How To Choose The Best Pan For Boiling Eggs

Hard boiled eggs make for a reliable snack or addition to a meal, but for many at-home chefs the perfectly boiled egg can be a elusive. You have options when it comes to making hard-boiled eggs, however. We asked Chef Nelson Serrano-Bahri, director of innovation at the American Egg Board, for ways we can up the chances that our next batch of eggs are cooked to a professional level.

The secret to the perfect hard boiled egg is found in the pot. "It all depends on how many eggs you are making," Serrano-Bahri advises. "If you are boiling one or two, a small pan is fine. If you're making a large batch, I recommend a deeper pot of water." Packing too many eggs into a shallow pot can yield undercooked and unevenly textured eggs. "When choosing a vessel to boil eggs, make sure it is deep and big enough to comfortably handle the eggs," he continues. "For size, eggs should be fully submerged under water but should never touch the bottom of the pan."

For mornings when you're accommodating many egg-eating guests at the breakfast table, you'll want to place a larger pot of boiling water onto the stovetop. The pot that you use should be large enough to hold the eggs in an uniform layer with enough water fully covering all of the pieces. Should the pots in your kitchen not be able to hold enough water to cover the eggs you're hoping to cook, separate the eggs into batches so that each one remains properly submerged throughout the cooking process. 

Once you have the suitably-sized container to hold both the boiling water and eggs, keep an eye on the clock so that you don't end up with a batch of overcooked eggs. Not only considering the amount of time the eggs are left in the pot, but hacks like adding baking soda to the water and adding flavor to the eggs as they cook can yield eggs that are easier to peel and serve. Place cooked eggs into an ice bath before you get to cracking shells to make your work easier as you set out to ward off hunger pangs and master the art of egg-boiling.