The first step is boiling a large pot of water on your stovetop. (You only need water, by the way. Some recipes call for salting the water or adding baking soda, but adding either is completely optional and, honestly, unnecessary.)
Make sure you add enough water to cover all your eggs completely. Eggs that aren’t completely submerged will be unevenly cooked.
A note on hot water versus cold water: You might have heard that you should start the eggs in room temperature or cold water and then bring them to a boil. This is a myth. According to our tests, starting with hot water yields eggs that are easier to peel—so always start by boiling your water.
2. Gently lower the eggs into the water
Once the water has come to a rolling boil, use a large spoon to lower the eggs into the boiling water. (If you drop the eggs in haphazardly, they can hit the bottom of the pot and crack, leaving you with egg whites floating in the water.) Oh, and start with cold eggs from the fridge if you can—it makes the finished eggs easier to peel.
3. Lower the heat slightly and boil for 8 to 14 minutes
If the water is still at a full boil, lower the high heat to a simmer so that the eggs aren’t jumping around in the pan. Then set a timer and let the eggs cook to your desired doneness. Boiled eggs can be ready to eat in as little as 4 minutes, though at that point they will be soft-boiled (the kind you spoon right out of the shell). After 8 minutes they will be hard-boiled, but those who like drier hard-boiled eggs can keep going all the way to 14 minutes. Refer to the table of cooking times below and experiment to find your ideal level of doneness.
How Long to Boil an Egg
4. Transfer the eggs to an ice-water bath When the timer goes off, use a slotted spoon to transfer the eggs from the boiling water to a large bowl full of ice water. Not only will the ice bath stop the egg from overcooking (ensuring it will be exactly as you want it), it also makes the eggs easier to peel.
When your eggs are cool enough to handle, peel them under cool running water. The water will get under the egg shell, which will help you lift the shell away cleanly. (It also ensures that any tiny flecks of shell left on the eggs are washed away.)
Alternatively, you can peel eggs right in the bowl. After a few minutes of cooling, you can swirl the eggs around with a spoon. Allow them to rattle around and let their shells crack a bit (starting the peeling process for you). The shells won’t rinse off as they would in running water, but you use less water this way. It’s our former food editor Rhoda Boone’s preferred method (she can peel a dozen eggs in under two minutes this way!).
Hard-boiled eggs, whether shelled or unshelled, can be kept in your refrigerator for up to a week. Store them in an airtight container.
Now that your eggs are ready, eat them! You can enjoy them on their own, of course, or you can use them in sandwiches, salads, pasta, casseroles, and grain bowls. Need more inspiration? Check out our best hard-boiled eggs recipes—if these ideas don’t inspire you to learn how to boil eggs perfectly, nothing will.