Boiled eggs

Name: Boiled eggs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 24 min
Total time: 34 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 8 eggs; — water to cover; 1 teaspoon salt; a pinch salt and cumin; — olive oil and bread

Eggs boiled just how they're wanted, from soft to firm, with shells that come away easily.

Vegetarian

Cooking time: 34 min
Hands-on time: 10 min
Free time: 15 min
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 390
Contains: Gluten, Eggs

The simplest thing on the breakfast table, and still easy to get wrong: eggs that crack in the pot or tear when peeled. The fix is two steps: eggs at room temperature before boiling, and an ice-water shock afterwards that lifts the membrane off the white.

Before you start

Before you beginRead the steps completely, measure the ingredients, and prepare the tools before turning on the heat or oven.
Timing the servingPrepare what you can in advance and leave the final touches until serving time to maintain the texture.

Ingredients

4people

Amounts follow the number of people

For the eggs

8 eggs — at room temperature
water to cover
1 teaspoon salt — makes them easier to peel

For serving

a pinch salt and cumin
olive oil and bread

When doubling the quantity, use a wider container, and gradually increase the salt and seasoning after tasting.

Equipment

Small pot — Cold water covering the eggs before the heat goes on.
Bowl of iced water — Moving them straight into it is what stops the cooking and loosens the shell.

Method

Take the eggs out of the fridge a quarter of an hour before boiling.
15 minYou can walk away
You’ll know it’s ready when
The shells are no longer cold to the touch.
Tip: Cold eggs in hot water crack straight away.
Put the eggs in cold water that covers them, with the salt, and raise the heat until it boils.
6 min
You’ll know it’s ready when
The water is boiling with large bubbles.
Lower the heat and time it from the moment it boils: 6 minutes for soft, 9 for medium, 12 for hard.
9 minYou can walk away
You’ll know it’s ready when
The time has run from the start of the boil, not from when the pot went on.
Move them straight into iced water for two minutes, then roll them on the counter and peel under running water.
4 min
You’ll know it’s ready when
The shell comes away in large pieces and the white is smooth.
Tip: The cold shock separates the membrane from the white — without it the eggs tear when peeled.