How long to boil the perfect hard-boiled egg?

[Family_Dog]

Let's hear the varying opinions here...


"How long should one boil hard-boiled eggs?"


-F_D

[the BuTch3R]

Don't boil hard-boiled eggs!

[Family_Dog]

Don't boil hard-boiled eggs!

OK, let me rephrase the question:


"How long should an egg be immersed in boiling water in order to produce the purr-fect hard-boiled egg?"


-F_D

[BenHur]

Perfect for what?

To use as a perfect space taker-upper in your dustbin so that you can fill THE dustbin up enough to get your money's worth from you municipal refuse collection service fees you pay every month even if you do not use it, I would say about 5 to 50 minutes depending on how much time you need to dispose of sitting and watching the egg boil since you finished watching all your paint dry.

Perfect as ammo for your slingshot to knock trespassers and unwanted visiters out cold guess it must be boiled for about 3 hours

Perfect as dog food - about 10 minutes

Perfect to eat it yourself it should be left in the water no longer then 1 second before you fry it, poach it or scramble it.

[CasKru]

Depending where you get the eggs from. I boil them directly from the fridge. Halve fill a pot with cold tap water. Take the eggs from the fridge and put in water. Put the pot on the stove and turn the plate to it's maximum (on mine its level 6). Wait 15 minutes. Take of the stove. Let stand for 1 minute, drain the hot water and fill the pot again with cold tap water. This will help you get the shell of easier.

[Mud Dog]

Wait 15 minutes.

Jissie Cassie! This must be a 'Blou Bul' recipe, 'cos that's blue army eggs for sure!
Room temp eggs = 4½ to 5 mins into boiling water that's got a little salt added to raise the boiling point.
Ex fridge add as much as a minute but the more eggs the longer it takes ......

Damn! Eric! What were you thinking! You should know that this crowd (Hilux Forum members) will analyse this simple question to pieces! e.g. What is the mineral content of the water (use distilled for more accurate results) .... what volume of water is to be used .... will this be done at sea level? otherwise at what altitude .... how many grams precisely does this egg weigh .... how many microns is the shell .... what is the ratio between yolk and albumen of the said egg and hard boiled to who's liking or standard to mention a few variables off the top of my head!

I suspect that your fiendish ways had something to do with this posting, all the while knowing that it will cause a storm in a tea-cup for your develish amusement.

[Family_Dog]

My Fellow Hiluxers,

I posted this while actually boiling two eggs, then wondered how long they should actually boil for. You will be amazed at all the conflicting answers I found to this mind-boggling scientific question when I Googled for it:


* Do not use refrigerated eggs
* You can use refrigerated eggs
* Use only 3-5 day-old eggs
* Never add salt
* Add salt
* Leave them to settle to room temperature first
* 2-3 minutes in boiling water
* 5-6 minutes in boiling water
* 10-15 minutes in boiling water
* Place in cold water, bring to the boil and leave for ...
* 5-7 minutes
* 10-12 minutes
*15-16 minutes
* Until they float
* Until they crack
* Let stand for 5 - 10 - 15 minutes after boiling for "x" minutes
* After boiling, place under cold running tap for 4 minutes





Now, I was completely at a loss. I mean, if the World's Best Chefs cannot agree on how to boil an egg, how should I, a Hiluxer of most sober habits, claim to know any better? My eggs were 2-3 weeks old and had been living in my fridge since the day I bought them all that time ago. I do not know whether they were male eggs or female eggs, but I was pretty sure they were hen eggs.

I kept all this most meaningful information above away from my eggs as I proceeded to carefully immerse them into rapidly boiling water with the aid of a spoon.

* They did not float
* They did not crack
* They did not scream at me

After 7 minutes exactly, I took them out and cracked their skulls. I was rewarded with a nice firm white outer and a ever-so-slightly-soft yoke on the inside.... Just the way I like them! Not grey/green/brown colours anywhere. I succeeded where countless others before me had failed. I had boiled the "Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg!"

Watch this space as I turn the discussion to "How long would I need to boil potatoes for?"


-F_D

[Mud Dog]

Watch this space as I turn the discussion to "How long would I need to boil potatoes for?"

I rest my case!

[CasKru]

Wait 15 minutes.

Jissie Cassie! This must be a 'Blou Bul' recipe, 'cos that's blue army eggs for sure!
Room temp eggs = 4½ to 5 mins into boiling water that's got a little salt added to raise the boiling point.
Ex fridge add as much as a minute but the more eggs the longer it takes ......

Damn! Eric! What were you thinking! You should know that this crowd (Hilux Forum members) will analyse this simple question to pieces! e.g. What is the mineral content of the water (use distilled for more accurate results) .... what volume of water is to be used .... will this be done at sea level? otherwise at what altitude .... how many grams precisely does this egg weigh .... how many microns is the shell .... what is the ratio between yolk and albumen of the said egg and hard boiled to who's liking or standard to mention a few variables off the top of my head!

I suspect that your fiendish ways had something to do with this posting, all the while knowing that it will cause a storm in a tea-cup for your develish amusement.

Andy... I do it this way round. Direct from fridge into cold tap water. Put on stove and turn on the stove and start the timer for 15min.

This will give you exactly what is in Eric's pic and you will not have any cracked shells. Always get a 100% yield.

[wim]

Eric this is the way,it works with a litlle measuring cup that jou full up to a line depending on how many eggs and how hard jou want it and its got a buzzer that soands when its done.The eggs comes out the same eatch time no mess no fuss.

[Family_Dog]

Wim, I'm pretty sure I had something like that, many years ago! We used it for poached eggs. Wonder what happened to it - probably gone the same way as my old Outspan Orange Juice Maker - these things simply disappear if not used regularly!

Today, I boiled baby potatoes. Plunked the li'l screechers into boiling water for about 15 minutes, did not really have the inclination to read a dozen recipes for it on Google :)


-F_D

[CasKru]

Just realized.... there is another factor at play here. All the different versions can be true. Keep this in mind. It is impossible to boil an egg on top of mount Everest as the boiling point of water is something like 20°C (not sure what the exact value is). The more pressure you apply the higher the boiling point of water become. AFAIK here on the highveld water boils at 78°C and not at 98°C as at the cost.

So Andy this the reason why I get nice yellow eggs and not blue bull eggs like you suggested.

[dalkill]

When I was still knee high to a grasshopper, I tried to boil eggs in the microwave.
On cracking the shell, it exploded in my face....

Somethings you just learn the hard way

[ThysdJ]

It is impossible to boil an egg on top of mount Everest as the boiling point of water is something like 20°C (not sure what the exact value is). The more pressure you apply the higher the boiling point of water become. AFAIK here on the highveld water boils at 78°C and not at 98°C as at the cost.

Vir blou eiers op Everest hoef jy hulle nie te kook nie, trek net 'n zip hier en daar af.....

Om eiers op Everest te kook, het jy 'n klein pressure cooker nodig....

[Mud Dog]

Just realized.... there is another factor at play here. All the different versions can be true. Keep this in mind. It is impossible to boil an egg on top of mount Everest as the boiling point of water is something like 20°C (not sure what the exact value is). The more pressure you apply the higher the boiling point of water become. AFAIK here on the highveld water boils at 78°C and not at 98°C as at the cost.

So Andy this the reason why I get nice yellow eggs and not blue bull eggs like you suggested.

Which is why I asked Eric in the first reply ...

Damn! Eric! What were you thinking! You should know that this crowd (Hilux Forum members) will analyse this simple question to pieces! e.g. What is the mineral content of the water (use distilled for more accurate results) .... what volume of water is to be used .... will this be done at sea level? otherwise at what altitude ....

Water will have a low boiling point on Everest, but surely not as low as 20° .... Sir Hillary's blood would have boiled in his veins.

[CasKru]

Water will have a low boiling point on Everest, but surely not as low as 20° .... Sir Hillary's blood would have boiled in his veins.

Actually meant 20­°F not °C but I have gone and check. The temp water boils at on Mount Everest is 36°F or 69°C :shifty:

[Mud Dog]

That's amazing, hey. But it goes to show how important it is to have a properly sealed radiator / cooling system on our vehicles which allows pressure to build to a point determined by the relief valve in the radiator cap. This in turn raises the boiling point of the coolant. Of course nowadays the collant additives (anti-frezze / anti-boil) assist with this principle.

[CasKru]

That's amazing, hey. But it goes to show how important it is to have a properly sealed radiator / cooling system on our vehicles which allows pressure to build to a point determined by the relief valve in the radiator cap. This in turn raises the boiling point of the coolant. Of course nowadays the collant additives (anti-frezze / anti-boil) assist with this principle.

Ed Zackery!

If I remember correctly the radiator cap opens at 104kPa to let the coolant flow towards the reservoir tank.

PS: If you see steam coming from the reservoir, your engine is running to hot

[Family_Dog]

So should I have added anti-freeze to the boiling water when I was boiling the eggs...?

Do I feel the need for a thermometer?


-F_D

[CasKru]

So should I have added anti-freeze to the boiling water when I was boiling the eggs...?

Do I feel the need for a thermometer?


-F_D

Not anit-freeze.... coolant

[Irishman]

I'm not allowed to cook hard boiled eggs. We used them for padkos, and after the first stop, we had to drive with the windows open

[BenHur]

I'm not allowed to cook hard boiled eggs. We used them for padkos, and after the first stop, we had to drive with the windows open

Remember you told us bout your uncontrollable farting the other day Eric, now we know why, all that dog food ag I meant boiled eggs you are eating

[Dadz Toy BFI]

I'm not allowed to cook hard boiled eggs. We used them for padkos, and after the first stop, we had to drive with the windows open

Think you better re-think that gas gizmo you were cooking Big Ron