How to boil an egg

Perfect hard-boiled eggs
The perfectly hard-boiled egg should have an orange yolk and firm but creamy whites.
(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

It’s almost Easter, which means brunch, family time and lots of hard-boiled eggs. 

There are countless methods for making hard-boiled eggs and just as many opinions regarding which method is the right one. Ours involves bringing the eggs to a boil, then removing them from the heat to sit in the warm water until cooked to the desired doneness. 

Our recipe is below. How you decide to decorate the eggs is up to you. 



Total time: 15 minutes, plus 1 hour cooling time | Serves 12

1 dozen eggs

1. Place the eggs in a pot large enough to hold them in a single layer. Cover them with water.

2. Over high heat, bring the water to a rolling boil and cook the eggs for 1 minute.


3. Immediately remove from heat and set the eggs aside, 12 minutes for golden-orange yolks, 15 minutes if you want the yolks more yellow.

4. Cover with ice water and set aside until you’re ready to either refrigerate or use them.

Note: To make the eggs easier to peel, drain the water after cooking and rattle the eggs around in the pot to lightly crack the shells before filling with ice water.

Each serving: 78 calories; 6 grams protein; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 5 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 212 mg. cholesterol; 62 mg. sodium.

For recipes that use hard-boiled eggs, check out the gallery below. 

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