Hard boiled egg

How do you cook a hard-boiled egg?

A hard-boiled egg is great for on bread or for spooning straight from the egg cap. But how do you really cook a hard-boiled egg to taste? That depends on a number of things:

  • How big is the egg?
  • Have you stored the raw egg in the refrigerator or at room temperature?
  • Have you cooked it?
  • Do you begin cooking in cold water or in hot water?
  • Your personal taste

Hard gekookt ei

Hard boiled egg in cold water

If you want to make a hard-boiled egg, the first thing you do is start by putting a pan of cold water on the stove. While cooking, you don’t want your egg to crack. Therefore, you add a little bit of salt to the water to reduce this chance. As mentioned, the cooking time of the egg is dependent on the size of the egg. Eggs come in sizes (S)mall / (M)edium / (L)arge and eXtra Large.  When the water is boiling, the cooking times below apply.

  • S: 6 minutes
  • M: 8 minutes
  • L: 9 minutes
  • XL: 10 minutes

Eieren in koud water koken

Hard boiled egg in boiling water

If you choose to first bring the water to a boil to make hard-boiled eggs then the cooking times below apply. The chance of the egg breaking during cooking is a lot higher than when you start with eggs in cold water. This is because the temperature difference between the cold egg and the boiling water is too great, increasing the chances of the eggshell cracking. If you preheat the cold egg under a faucet with warm water, the temperature difference will decrease and with it the chance of cracking the eggshell. This is especially true if you place an egg from the refrigerator directly into boiling water.

In addition to adding salt to the water, it also helps to poke a hole in the round side of the egg. There are special egg prickers for that. Because the air can escape, the eggshell will not crack. Assuming cooking from boiling water, the following cooking times apply.

  • S: 8 minutes
  • M: 10 minutes
  • L: 11 minutes
  • XL: 12 minutes

Why eggs need to cook longer in boiling water you can read below:

Hard eitje koken in heet water

The reason that the hard-boiled egg in the cold water needs a shorter cooking time is because while heating the eggs in the cold water, the coagulation process begins before cooking. Egg white already starts to coagulate from about 60 degrees. You can speed up this process by adding vinegar and salt to the water. Want to know how that works? A detailed explanation can be found here.

When the eggs have been in the boiling water long enough, take them out or pour the boiling water out of the pan. Then you scare the eggs by adding cold water for about 10 – 20 seconds to stop the cooking process.

If you don’t do this then the hard boiled eggs will start to turn a blue/green color, starting at the edges of the yolk. Eventually the entire yolk will turn blue / green. Not dangerous to eat but in any case less attractive. This is caused by a chemical reaction of the iron in the yolk with the sulfur in the egg white.

Finally, letting the eggs settle in cold water has the advantage that you peel the eggs more easily afterwards. Especially very fresh eggs peel quite hard. A boiled egg for on bread you cut quickly and easily with a egg cutter. You will then get nice even slices.

Hard gekookt eitje op brood

How to cook a hard-boiled egg

How long should you cook a hard-boiled egg? This depends in part on your cooking technique. If you choose to bring the water to a boil first, then different cooking times apply, than if you immediately put the egg in cold water. This video covers both techniques.

How do you know if an egg is fresh?

Of course there is an expiration date on the box but that doesn’t say everything. Even after the use-by date, the egg is still perfectly consumable but it is useful to test it. If the egg falls to the bottom of a pan with water, it is fresh. If it floats, discard the egg. If the egg is standing upright on the bottom of the pan with the point down, smell it to see if it is still usable. The reason a too-old egg floats is because in an egg that ages the liquid evaporates and air takes its place. The more air the lighter the egg is.

How long can you keep a hard boiled egg?

It is easy to cook a number of hard-boiled eggs at once. Personally, I always cook some extra eggs so that I also have an egg to eat right away the next day. Easy for a quick breakfast or healthier for a tasty appetite. It is advised to keep a boiled egg in the refrigerator for a maximum of 4 days to 1 week. My experience is that 4 days outside the refrigerator is no problem at all. If you have an unpeeled egg left over, store it under water in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Blow hard boiled egg instead of peeling it?

Can you blow out a hard-boiled egg without peeling it? The students of InHolland University think so and in the accompanying video you can see how they do it.

    • Make a hard-boiled egg
    • Tap the top of the shell and peel off a few pieces of the shell
    • Do the same with the bottom of the egg but take off just a little more skin
    • Place your other hand on the bottom of the egg

.

  • Blow from the top of the egg

This is how it can be done

A less spectacular way of peeling a hard-boiled egg is also possible, and under the motto: you just have to think of it, the attached video. The only thing you need is a spoon. Remember to cook the egg hard otherwise it becomes a mess.

Quick recipes

What if you have eggs left over but not that much time? There are many treats you can make from a hard boiled egg, take stuffed eggs or an egg salad for example. How exactly do you make these?

Filled Eggs

Halve 4 hard-boiled eggs, mash the yolks and season with 1-2 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tbsp chopped chives, 2 tbsp chopped raw ham, salt & pepper. Fill the halved eggs with the mixture and garnish with chives.

Over and over

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Slice a tomato every (about) 3 mm, but not all the way through. Place a slice of hard-boiled egg in each notch. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and drizzle with some mayonnaise. Garnish with chopped chives.

Beverage snack

Mix 2 cloves of garlic with 5-6 tbsp finely chopped leaf parsley, 2 tbsp capers, pinch of paprika and salt & pepper. Add 4-5 tbsp olive oil, serve this sauce with pieces of hard-boiled egg as an appetizer at a birthday party, for example, or just an evening with friends.

Egg with watercress

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Spread 4 slices of bread with fresh cream cheese. Cover 2 with watercress leaves, slices of hard-boiled egg and crispy fried strips of breakfast bacon. Sprinkle with pepper and cover with the other bread slices. Cut them in half diagonally.

Egg with avocado

Halve an avocado, remove the pit. dice the avocado with 2 hard-boiled eggs and with this with 2-3 tsp mayonnaise, 1 tbsp chopped chives and leaf parsley. Fill the avocado halves with the egg mixture.

Asparagus

Boil 3 eggs and asparagus ready. Peel and crush the eggs. Wash some parsley, chop them finely and with this with the eggs. Season with nutmeg, pepper and salt to taste. mix with 10 cl clarified butter. Place the asparagus on the plate, add the mashed eggs with burbot and parsley.

Egg curry

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Fry 3 finely chopped shallots for 4-5 min in 1 tbsp oil. Fry 1-2 tbsp red curry paste for 1 min. Stir in 2 dl coconut milk and heat the sauce for 4-8 min. until it has thickened slightly. Add 6-8 hard-boiled eggs cut into wedges. Serve with boiled rice or noodles.

Bird’s nest

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Divide 500 g mixed minced meat into 4 portions. Form into large balls and make a hole in them. Place the boiled egg inside. Knead the minced meat all the way around the egg. Put some tomato sauce in an oven dish and put the meatballs in it. Bake this for 20 minutes at 180 degrees in a preheated oven. Serve with a salad if desired.

Mayonnaise

3 eggs, 2 tsp mustard, 2.5 tbsp lemon juice, salt & pepper, 1 dl oil: mix this all together and you have easy, tasty mayonnaise.

Element salad

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Boil 5 eggs, peel them and cut into small pieces. Take half a shallot and chop it. Put 3 tbsp mayonnaise in a bowl and mix it with chives, the shallot, half tsp mustard, dash of coffee cream and add salt and pepper. To this sauce add the sliced eggs, let this stand for about 30 minutes.

Egyptian egg sandwich

Cut the egg into slices. Place these on a sandwich with anything you like; slices of tomato, cucumber, spinach or lettuce.

Snelle recepten

Extensive recipes

If you have a little more time, or if you want to finish the eggs for dinner and/or lunch, this is also the place to be!

Grilled Caesar salad

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 4 pieces of cos lettuce
  • 300 grams of chicken breast
  • 50 grams of parmesan cheese
  • 2 slices of toast
  • olive oil
  • pepper to taste
  • salt to taste

Preparation method

  1. Boil the eggs hard. Scare them and peel them. Mix 4 tbsp olive oil with the garlic. Brush the toast with the garlic oil and grill until golden brown. Then cut into cubes.
  2. Halve the cos lettuce and brush with garlic oil. Grill them until golden brown. Brush the chicken breast with the rest of the garlic oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Then cut it into slices
  3. Divide the bread, the chicken slices and divide between 4 plates. Cut the eggs in half and place on top of the salad. Grate cheese over it. Add a dressing if desired.

Meat loaf

Ingredients

  • 800 grams of minced chicken
  • 300 grams of minced veal
  • 4 tbsp breadcrumbs
  • 1.5 tbsp mustard
  • 2 tbsp ketchup
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs
  • 1 raw egg
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 onion
  • 4 tbsp Provencal herbs
  • butter
  • pepper to taste
  • salt to taste

Preparation method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
  2. Chop the onion and garlic. Mix both types of minced meat in a bowl with the onion, garlic, raw egg, ketchup, mustard and spices. Season it with extra salt and pepper.
  3. Add some breadcrumbs to the whole while continuing to mix well. When the minced meat is firm enough, you have added enough breadcrumbs.
  4. Grease a cake tin with butter. Fill it with 1/3 of the minced meat mixture. Press in the peeled eggs and cover with the rest of the minced meat. Make sure that the eggs are well covered and press the minced meat slightly on the top and side.
  5. Bake the bread in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes.

Stuffed eggs in a colorful jacket

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs
  • 1 beetroot
  • 2 tbsp vinegar
  • 2 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 0.5 tsp paprika powder
  • 0.5 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp mustard
  • 2 tbsp yogurt
  • lemon juice
  • pepper to taste
  • salt to taste

Preparation method

  1. Cook and peel the eggs.
  2. Cut the beetroot into cubes, put them together with the vinegar in a pan of boiling water. Let this simmer for half an hour, then let it cool down.
  3. Put the peeled eggs in the beet water for 10 minutes. Carefully remove them and cut in half lengthwise. Remove the yolk and set the white aside.
  4. Mash the egg yolk and with the mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard, paprika, curry powder, pepper, salt and a few drops of lemon juice. put the mixture in a piping bag. Fill the egg white with this.
  5. Serve with some fresh herbs over it.

Tea eggs

Ingredients

  • 6-8 eggs
  • 2 tea bags black tea
  • 1 tbsp light brown sugar
  • 100 ml light soy sauce
  • 2 pieces of star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • pepper to taste

Preparation method

  1. Boil the eggs hard. Rinse the eggs until they are cold enough to work with.
  2. break the eggshell with the back of a spoon until the shell is completely cracked, but do not peel the eggs. Then put the eggs back in the water.
  3. Add the tea bags, soy sauce, brown sugar, star anise and cinnamon to the water.
  4. Bring to the boil again and let them simmer for 1 to 2 hours. The longer you cook, the more intense the taste.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat and drain the eggs.
  6. Serve the eggs with or without shell.

Fried boiled eggs

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp sambal sauce
  • spices to taste

Preparation method

  1. Boil the eggs hard. Peel them once they have cooled down.
  2. Heat oil and sambal sauce in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the spices and mix together. Heat the mixture and put the eggs in the pan. Stir them into the mixture so that they are well coated with the spice mixture. Let the eggs well through, so that a crust forms on the eggs. Just make sure they don’t burn.
  3. Serve the eggs warm.

Hard-boiled egg in peanut sauce

Ingredients

  • 4 hard-boiled eggs
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 tsp sambal oelek
  • 3 tbsp peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp sweet soy sauce
  • 1 chopped onion

Preparation

  1. Make your peanut sauce with water, the crushed garlic, sambal and soy sauce and bring to the boil while stirring.
  2. Put the halved eggs on a plate and pour the warm sauce around them.
  3. Fry the onion until soft and sprinkle over the eggs and sauce.

Pasta with egg

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs
  • 2 anchovy fillets
  • 6 tbsp olive oil
  • handful of chopped parsley
  • 50 grams capers, drained
  • 400 grams of short pasta
  • salt to taste

Preparation method

  1. Boil the eggs hard, shock them and peel them. Then chop them finely and sprinkle with some salt.
  2. Fry the garlic with the anchovies gently in the olive oil until it falls apart, using a spatula. Remove the garlic and add the parsley and capers. Mix it all together.
  3. Cook the pasta al dente. Reserve a cup of cooking water and drain the pasta. Mix the capers with oil in the pan over low heat. Add a drop of the reserved cooking water to keep it slightly moister.
  4. Serve with the chopped egg, do not stir but serve immediately.

Ratinated eggs

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs
  • Béchamel sauce
  • 30 grams of butter
  • 30 grams of flour
  • 50 cl of milk
  • 40 grams grated Gruyere
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste

Preparation method:

  1. Boil the eggs hard and scare them.
  2. Melt the butter over low heat and add the flour and bechamel sauce. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Stir the sauce until it thickens, then let it cook for another 10 minutes.
  3. Turn on the grill (or possibly the oven). Pour half of the sauce into a baking dish. Peel the eggs and cut them in half lengthwise. Place the eggs on the sauce and cover with the sauce. Sprinkle the Gruyère over it and bake in the oven for 5 minutes.

Egg yolk salad dressing

Ingredients

  • 3 hard-boiled eggs
  • 1 tsp fine mustard
  • salt and pepper
  • Cayenne powder
  • 2.5 tbsp lemon juice
  • 100 ml oil
  • 1 bunch of chives
  • 2 tbsp tomato pieces

Preparation method

  1. Peel the eggs. Remove the yolk and chop it protein.
  2. Grate the egg yolks finely in a dish and mix with the mustard, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and lemon juice.
  3. Beat the oil drop by drop until it is creamy.
  4. Mix the finely chopped chives, diced tomatoes and the pieces of egg white through the sauce.

Beaten hard boiled egg

Watch the video below to learn how to make a beaten boiled egg.