Could someone please tell me how to hard boil eggs without cracking half of them?

[Melora in NC]

Tomorrow is egg day. I need to hard boil about 40 eggs and get the kids to get me to decorate them. I boil eggs Once a Year, and every year most of them crack in the pot. There Has to be some trick to this -- could someone please enlighten me?

[Adrianne]

I do them in small batches, start with cold water, and only put on medium. As soon as I noticed a soft boil, I turn off the stove and leave them for a while longer in the hot water.

I only had one cracked one this evening.

[Mrs. Readsalot]

cool water, then put in the eggs(about a dozen per batch), bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, turn off as soon as starts to boil, remove from heat and let sit for 12 minutes, run under cool water and then refrigerate.

[j.griff]

I hardly ever have cracked eggs:
cover eggs in pan with cold water
bring water to a boil
turn off heat
cover pan and set timer for 15 minutes
remove eggs from pan

[Blue Hen]

:iagree: with the other posters.
# Place the eggs in a pot. Fill the pot with enough cold tap water to completely cover eggs.

# Bring to a rolling boil on high heat.

# Cover the pot and turn off the heat, leave the eggs in the water for 20 minutes;

# Immediately chill the eggs by placing them under cold running water or in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Chill for a few minutes until the egg is completely cooled.

[Doran]

Cooking too long is what makes that nasty little grey-green ring around the yolk. Cooking too hard, too long, and with too many other hen fruits is what makes them crack.

Good luck,
Doran

[Mrs Mungo]

I hardly ever have cracked eggs:
cover eggs in pan with cold water
bring water to a boil
turn off heat
cover pan and set timer for 15 minutes
remove eggs from pan

This is what I do. I don't do them in small batches though as someone else recommended, I do them all at once (usually around 40) but put a tea towel in with them to help cushion them a little.

[j.griff]

Oooh- tea towel- good one! Also, if you plan on using said eggs for food (devilled eggs anyone?)
you can store the egg carton on it's side for a couple of hours before cooking them and then the yolks will
be right smack in the middle of the eggs. Neato (learned that from Alton Brown)

[Melora in NC]

Thank you all so much! For once, I am looking forward to boiling my eggs with excitement rather than dread -- now I have The Secret!
(I am planning to try the tea towel trick as well as starting with cold water, turning off the heat after reaching the boil & letting them sit, and quickly chilling afterward in cold water! In the past, I have always kept my water boiling hard for six minutes -- obviously, that is Not the way to do it!)

Many, many thanks!

[Carol in Cal.]

The ones that put a shallow tiny needle sized hold in one end of the egg. Surface tension still keeps the egg in, but the pressure can be relieved.

[Amy in NH]

What works for us:

Poke a tiny hole in the end of each egg with a large pin or needle (a florist's pin works well).

Place the eggs in a pot with enough cold water to completely cover them.

Bring to a rolling boil on high heat, then turn down to med-low and simmer for 15 minutes.

Immediately dump the hot water out and chill the eggs by refilling the pot with cold water to stop the cooking process. Chill for a few minutes until the egg is completely cooled, refilling with more cold water if necessary.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

I just use a safety pin to prick a tiny hole in the large end of the egg. There is an air pocket there, and the egg white is held back by a thin membrane. Only air bubbles come out.