Cold-start boiled eggs with precise timing
4
Units:
Prep: 2 min Cook: 15 min
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- cold tap water (enough to cover eggs by 1 inch)
- 1 tsp baking soda (optional, for easier peeling)
- ice (for ice bath)
The most reliable method for boiled eggs. Starting in cold water heats the eggs gently so they crack less often, and the residual-heat technique gives you consistent soft/medium/hard results without guesswork.
Instructions
- Pot eggs: Place the eggs in a single layer in a pot. Cover with cold water by 1 inch.
- Boil: Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, uncovered.
- Rest off-heat: Remove from heat, cover with a tight lid, and let stand: 6 min (soft), 9 min (medium), or 12 min (hard).
- Ice bath: Transfer immediately to a bowl of ice water for 5 min.
- Peel under water: Tap to crack, peel under running cold water.
Tips
- 7-10-day-old eggs peel more easily than very fresh ones.
- Add 1 tsp baking soda to the cooking water to ease peeling further.
- Above 5,000 ft elevation, add 1-2 min to each rest time.
- Ice-bath time matters: under 5 min of chilling and the yolks keep cooking from residual heat.
Created: 3/23/2026, 2:33:28 AM diyfree
Pot with tight-fitting lid, bowl for ice bath, slotted spoon