Learn to make perfectly cooked boiled eggs exactly how you like them, from soft boiled to jammy boiled to hard boiled! Follow the steps and tips to make perfect eggs, every single time.
🍳 Why it Works
It’s no secret I love eggs! As part of my weekly meal prep, I make up a batch of a dozen boiled eggs for quick breakfasts or recipes like egg salad, deviled eggs, and more!
They’re the best tasting, easiest protein for your healthy meals. I think they’re the perfect addition to salads, platters, and just to eat on their own.
Learning to make the perfect egg was a total game changer to my meal prep game, so today I’m sharing exactly how I do it.
Soft boiled eggs have a silky smooth, liquid yolks and fully cooked but soft whites. Hard boiled eggs have a fully cooked yolk. Jammy eggs are right in the middle of soft and hard boiled, with yolks that are a little bit creamy and a little bit silky smooth.
Sometimes I make my eggs in the air fryer, and sometimes I use the tried and true boiling method. I’m sharing how I do it to get perfectly cooked eggs, every single time!
Step by Step Instructions
You might be wondering why you can’t just throw the eggs in the pot, turn up the heat, and call it a day. Well, there are a few tried and true tips I’m sharing to get the eggs exactly the way you like them!
- Bring a pot of salted water to a slow simmer, and add the eggs carefully using a slotted spoon. The eggs should be covered by 2 inches of water. Don’t overcrowd the pot! Only cook as many eggs can fit in a single layer on the bottom of the pot, with a little room left over. Set a timer depending on how well you’d like the eggs cooked.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs and transfer them to an ice bath for about 5 miuntes. This stops the cooking process. Allow the eggs to cool enough so you can handle them, but not so long that they completely chill through. This will make them easier to peel.
- Crack and roll the eggs gently and peel them. The air bubble usually forms at the bottom of the egg (the fattest part), so try to start peeling there.
⏱️ Cook Times
- Soft Boiled Eggs: 6 minutes
- Jammy Eggs: 7 minutes
- Medium Boiled Eggs: 9 minutes
- Hard Boiled Eggs: 11 minutes
Note: Use these times to guide your cooking, but there still may be some experimenting to do based on your personal preferences and the equipment you use. Start by cooking just 1 or 2 eggs, then move on to making bigger batches.
FAQ & Tips
That depends on the size of your pot. The eggs should fit in a single layer at the bottom of the pot, with a little room for them to roll around as they cook. Don’t overcrowd the pot! It’s better to cook eggs in batches than to have unevenly cooked eggs.
A green ring around the egg yolk tends to indicate that the eggs were overcooked or cooked at too high a temperature. Try lowering the heat a bit and cooking them a few minutes less next time. With a green ring, they’re still perfectly safe to eat, just a little less pretty.
There are several possible reasons why the eggs are hard to peel.
Peel the eggs but do not cut them until you’re ready to eat them. Transfer the eggs to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to a week, per USDA.
You can freeze eggs, but for best taste and texture, I don’t recommend it. It’s better to cook a fresh batch whenever you’re close to running out.
Recipes that Use Boiled Eggs
The possibilities go way beyond what you might think, so check out some of these healthy recipes (they all would be rockin’ with these jammy eggs!):
- Honey-less Mustard Grilled Chicken Platter
- Asian Rainbow Salad Bowls with Shrimp
- Fried Avocado BLT
- 5 Minute Club Grilled Chicken Salad Kit
- Chicken & Bacon Caesar Salad
- Easy Whole30 Breakfast Bowls
If you make these eggs, I’d love to hear about your experience!
Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @cookathomemom.
Perfect Boiled Eggs – Soft, Jammy, and Hard.
Equipment
- Sauce Pan
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of salted water to a slow boil, not quite at a rolling or fast boil.
- Gently add in the eggs to the pot with a slotted spoon, one at a time, in a single, spread out layer at the bottom of the pot. Make sure the eggs are covered by about 2 inches of water, and don't overcrowd the pot.
- Soft Boiled Eggs: Cook for 6 minutes.Jammy Eggs: Cook for 7 minutes.Medium Boiled Eggs: Cook for 9 minutes.Hard Boiled Eggs: Cook for 11 minutes.
- While the eggs cook, prepare an ice bath. Add 3-4 cups of ice to a large bowl, then fill the bowl to 2/3 full with cold water.
- Once the cook time is over, remove the eggs using a slotted spoon. Set the eggs gently into the ice bath to stop the cooking process.
- Allow the eggs to cool in the ice bath just until they're chilled enough to hold in your hands, then remove them before they're fully chilled through. Crack and peel the eggs, starting with wherever the air bubble has formed, usually at the bottom.
