A bubbling pot of water on the stovetop filled with a half dozen eggs is common sight in my kitchen. Stocking a supply of hard cooked eggs makes it easy to add a protein boost to everyday meals. I pop them into lunch boxes, slice them into dinner salad, and hand them off for breakfast as my kids head out the door. If you’ve wondered how to tell an egg is hard boiled, here’s the scoop. You’ll also find a few more pointers on cooking and storing eggs.
How To Hard Boil an Egg
To hard boil four eggs, put them into a medium saucepan and fill with enough water to cover the eggs by one inch. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Once it boils, cover the pot with a lid, turn off the heat, and set a timer for 12 minutes. Remove the eggs from the pot to cool and peel.
How to Tell an Egg is Hard Boiled
Since hard boiled eggs look no different than raw ones it’s easy to mix them up, with potentially messy results. If you’re wondering how to tell an egg is hard boiled, set it on the counter and give a quick spin. Once it’s moving, tap your finger on it to stop the spinning. Eggs that are cooked will spin easily and rapidly and stop quickly. Raw eggs take a bit of momentum to get going and don’t stop so quickly with the touch of your finger.
Label Your Eggs
To avoid the raw versus cooked conundrum, identify eggs that have been hard boiled with a permanent marker before storing them in the fridge.
Peeling Eggs
Know that the fresher the egg, the harder it is to peel. Keep eggs in the fridge for seven to 10 days before boiling and the job of peeling will go that much easier. Peeling is easiest once eggs have cooled and there is a little pocket of air at the narrow end of the egg. Tap that first and peel from there.
How to Store Eggs
Below you’ll find a chart from the American Egg Board with recommendations for storing your eggs in the refrigerator. I like the fact that those hard boiled eggs will keep for up to a week.
| Raw eggs (in shell) | 4 to 5 weeks beyond the pack date or about 3 weeks after purchase |
| Raw eggs (slightly beaten) | Up to 2 days |
| Raw egg whites | Up to 4 days |
| Raw egg yolks | Up to 2 days |
| Hard-boiled eggs (in shell) | Up to 1 week |
| Peeled hard-boiled eggs | Use the same day for best quality |
Hard Boiled Egg Recipes
Hard boiled eggs are endlessly useful in the kitchen. Here are a handful of recipe ideas.