How To Bake Hard-Boiled Eggs In Your Oven
Eggs are often one of the first things that home chefs learn to cook, but even after years in the kitchen, perfecting hard-boiled eggs can still be a challenge. This can be especially true when it comes to cooking for a crowd. There's a simple solution: baking hard-boiled eggs in the oven.
You only need a carton of eggs, a muffin tin, and a bowl of ice water, and you'll have perfectly baked eggs in no time. To start, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, place the eggs on their sides inside the muffin tin, putting one egg in each space. There's no need to line or grease the tin – an added bonus!
Bake the tray of eggs for 30 minutes. Now comes the important part: While the eggs are baking, fill a large bowl with ice and water. Once the eggs are done, gently transfer them straight into the ice water with tongs. Leave them in the water bath for about 10 minutes to cool completely. Then, peel and serve!
Things to consider when baking your eggs
Like with any good thing, there are a few minor drawbacks to this method. Sometimes, red dots may appear on the shells and whites where the eggs were touching the pan. This might throw you off when peeling them, but don't worry -– the discoloration is completely safe. If it bothers you, simply cut around the spots.
Another thing to keep in mind is that oven temperatures can vary. Some cooks prefer their eggs baked at a slightly lower temperature, around 325 degrees Fahrenheit, so it really depends on how you like your eggs cooked. If you want softer ones, you could turn the oven dial down slightly or take the eggs out after 20 to 25 minutes.
Even with these small inconveniences, the pros of baking eggs instead of boiling them far outweigh the cons. Our testers tried (almost) every method for cooking hard-boiled eggs found that their eggs came out perfectly using this method, and it made peeling a lot easier. Baking also eliminates the risk of egg shells cracking against the pot during a rolling boil. And, there's no cleanup, as the muffin tin can go right back in the cupboard once it's cool — a win-win in our books!