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This past Easter my daughter said that she had seen a link on the Internet on how to make a hard-boiled egg in the oven. She said that it was supposed to be a fast and easy way to boil an egg. I simply said, “That’s interesting.” What I was really thinking was: “What’s hard about boiling water?” It did spark my curiosity, though, and we decided to give it a try. When I Googled the instructions for baking an egg, I found that people have tried numerous methods to make a hard-boiled egg, and I decided to try them all!
Number 1: On the Stove
To make the perfect hard-boiled egg the traditional way (in a pot of boiling water), here’s a few tips:
– Use your oldest eggs (at least 2 weeks old).
– Place the eggs in cold water in a pan and bring the water to a boil.
– Turn the heat off and the leave the eggs in the hot water for 20 minutes.
– Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water.
– Peel and enjoy!
Number 2: In a Crock Pot
– Place eggs in a slow cooker and fill with enough water to cover the eggs.
– Cook on low for 3 1/2 hours.
This was definitely an easy method, but I wasn’t too impressed with the outcome. The eggs were very difficult to peel and the yolks were hard and had that unappetizing green ring. The scientific term for that greenish color is ferrous sulfide and it appears when the eggs are cooked at too high of a temperature; the iron (ferrous) in the yolk reacts with the sulfur in the eggs whites.
Number 3: In the Microwave
– Fill a bowl with enough water to cover the top of the eggs. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of salt.
– Remove the eggs and heat the water in the microwave to boiling.
– Add the eggs to the boiling water and cover the bowl with a plate.
– Cook on medium for 8 minutes.
– Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water.
I have to admit I was a little timid to try this method. I was envisioning an exploding egg and the mess that I would have to clean. I did have a couple of the eggs crack, but fortunately they stayed contained. The eggs that didn’t crack were easy to peel and tasted delicious!
Number 4: In the Dishwasher
– Place the eggs on the top rack of the dishwater.
-Run at the highest possible temperature setting.
This method turned out more like a poached egg than a hard-boiled egg.
I’m not a fan of the texture or taste of poached eggs, but you could add a few eggs to the dishwasher each night and wake up to a perfect poached egg (and a load of clean dishes)!
Number 5: In the Oven
– Heat the oven to 350°F.
– Place the eggs in a miniature muffin pan (I got that tip from this site, The Burlap Bag).
– Bake for 30 minutes.
– Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water.
The eggs did look a little odd when I first removed them from the oven … The shells were covered with brown spots that disappeared when I immersed them in the cold water. After I peeled the eggs, I noticed that they still had what appeared to be burnt spots on the egg whites. The discoloration had no affect on the taste …
This was actually the easiest method of them all! The yolks were a perfect color (without the green ring) and the taste was delicious!
Much to my surprise, I will be making hard boiled eggs in the oven again! Has anyone ever tried this method or another unusual way to boil an egg? I’d love to hear about it in a comment below!
To see what else is happening on our Southwest Missouri property, visit …the garden-roof coop.
11 Comments
i did bake them but found them hard to peel when cooled…the taste of fresh outta the oven was very nice tho. i will be trying the microwave idea..thanks!
the boiling method was the one my Dad used. But I really want to try the oven method when I’m cooking supper to have next day breakfast out way or making extra devil eggs for that nite my MR favorite.
Yes I can understand the trepidation with putting eggs in a microwave. Many, Many, years ago I was working for a company that had just put a microwave in the lunchroom. I had heard about microwave ovens as a great advancement in food preparation but had absolutely no experience with them. Wow! Thinks I, great! I can bring an egg or two to work and have a freshly cooked egg for lunch, nice and hot! So the next day I put an egg in the microwave, turned it to two minutes, pressed “start” and turned to set out my plate, sandwich and POP! Hmmm, thinks I, what was that?. I turned back to the microwave and saw the worst mess ever. The interior was completely coated with egg, and because I stood there for a spell, dumbfounded, cooked tightly to all interior surfaces. Fortunately I was working a midnight shift and I was the only person on that floor at that time. Took a while but I got the microwave cleaned. I was leery of microwaves for quite a while after that. I now cook eggs in the microwave using a “tidbit” bowl (a bowl for salsa works as well). I coat the inside of the tiny bowl with butter, break my egg into a measuring cup (I have used a coffee cup too) scramble with a fork, sprinkle some seasoning (Mrs Dash’s original is my favorite) put the bowl in the microwave, press “heat” which is 30 seconds, at the “ding” I check the egg and sometimes press “heat” again. The egg slides neatly out of the bowl and fits just right on an English muffin. I add other condiments and sometimes cheese and have a tasty, quick breakfast in a matter of minutes.
Tom
I like baking eggs for 30 min in mini muffin pans put them in ice water for 10 min and always break and roll them alway around to loosen the shell place them back in the water and by the time you have them rolled start peeling
Egg shells are porous, so I would not put eggs in the dishwasher with soap, unless it is an organic soap without all the harsh chemicals, which is really hard to find for the dishwasher. Otherwise, you’ll be eating all those chemicals in your egg.
I saw a recipe recently for roasted eggs: you poke a small hole in either end, and put them in hot ashes (not a burning fire!) in the woodstove or fireplace and leave them overnight. In the morning, they are supposed to be perfectly roasted, and they do pick up some of the smoky flavor you would expect. I haven’t tried this yet, but it did sound yummy!
Eggshell are permeable which makes me nervous about the dishwasher eggs… Nothing like some chemicals in your eggs… I like the idea of baking though.
I recently tried the oven eggs with the same results as you. I like the muffin tin though. I had just placed mine on the rack, which was easy, but not so much fun picking off the hot finished eggs.
I first saw this on “Good Eats”. I decided to do a large batch of pickled eggs this Easter. I had 5 dozen eggs. After leaving them in the fridge for a week, I baked them at 325 for a half hour directly on the baking rack. They came out slightly overcooked, which meant they took forever to peal and had a weird rubbery texture on one side. Next time I do a large batch I’m either boiling or steaming…..
I steam my eggs. They peel perfectly every time. Try it ! Its easy, quick and failproof. http://fresh-eggs-daily.blogspot.com/2012/01/hard-steamed-eggs.html
That is awesome Rebecca! I am definitely going to try this. Thanks for the info!