Cooking an egg for salad - boiled but not chalky

[BunnytheFriendlyDragon]

This may be a really basic thing but how do I cook an egg so that it's "hard" boiled but only just ie so it has that golden orangey colour and isn't chalky.

I only even soft boil them.

It's for a salad.

cold eggs, cold water. bring to gentle boil. 8 minutes from boiling.
(I usually cook 4 or so to keep in fridge as snack)

This is what I do...

Put eggs in a pot, cover with water, lid on. Bring to a boil. As soon as the water is boiling, take them off the heat. Leave lid on and never lift it. Set timer for 10 minutes. Drain and cool with cold water. Perfect every time for me.

My favourite method is bring water to a boil. Put eggs in and continue boiling for 1 minute. Take off heat but leave covered for 8 minutes. Then run under cold water for 1 minute followed by putting them in a bowl/saucepan of cold water for another 8 minutes. Come out perfect.

Oh gosh so many ways to do it! But thank you.

I would have just booked from cold which j think is how my mum boils eggs but she didn't time them and they were always done til the yolks were chalky

A lot of it depends on your cooker.

When I had an induction hob, eggs in cold water, bring to a boil (this didn't take long) then 7inutes for large eggs.

Now I have a gas hob, start with warm water, bring to boil as quickly as is possible, start timing 6.5 minutes from when it's not quite at a rolling boil yet, hope the yolk gods were on my side, today.

I think the trick is to not keep them on the heat for too long and to put them in cold water after

I do exactly the same as aquamarine works really well. It's the method Nigella notes in her book, Kitchen.

A lot of it depends on your cooker

And on the size and freshness of the egg.

I also do aquamarine's version. it works with large eggs that are straight from the fridge.

if you use small eggs and/or they are at room temperature, then you might need less cooking time.

If using large size eggs.
Start with the eggs in cold water, and bring it to the boil.
Turn the heat down, to a gentle boil.
Cook for seven minutes.
Tip out hot water, fill pan with cold water, repeat this.
Leave standing in cold water for at least twenty minutes before shelling.

They are fresh eggs bought from the butcher today and a gas job.

Hob not job...

Cook an extra one to take out early and test?

I put the eggs straight into boiling water because then the outer white cooks very quickly and they're easier to shell. After 8 minutes, crack them slightly and put them straight into cold water. The water gets inside the shell so it just falls off when you shell it.

My Mom's method that I swear by.

Eggs cold from fridge, in cold water. Bring to boil. Immediately remove from heat. Sit for 20 minutes with lid on pot.

Rinse in cold water. Voila!

Dh made boiled eggs to go with ham salad last night. He didn’t even manage to cook the white all through. In the past, I have given him clear instructions on how to hard boil an egg, but it seems he has lost that information!

He is a good cook, and this is such an odd blind spot.

I put mine in once water is boiling. Boil for 7 minutes, then drain water, letting them sit in the pan for a couple of minutes, then run cold water over until the pan/water are cold. Then leave for however long - usually longer than I mean to because I get busy and forget about them.

That’s for medium/large eggs so adjust as necessary.

DH made the perfect eggs for salad the other day. He used MY method, for a change and outdid me . Eggs in cold water, bring to boil uncovered. Leave in rolling boil for a minute or so then take off heat, cover. Leave 10 minutes, then run under cold water until fully cooled. Perfect!

@SpacePug

Cook an extra one to take out early and test?

Ouch.

Oh is that bad? That's what I would do sorry if it came across wrong

I didn't take it in a bad way spacepug

@SpacePug

Oh is that bad? That's what I would do sorry if it came across wrong

It would just be a very good way of scalding yourself and unless yiu went straight in with a knife, the egg still in would carry on cooking.

Ohh I see. What I have done before is boil 3 eggs, turn off heat, take one out with a spoon and put into cold water for a couple of mins. Peel it and then decide whether to put the others into cold or put them back on the heat if they're not ready