How to Boil Eggs Perfectly Every Time

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How to Boil Eggs Perfectly Every Time

Easy, right? You’d be surprised how hard some people find this! I, for one, know that I struggle with this.

My usual steps would be to ask Alexa or Google, and then for some reason, I still can’t get it exactly right every single time! It drives me crazy – so much so that I just avoid boiling eggs! (Maybe it’s because of that grey ring that occurs when you’ve boiled an egg too long – it’s staring you in the face that you didn’t quite get it right, lol!)

So for this blog post, I have done research and tried and tested lots of different ways to boil an egg, and I have found a foolproof way to get perfectly boiled eggs EVERY TIME! Woohoo! (Am I showing you all that I really am in no way a chef if I am getting this excited over a perfectly boiled egg? Oh well, that’s me – would much rather be cooked for than be doing the cooking!)

In this post, I will lay out the steps to follow for traditionally boiling an egg (in water) and for my fellow air fryer buddies, also in an air fryer! Amazing, right?

Making Perfect Soft Boiled Eggs

Heat the water – grab a medium-sized pan and fill it ¾ of the way with water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to medium until there is a gentle boil.
Add the eggs using a slotted spoon – carefully!
Set the timer - for a gooey and jammy yolk, set the timer for 7 minutes; for a runnier yolk, set the timer for 6 ½ minutes.
While the eggs are boiling, prepare a water bath. Fill a large bowl with cold water and add a handful of ice to it*.
When the alarm goes off, remove the eggs from the pan with your slotted spoon and add them to the ice bath for at least 3 minutes (feel free to set another timer).
Finally, peel the eggs! Tap the egg on a hard surface and peel the shell away.
Enjoy your perfectly soft cooked eggs!

Making Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

Add your eggs to a pot and cover with cold water so that they are under 1 inch of the water.
Bring the water to a boil over high heat.
As soon as the water begins to boil, turn off the heat and cover the pot.
Leave the eggs in the hot water for 10-12 minutes. 10-minute eggs will have bright yellow yolks with a creamy consistency, and 12-minute eggs will have yolks that are paler with a chalkier consistency – I recommend using a timer here.
While the eggs are sitting in the hot water, prepare an ice bath as per point 4* above.
When the alarm goes off, move the eggs to the ice bath for at least 14 minutes. This stops the cooking process.
Peel the eggs carefully.
Enjoy your perfect hard cooked eggs!

Air Fryer Instructions Using Ninja Foodi

Place eggs in the air fryer basket. Do not overcrowd, as the eggs need space to allow the air to flow around them.
Cook at 150 degrees for 10-15 minutes:

for soft boiled eggs with a runny yolk – 10 minutes
for soft boiled eggs with a firmer yolk – 11 minutes
for hard boiled eggs with a bright yellow yolk – 13 minutes

While the eggs are cooking, prepare the ice bath as per the above point*.
Use tongs to remove the eggs from the air fryer and add them to the ice bath. Allow them to sit in the ice bath for 5 minutes.
Peel and enjoy your air fryer hard boiled eggs!