Hard Boiled Egg Tricks You'll Wish You Knew Sooner

There's nothing quite like a good hard boiled egg — creamy, savory, packed with protein — as versatile as they are delicious. Serve them for breakfast, grab a couple as a quick mid-day snack, or mash them in a bowl and add mayo, chives, mustard, and lemon juice for a hearty egg salad. You can even use hard boiled eggs as the base for the best party appetizer of all time: the great American deviled egg!

Preparing these beauties couldn't be easier. You just need a pot and water. Let your eggs boil for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on their size, and you've got incredible hard-boiled wonders that you can put to use in so many delectable ways.

But as simple as it is to make hard boiled eggs, there are some essential tricks and hacks for making them even better than they already are. Here's a dozen hard boiled egg tricks you'll wish you knew sooner.

While it just makes sense to use your older eggs before moving on to a new dozen, this is especially true when it comes to hard boiled eggs. In fact, if you have the choice, always use older eggs for hard boiling, rather than those that are freshly bought. Why? Older eggs simply make better quality hard boiled eggs. As eggs age, the pH level — or the level of alkalinity — within the whites increases, causing those whites to adhere less tightly to the inner membrane of the egg. This makes older hard boiled eggs considerably easier to peel. 

In contrast, newer eggs have lower pH levels, resulting in a much tighter bond between the egg white and membrane. If you've ever experienced trying to peel a stubborn egg that wouldn't come unstuck from the shell — and that you ultimately destroyed while peeling — this could have been the issue.

If all that weren't enough, consider this: Eggshells are slightly porous and air can pass through them. As eggs age, water evaporates out of them through their shell. This allows the natural air bubble within every egg to increase in size. And as that air bubble grows, it pushes the yolk further into the center of the egg. Meaning, older eggs are also going to look prettier and more symmetrical when you cut them open, compared to fresher eggs.

Prepare a lot of hard boiled eggs? If so, it might be time to invest in one of the greatest cooking gadgets available: the egg piercer. Retailing in specialty shops for just a few bucks, an egg piercer is an incredibly simple and effective tool designed for one express purpose — it gently punctures a small hole in the round end of any eggshell. 

To understand why that's important, consider this quick science lesson: When eggs heat during the boiling process, the natural air bubble hiding inside expands — most of the time, nothing happens. But if you get a lot of cracked eggs while making hard boiled eggs — and they're room temperature to start — then it's likely this hot air that is to blame. The pressure within the egg gets too intense as all that expanded air builds up, and your egg bursts as a result.

You can avoid this by piercing a small hole in the shell before cooking the eggs. As the pressure within the egg builds, the air now has a place to escape — via that tiny hole. And this means no more cracked eggs once you put them on to boil. Tada!

Congratulations! Your cool water and room temperature eggs (with a tiny piercing in the bottom of each) are in the pot with a bit of vinegar, and the water has started to boil. You're half way there! Now, instead of letting your water continue to roll away at that bubbly high temperature, put a lid on the pot and lower the temp on your stovetop.

For the best quality hard boiled eggs, you should always let your eggs simmer in hot water as they cook, instead of leaving them in water at a rolling boil. Simmering eggs at a lower, steadier temperature results in great tasting hard boiled eggs. They'll be more tender and evenly cooked than eggs that are boiled exclusively. Simmering also ensures a gentler cooking process, reducing the likelihood of cracks and ensuring that egg whites maintain their delicate texture and consistency. Overall, simmering makes for a more controlled cooking experience.

And perhaps most important: It can significantly reduce the risk of that freaky greenish ring that sometimes forms around the yolks of eggs that have been cooked at higher temperatures. Nobody wants green eggs — unless of course you're cooking exotic looking and naturally green-shelled eggs! Of course, there's the whole "Green Eggs and Ham" thing, but that's another story!

Once your perfectly prepared eggs have cooked for 10 to 12 minutes, it's a good idea to enlist this next egg trick. This is where most mistakes with hard boiled eggs occur — you don't want to let them overcook and ruin all the hard work you've put into making them. So don't simply turn off the burner and let them sit in that hot water where they'll continue to simmer.

Instead, it's time to give them an immediate ice bath. Fill a large bowl with ice and a bit of water and then transfer your hard boiled eggs into this ice bath. This will instantly stop the cooking process and prevent overcooking. An ice bath will also help keep your eggs from having dry and rubbery whites and discolored yolks. 

And shocking eggs in an ice bath makes them easier to peel — the quick temperature change causes the egg whites to contract slightly, creating a small gap between the egg white and inner membrane of the egg. This separation makes it easier to peel eggs without damaging their exterior, resulting in smooth and beautiful hard boiled eggs we all want on our plates.

If you don't have a ready supply of ice, cool your eggs in the next best way. Put them in a large colander and run cold tap water over them until they are cool to touch. 

While boiling is the easiest way to cook eggs in their shells, there are a number of other methods worth trying if you're looking for an alternative. For instance, you can place eggs into a steamer over boiling water and cook them just like you would asparagus or broccoli. This gentle cooking technique takes about the same amount of time — 10 to 12 minutes — and is said to produce the easiest peeling eggs, since steam is a much less aggressive cooking technique.

To cook eggs in about half the time of normal, you could also use an Instant Pot. Add water to the appliance, place the eggs on a trivet, and let them cook in the high pressure environment just like you would on the stove, following with an ice bath once cooking is complete. Or, to cook a large amount of eggs all at once, consider using a slow cooker. Just fill the appliance with as many eggs as you want, add enough water to cover them, and let them cook on low for four to six hours.

Hard boiled eggs always taste best when served just after being cooked. However, occasionally you have to cook them in bulk because you're super busy — and they are one of the best foods to prepare ahead of time. In that case, cool your eggs in an ice bath or under cold tap water and then store in the fridge within a couple hours to reduce risk of food borne illness.

Keep your refrigerated, hard boiled eggs covered in an air tight container — this will prevent them from picking up odors. Don't peel until you're ready to consume; no longer than a week. Leaving the shells on while refrigerated will keep the eggs from drying out or getting slimy from excess moisture, and it provides a protective barrier that preserves freshness. 

Write the date on the shell to help remember when you cooked the eggs — a Sharpie is handy for this. Or draw a big X on one side so you know which eggs in the fridge are hard boiled and which are raw. You can even draw a happy face for your kids so they'll know the eggs are cooked and ready to eat. 

What are you waiting for? Get some water boiling — an egg-ceptional treat awaits!