If you don’t want to wait for the eggs to warm up naturally, try soaking them in hot tap water for a few minutes before cooking.
Test whether your eggs are fresh by placing them into a bowl of saltwater. If the egg sinks to the bottom, it’s fresh. If it floats to the top, there’s a good chance that it has gone bad. Lay a folded cheesecloth inside the bottom of the pot. This helps cushion the eggs so that they are less likely to crack.
Add half a teaspoon of salt to the water. This makes the eggs easier to peel, and it may help prevent them from cracking. Salted water helps to make the egg white firm up more quickly. It also helps plug small leaks if the shell cracks during the cooking process. Never drop eggs directly into a pot of hot water, or the shells will crack and the egg will run (giving you poached eggs). By exposing cold eggs to warm or hot water, you are “shocking” them with a sudden temperature shift, which causes cracks to form. Furthermore, cold water helps to keep the eggs from overcooking.
You can also wait to add vinegar when an egg cracks in the water. You may notice a bit of white fluid seeping from a cracked egg. Try to be quick here — if you add the vinegar to the water as soon as you notice a crack, the egg should still boil evenly. If you don’t add the vinegar in time, don’t worry. The cracked egg should still boil fine, although it may not look perfect. [5] X Research source Be sparing. If you use too much, your eggs will taste and smell like vinegar.
Make sure that the eggs don’t settle at the bottom, where they’ll cook less evenly and break more easily. Stir the water any time that you see the eggs begin to settle. Use a wooden spoon to stir, and be very gentle so that you don’t crack the eggs.
If you like your eggs soft-boiled, remove them from the water within three minutes. The whites should be set, while the yolks should be runny and warm. Be very gentle when you remove the eggs—scoop each egg out with a large spoon to avoid cracking. [7] X Research source If you like your eggs medium-boiled, take them out of the water in 5-7 minutes. The yolks should be semi-soft in the center, and the whites should be very firm. You should still handle the eggs gently, but you don’t need to worry as much about them cracking. If you like your eggs hard-boiled, leave them in the hot water for 9-12 minutes. The yolks should be firm all the way through, and you don’t need to worry about the eggs cracking. If you want a solid but soft and bright yellow yolk, leave the eggs in water for 9-10 minutes. If you’d like eggs with a harder, pale yellow center, leave them in for 11-12 minutes.
Rinse the eggs under cold water as you peel them. This helps keep bits of shell and membrane from sticking to the egg. It is usually easier to peel eggs once they are cracked. Put the eggs back in the pot with the lid on. Shake the pot back and forth to crack the shells before you begin peeling. You may need to do this several times to crack them all.
You can also store the eggs in cold water. Change the water each day to keep the eggs from breaking down. You can store hard-boiled eggs for several days before you crack and peel them. Keep in mind, however, that they tend to grow somewhat dry and rubbery. It’s usually better to keep peeled eggs moist in the fridge than to leave the eggs unpeeled.
