How To Get Perfectly Boiled Eggs

With this cheat sheet, making eggs has never been simpler. What's involved? A simple three-step process: boil, drain and rinse.

To start, carefully lower eggs into a pot of boiling water and start the timer. After the desired time, drain, then rinse eggs in cold water (they'll continue to cook otherwise, resulting in an overcooked yolk).

Runny yolk: 6 minutes

Dip into these with tomato-topped toast soldiers, or use them overtop of our creamy bean salad.

Medium-runny yolk: 7 minutes

If you prefer an ever-so-slightly firmer yolk, don't feel left out. This style goes well with all the same dishes as a runny yolk! (It also tops one of our favourite new weeknight dinners: the summer clubhouse salad.)

Almost firm yolk: 9 minutes

If you want your egg cooked (nearly) all the way through, they just need few extra minutes in the pot. Serve with breakfast, over salads or in this amazing Niçoise muffuletta sandwich.

Hard-boiled egg: 12 minutes

A classic and versatile ingredient, when we're not adding them to salads and sandwiches, we'll dress them up to make deviled eggs.

The best way to peel a soft-boiled egg

Originally published October 2017; Updated January 2020.