Once the water is at a rolling boil, turn off the heat and cover the pot with the lid. Allow the eggs to sit in the hot water for the following times according to the desired doneness: 3 minutes for SOFT boiled; 6 minutes for MEDIUM boiled; 12 minutes for HARD boiled.
Bring water to a boil over high heat. Let the water rapidly boil for 30 seconds, cover and remove from heat. Let sit 4-12 minutes. 4 minutes for jammy eggs or 12 minutes for fully hard boiled eggs and 8 or 10 minutes for somewhere in between.
Boil for 6 – 7 minutes over medium-high heat for perfect hard boiled eggs. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a large bowl of ice water and let them cool for a few minutes. Or you can place them under cool running water to stop the cooking. This will also help the eggs peel easily.
As soon as eggs start to boil, let boil for 10-12 minutes (I do 11 minutes). Set timer to help. Immediately remove from heat and set pot in a clean/cleared out sink.
For one to four eggs, bring the water to a rolling boil, cover the pot, and turn the heat down to its lowest setting for 12-14 minutes. For five to eight eggs, cook for 15 to 18 minutes. For nine to one dozen eggs, cook for 20 minutes. After cooking, transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water.
Gently lower in fridge-cold eggs. Lower the heat slightly – so the eggs don't crack due to being bashed around but water is still at a gentle boil. Start the timer – 6 minutes for runny yolks, 8 minutes for soft boiled, 10 minutes for classic hard boiled, 15 minutes for unpleasant rubbery whites and powdery dry yolks.
Bring the water to a boil, gently stirring the eggs several times. As soon as the water boils, remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let the eggs sit for 15 minutes (13 minutes for small eggs or 17 minutes extra large eggs).
To avoid getting a green yolk, cook your eggs just long enough to reach the desired doneness—no more. And quickly plunge the cooked eggs into cold water to stop the cooking process and minimize the iron-sulfur reaction. Some people also say that the cold-water plunge makes eggs easier to peel.
You might have heard that you should drop your eggs into room temperature or cold water and then bring the water to a boil. This is a myth. In our tests, bringing the water to a boil first and then lowering the eggs into the bath made for easy peeling and more accurate timing.
Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to low (so that there's no bubbles) and use skimmer to gently and slowly add the eggs to the water. Then, turn the heat back up to a boil. Set a timer and cook the eggs for 6 to 7 minutes for soft-boiled eggs and 12 to 14 minutes for hard-boiled eggs.
Shelly McKee, a food scientist at Deb-El Foods and an expert on egg chemistry, said that boiling an egg for a long time would cause it to expel moisture. As the proteins in the egg white clump together ever more tightly, they would squeeze out the water contained within the egg.
True to its name, a soft-boiled egg is one that's cooked in simmering water until the white is just set, but the yolk is still runny. Because the cooking time for a soft-boiled egg is around 3 to 4 minutes, it's often referred to as a "3-minute egg" or "4-minute egg," depending on your preferences.
Overcooked hard-boiled eggs are safe to eat (in moderation) as they release a minimal amount of iron sulfide, which would be dangerous if consumed in excess. If an egg is overcooked, it'll develop a bluish-green tint around the yolk, but as long as it is fresh, it can be eaten safely. What is this?
2 minutes - The white isn't fully set and the yolk is totally raw. 4 minutes - The white is fully set, but the yolk is thick and runny. 6 minutes - The white is fully set, and the yolk is mostly set, but still a little runny in the middle. 8 minutes - The white is fully set, and the yolk is set, but tender.
This method allows for precise timing to achieve a perfectly-set white and slightly runny yolk every time. For the most consistent results, I recommend using cold-from-the-fridge large eggs, which take exactly 6½ minutes minutes to cook.
Directions. Bring water to a gentle simmer in a medium pot. Gently lower eggs into water with a slotted spoon or strainer (do not drop eggs into water, as they might crack). Cook for exactly 6 minutes, then remove eggs with slotted spoon and serve.
4 minutes for slightly set yolk and set white. 5 minutes for a medium cooked firmer yolk and white. 6 minutes for hard boiled with lightly soft yolk. 8 minutes for firmly hard boiled.
Add water to your pot, keeping in mind that you only need enough to cover the eggs, and bring to a boil. Once you're boiling, turn off the heat, add the eggs, cover and start your timer for nine minutes. A nine minute cook time is best for large eggs.