How Do You Know When Boiled Eggs Are Done?

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This is a question that people often ask about cooking: How do you know when eggs are ready? 10 to 12 minutes is how long it takes to hard-boil eggs. But the answer really depends on what kind of hard-boiled egg you like—one with a fully cooked yolk or one with a soft, creamy middle. The truth is that time is very important when cooking a hard-boiled egg.

You need to know how long to boil eggs if you want to make egg salad, deviled eggs, or just a quick and easy protein snack. We can help! This guide will help you make sure your eggs are boiled the way you like them.

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Why is the right time to boil eggs important?

When you boil eggs, timing is very important. Not long after the egg is laid, the yolk may become hard or soft. You might get sticky whites or, even worse, an egg with an unpleasant green ring if you’re not careful. That’s why time is so important.

Soft-Boiled Eggs: Soft-boiled eggs have soft, slightly set whites and runny yolks that are great for dipping toast in.

Medium-Boiled Eggs: Eggs that have been boiled just right have a thick, jammy yolk that is great for spreading on toast or salad.

Hard-Boiled Eggs: If you want a snack, salad, or deviled eggs, hard-boiled eggs are great. The whites are fully set and the yolk is firm.

Factors That Affect Boiling Time

Multiple factors can affect the amount of time it takes to boil eggs, and not all eggs are made equal.

Size of the Egg: Cooking time for large eggs is longer than that of medium or very little eggs.

The elevated levels to: eggs will take longer to cook if you live at a higher altitude since water boils at a lower temperature that is lower than the temperature at which you live.

Temperature at the Beginning: Are you beginning with eggs that are cold from the refrigerator or eggs that are at room temperature? A little bit extra time could be required for cold eggs.

How to Hard-Boil Eggs Perfectly Every Time

If you want to hard-boil eggs every time, put them in a pot and cover them with cold water. With the heat on medium, bring the water to a boil. Then, lower the heat and let it cook for 9 to 12 minutes, based on how big the eggs are. After they are done, put them in an ice bath to stop cooking and make peeling them easy. This way makes sure that the whites and eggs are always hard.

Spread cold water over the eggs in a pot and cover them with a lid.

Over medium-high heat, bring the water to a boil.

Once it starts to boil, turn down the heat and let it cook slowly for 9 to 12 minutes, based on how big your eggs are.

Take the eggs out of the water and put them right away in an ice bath to stop the cooking.

How to Test for Soft-Boiled Eggs

Feel the shell of an egg to see if it is soft-boiled. Even though it’s soft, it shouldn’t be too soft. The egg whites should be set when the egg is cracked open, but the yolk should still be runny. Soft-boiled eggs take between 4 and 6 minutes to cook, but this depends on the size of the egg and the consistency you want the yolk to be.

Lightly press on the shell; it should feel soft but not squishy.

When you crack the egg open, the white should be firm enough to hold the yolk in place.

Soft-boiled time guide: 4-6 minutes.

How to Test for Medium-Boiled Eggs

If you want to know if an egg is medium-boiled, cut it open. The yolk should be thick and creamy, but not completely solid. It should feel like jam. It’s time for the whites to be fully set. It takes about 7 to 8 minutes to cook a medium-boiled egg, but this depends on the size of the egg and how hard you like your yolk.

Slicing the egg: If the yolk is thick and slightly soft, you’ve hit medium-boiled perfection.

Medium-boiled time guide: 7-8 minutes.

How to Test for Hard-Boiled Eggs

Cut an egg open to see if it’s hard-boiled. There should be no soft spots in the middle of the egg, and the whites should be crystal clear. Depending on the size of the egg, it usually takes 9 to 12 minutes to cook an egg the right way. You can also put the egg on a flat surface and spin it. If it spins easily, it’s done.

Cut it open; the yolk should be solid with no softness in the centre.

Hard-boiled time guide: 9-12 minutes.

How Do You Tell If a Hard-Boiled Egg Is Done?

Spin the Egg: Put the egg down on a flat surface and spin it around. The egg is done when it spins quickly and smoothly. That's because the liquid inside a softboiled or raw egg moves around as it spins.

Shake Test: Give the egg a light shake. If the egg doesn't move when you touch it, it's done. It's not done yet if you can feel liquid moving.

Open the egg: One egg can be cracked open to see if you're still not sure. If you don't cook an egg long enough, the yolk will be soft or runny. If the egg is fully hard-boiled, the yolk will be firm and solid.

Do boiled eggs float when done?

There were a few that worked better than the rest when it came to telling if an egg is cooked or not. You may have heard that hard-boiled eggs float, but they don’t. What they do changes when you spin them or shine a flashlight through them. If you only want to know if an egg is cooked, spinning it and using a flashlight will do. But if you want to know if it’s soft-, medium-, or hard-boiled without breaking it, our instructions for always cooking the perfect egg are the only way to be sure.

People frequently think that boiled eggs float when they’re done. More frequently than not, eggs that float in hot water are old. Because there aren’t any air spaces inside the shell of a fresh egg yet, it will sink. Eggs that float don’t always mean they’re fully cooked; they could be old or have cracks.

Spin the Eggs

Putting an egg flat on the table and spinning it is the fastest way to tell the difference between a fresh egg and a hard-boiled egg. Because it’s full of water, a raw egg will shake and spin slowly. A fried egg, on the other hand, will spin very quickly and easily.

Now, take a raw egg and spin it on the flat side of the shell like a top. Take that egg and compare it to an egg you already know is done. That will help you tell them apart every time.

Take an egg out of the pot and spin it on a flat surface. Because it’s rigid inside, a hard-boiled egg will spin quickly and evenly. Because there is water inside, a soft-boiled or raw egg will shake.

Give the Eggs a Shake

I actually just shook a bunch of eggs to see if they sloshed (raw) or not (cooked). That’s the first way. I couldn’t tell the difference between the raw and cooked eggs when they were cold. I did this test again with eggs that were at room temperature and only saw a very small difference between the raw and cooked eggs. Because of this, I can’t really recommend this way to tell if your hard-boiled egg is done. You also couldn’t tell how cooked they were because the eggs, even the soft-boiled ones, were pretty hard when you shook them.

Giving your egg a light shake is another simple way to do it. The egg isn’t fully cooked yet if you can feel the insides moving around. If you boil an egg right, it will feel solid.

Submerge the Eggs in Water

Put the egg in cold water or an ice bath after it’s been boiled. This can help the egg stop cooking and make it easier to peel later. After leaving one egg cool for a few minutes, crack it open to see if it’s done.

I saw a hack where you put eggs in a cup of warm water to see if air bubbles formed around the shell. It was almost impossible to tell if there were any when I tried this with eggs that were different levels of cooked and raw, cold and at room temperature.

Crack the Egg

You can easily tell if an egg is cooked or not by cracking it. However, this will give you an egg with a broken shell, which may or may not be fine based on what you plan to do with it. You need to use the egg as it is now if it’s raw. You won’t know if the egg is soft-boiled or hard-boiled until you cut into the yolk.

If you’re still not sure, take out one egg and look at the yolk. The yolk of a hard-boiled egg should be fully set and bright yellow. It needs more time in the pot if it’s still too runny or soft.

How do you tell if an egg is overboiled?

The process of overcooking an egg is not difficult to do, and when it occurs, you will most likely see a few important signs. In the beginning, the yolk could grow a ring that is greenish or grayish around it. This does not have a significant impact on the taste, but it does signal that the egg was cooked for an excessive amount of time.

In addition to this, the egg white could have a rubbery and harsh texture rather than a soft one. In addition, eggs that have been kept in boiling water for an excessive amount of time may have a sulfuric smell, which is another indication that they have been overcooked.

How Long to Boil Eggs (Soft, Firm, or Hard)

1. Soft-boiled egg (slightly runny centre)

Once the water starts to boil, leave the eggs in it for 4 to 5 minutes. It is very important that you do not let soft-boiled eggs continue to cook after taking them out of the water. To prevent this, put the eggs in an ice bath as soon as you take them out of the hot water. While they are still warm, serve the eggs on toast or a salad. Quickly take them out of the ice bath.

2. Firm yolk (still a little soft and pourable)

Eggs should be left in the water for a minimum of ten minutes. You do not need to take an ice bath if you are peeling and eating the food immediately. In any other case, be careful to refrigerate the egg to prevent it from becoming overcooked.

3. Completely hard-boiled egg (for deviled eggs or egg salad)

It’s time to take the eggs out of the water. Not only should you check your time to make sure you get the feared green ring, but you should also think about the water you’re using. If the iron amount in your tap water is high, that could be changing the results. Then boil your eggs in water that has been cleaned. Also, put the eggs in the ice bath if you’re not going to peel them and eat them right away.

How long can you keep hard-boiled eggs in the fridge? The eggs are safe to keep in the fridge for one to one and a half weeks in their shells.

Conclusion

You don’t have to guess how to boil the right egg. If you know how to cook eggs right, when to cook them, and a few easy tricks, you’ll never be confused about whether they are done or overdone. These steps will help you boil eggs perfectly every time, no matter how soft, medium, or hard you like them.