Making a hard-boiled egg should be a simple process. However, mine always turned out with a green line around the yolk. Worse yet, I could never get the shell off without taking half of the egg with it. I would boil them and place them in an ice bath, but they would still turn out terrible.
My results were so poor that I started to buy pre-peeled hard-boiled eggs at the store. They are much more expensive and a bit rubbery, but at least they looked like eggs.
All of this has changed with a simple cooking technique. I now steam my eggs; they come out great and they peel perfectly.
I’m a gadget guy, so I use an egg maker. It is also great for making poached eggs for avocado toast. I like it because it is automatic, and it chimes when the eggs are done.
However, you can do the same method with a pot and some sort of steamer insert. This could be on the stove or using the steaming function of an InstantPot or rice cooker.
Here is how to do it without an egg cooker.
- Puncture the end of the egg. A push pill works well. This prevents bursting.
- Put about an inch of water in a pot. Bring to a boil.
- Temporarily take the pot off the heat. You don’t want a steam burn.
- Place 6 or 12 eggs in a steamer rack and put the rack back in the pot and cover. Return the pot to heat.
- Steam for around 12-15 minutes for 6 eggs, and 15-17 minutes for a dozen.
- Steam time will vary slightly based on the egg’s size and temperature.
- Using a spoon, transfer the eggs to an ice water bath to shock chill them for a few minutes.
- Peel under cold running water.
- Store in a covered container. They will stay good for about a week.
See photos below for the egg maker method.
