bump each other and crack.
  • Eggs: again, the quantity will depend on how many eggs you wish to cook at one time.

HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT HARD BOILED EGGS

a bowl of hard boiled eggs

If you’re using backyard eggs, the first step should be to wash off your eggs. We store our eggs in the refrigerator, but we do not clean them first. There is often a feather or two in our fridge, but eggs stored this way (with the bloom intact) keep fresh for several months.

The bloom is a coating on the egg (produced by the chicken) that seals up the porous egg shell which helps to stop bacteria from entering the egg. Once the bloom has been removed, the shelf life of the egg is decreased.

STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO HARD BOILED EGGS

pan of hard boiled eggs with water

Now that the eggs are cleaned, let’s dive into the recipe:

  1. Arrange the eggs at the bottom of a sauce pan so that the eggs are a single layer, and there is a little space between each egg.
  2. Cover the eggs with about 2″ of cold water.
  3. Place the cover on the pan and bring to a boil on the stovetop.
  4. Once the water has reached a rolling boil, turn the burner off and leave the pan on the hot burner.
  5. Set a timer for 12 minutes.
  6. After 12 minutes have ended, carefully pour the hot water out of the pan.
  7. Fill the pan with cold water and continue to rinse the eggs in cold water.
  8. After about 3-5 minutes of rinsing with cold water, the eggs are ready to be peeled and eaten!

SIMPLE HACK TO PEELING HARD BOILED EGGS

Peeling hard boiled eggs can be a time consuming job, but not anymore! My husband found this gadget called The Negg and it works incredibly. This device cuts down the time it takes to peel eggs, and leaves eggs more intact. There’s nothing worse than peeling eggs and having big chunks of the egg whites peel off with the shells.

How to use the Negg hard boiled egg peeler on boiled (cooled) eggs:

  • Fill The Negg with cold water just under the middle line (which is a row of eggs).
  • Place an egg inside and cover the top.
  • Firmly hold on to the top and bottom of the device, and shake the egg.
  • After a few firm shakes, the shell will begin to crumble off.
  • Remove the top of the Negg and take the egg out.
  • The shell should be able to slip right off!
  • If the shell still seems stuck, simply shake it a few more times.

PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD

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hard boiled eggs topped with paprika

HOW TO MAKE PERFECT HARD BOILED EGGS

prep time: 2 MINUTES
cook time: 12 MINUTES
additional time: 5 MINUTES
total time: 19 MINUTES
Hard boiled eggs make for a perfect and healthy snack on the go. Learn how to make perfect hard boiled eggs with this easy method.

INGREDIENTS

  • Saucepan
  • Eggs
  • Water

INSTRUCTIONS

Arrange the eggs at the bottom of a sauce pan so that the eggs are a single layer, and there is a little space between each egg.

Cover the eggs with about 2″ of cold water.

Place the cover on the pan and bring to a boil on the stovetop.

Once the water has reached a rolling boil, turn the burner off and leave the pan on the hot burner.

Set a timer for 12 minutes.

After 12 minutes have ended, carefully pour the hot water out of the pan.

Fill the pan with cold water and continue to rinse the eggs in cold water.

After about 3-5 minutes of rinsing with cold water, the eggs are ready to be peeled and eaten!

STORAGE OF HARD BOILED EGGS

bowl of farm fresh chicken eggs

For optimal taste, leave the shells on your hard boiled eggs until it’s time to enjoy them. Keeping the shell intact also increases the shelf life of hard boiled eggs.

These tasty treats should be refrigerated in a sealed container right after cooking and cooling. This is of course if you don’t eat them all right away!

As a family of four, I made 12 hard boiled eggs for this post and they were eaten within two days.

PIN IT FOR LATER

hard boiled eggs in a pan pin

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