Content

• Method 2 of 2: Microwave
• Problem solving
• Tips
• Warnings

1 Take eggs and place them in the bottom of the pot. Place the eggs carefully so as not to break them. Do not put too many eggs in one dish (more than four layers).

• If you are unsure if you are boiling fresh eggs, place them in a pot of salt water. If the egg sinks to the bottom of the pot, then it is good for consumption, if not, then it is most likely rotten.
• To prevent the eggs from cracking during cooking, place a piece of cheesecloth on the bottom of the pan. However, this is optional.

2 Pour cold tap water into a saucepan so that all eggs are covered with water. Add a pinch of salt. You can hold the eggs with your hand while filling the pot with water to prevent them from cracking.

• Cold water will help you keep your eggs from digesting. If you put eggs in hot water, they can crack and leak.
• Salt water will speed up the protein clotting process. It will also help prevent the egg from leaking out if it cracks.

3 Place the saucepan over medium heat. Cover the pot with a lid to boil the water a little faster; however, if you want to follow the cooking process, do not use the lid.

• Using a wooden spoon, gently scatter the eggs all over the pot to avoid cracking.

4 As soon as the water in the pot boils, turn off the stove, but do not remove the pot from it. Do not touch the cover either. After 3-20 minutes, the eggs will be ready (depending on whether you want them to be soft-boiled or hard-boiled).

• If you like soft-boiled eggs, remove them from the water after 3 minutes (or sooner). The white should curl up and the yolk should remain runny.
• If you like bagged eggs, take them out of the water after 5-7 minutes. The white should be curdled and the yolk should be semi-hard.
• If you like hard-boiled eggs, take them out of the water after 10-15 minutes. The yolk will be hard.

5 Gently pour hot water out of the pot or use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs. Chill eggs by placing them under cold tap water or in a saucepan of cold water (for 5 minutes).

• After the eggs have cooled, place them in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to separate the white from the shell.
• If you don't care about the appearance of the eggs after they are peeled, do not put them in the refrigerator, but peel them immediately after chilling under cold water.
• To check how well the egg has cooked, put it on the table and twist it: if it wraps properly, then the egg is soft-boiled, and if not, then it is worth boiling.

6 Peel the eggs. Before cleaning, lightly hit the egg on the table to crack the shell. It is better to start cleaning from the blunt end. There is a small indentation (under the shell) that will speed up cleaning. The easiest way to clean your eggs is under cold running water.

• For a quick clean-up, place the eggs in a saucepan, close the lid, and then shake the pan until the shells crack on all the eggs at the same time.

7 Store peeled eggs in the refrigerator for no longer than 5 days. To do this, place them in a bowl and cover with a plate, or place the eggs in a resealable container. In both cases, place a wet paper towel on top of the eggs and change it daily to keep the eggs from drying out.

• You can also store your eggs in cold water, which needs to be changed every day.
• Hard-boiled eggs can be stored for several days (in the shell), but they will likely dry out a little. Therefore, it is best to store peeled eggs in water or under a wet paper towel.

Method 2 of 2: Microwave

1. 1 A microwave oven is not very suitable for hard boiling eggs, but as a last resort, it will do too. Here you first need to boil water (without eggs) in the microwave (read the article How to boil water in the microwave).
   • To reiterate, do not put eggs in the microwave, as the increasing internal pressure can burst them and damage the equipment.
2. 2 Remove the hot water dishes from the microwave (use a towel or mitten), and then use a slotted spoon to dip the eggs into the water. Make sure each egg is completely covered with water.
   • Don't throw your eggs into the water. So they can crack; moreover, hot water droplets may fall on you.
3. 3 Cover the crockery with a lid or plate to cook the eggs to the desired condition. Here, the cooking time of the eggs is slightly longer (compared to boiling eggs on the stove).
   • If you like soft-boiled eggs, take them out of the water after 10 minutes (or less).
   • If you like bagged eggs, take them out of the water after 15 minutes. The white should be curdled and the yolk should be semi-hard.
   • If you like hard-boiled eggs, take them out of the water after 20 minutes (or later). The white should curl up and the yolk should be firm.
4. 4 Use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the water and refrigerate them.
   • Place the eggs in cold water or a bowl of ice (5 minutes) to cool.
   • After the eggs have cooled, you can peel them or place them in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to make cleaning easier.
   • Store eggs in the refrigerator under a damp paper towel or in water (change towels and water daily). Do not store boiled eggs in the refrigerator for more than 5 days.

Problem solving

1. 1 If the yolk is grayish green, boil the eggs for less time. Boiled eggs with this yolk are perfectly safe, but if they look unappetizing, boil the eggs for less time next time.
   • The gray-green hue is obtained as a result of the reaction of iron from the yolk with hydrogen sulfide from the protein (the reaction occurs after the egg is cooked).
   • Also, excessive boiling of eggs can lead to looseness of the protein and dryness of the yolk.
2. 2 If the white does not have time to curdle or the yolk is too runny, boil the eggs for longer (that is, in this case, you are undercooking the eggs). If you peeled the first egg and found it was undercooked, put the remaining eggs back in hot water.
   • By consuming undercooked eggs, you run the risk of contracting salmonella. Therefore, it is recommended to boil hard-boiled eggs or to boil eggs that have undergone a certain amount of processing.
   • To check how well the egg has cooked, put it on the table and twist it: if it wraps properly, then the egg is soft-boiled, and if not, then it is worth boiling.
3. 3 After boiling fresh eggs (which have been in the refrigerator for 1-2 days), it will be difficult for you to peel them, since the film will stick to the protein. Therefore, it is better to boil eggs that have been in the refrigerator for 7-10 days. But if you are boiling fresh eggs, steam them before boiling to separate the skin from the protein.
   • Place the eggs in a metal colander over a saucepan of boiling water (for 10 minutes). When doing this, flip the eggs frequently. Then boil the eggs as described in the previous chapters.
   • Some people add a teaspoon of baking soda to the water when boiling fresh eggs, but this can give the eggs a sulfurous taste.
4. 4 If, when peeling eggs, the white comes off along with the shell, beat the egg on the table from all sides so that many cracks form on the egg. Then place the egg in a bowl of cold water (for 5-10 minutes) to separate the film from the protein and make cleaning easier.
5. 5 If you accidentally break an egg or put a very cold egg in the water and it cracks, add a teaspoon of vinegar to the water. This will cause the protein in the egg to curl up faster, sealing up any cracks. Add vinegar as soon as you notice cracks, so as not to interrupt the boiling process.
   • You may notice some protein leaked from the cracks if you didn't add the vinegar in time. Don't worry and boil these eggs as usual.

Tips

• If you are boiling eggs with white shells, add the onion skins to the pot. It will color the eggs a pleasant brownish color that will distinguish boiled eggs from raw ones.
• With a teaspoon, you can peel the egg without damaging the protein.To do this, peel off the blunt end of the egg. Place a spoon under the shell so that the spoon “wraps around” the egg. Then just slide the spoon over the squirrel; the shell will break and fall off.
• When boiling eggs, make sure the water is boiling. Cook large eggs for 12 minutes, and very large eggs for 15 minutes.
• Some egg dishes: spicy eggs, egg salad, breakfast burritos.
• If you want to center the yolks in the center of the egg, stir the water and eggs several times while boiling.
• If you are going to cut boiled eggs in half, boil the freshest eggs, as their yolk is located in the center of the egg and usually does not take on a greenish tint.
• When adding baking soda to boiling water, after boiling, peel both ends of the egg, place your lips on the sharp end, and blow. It may take you a few tries, but the egg will come out on the other side!
• Before boiling, it is better to bring the eggs to room temperature so that they do not crack and their yolks do not acquire a greenish tint.
• Some sources suggest poking a shallow hole in the blunt end of the egg with a pin before boiling to allow air to escape during boiling, thereby reducing the risk of shell cracking. However, research has shown that this is not the most reliable way.

Warnings

• Do not add too much vinegar to the water, or the eggs will smell strong and have a vinegar aftertaste.
• Do not cook or reheat eggs with unpeeled shells in the microwave - they can explode and damage the oven. Instead, bring the water to a boil in the microwave, then remove the bowl of water from the oven and place the eggs in the water. You can also microwave a poached egg.
• Be careful not to burn yourself with boiling water during or after boiling eggs.
• Do not use cracked eggs as they may contain bacteria.