Why You Should Always Bring Your Eggs To Room Temperature Before Boiling

Many a home cook has collapsed on the kitchen floor while boiling eggs, bereft over clinging egg whites and ruptured shells. There are dozens of boiled egg cooking hacks you can use to perfect this bedeviling egg preparation. Some cooks poke their eggs with a thumbtack before boiling. Others skip boiling altogether and steam "boiled" eggs for a more even cook. Regardless of your method, there is one low-maintenance piece of advice you should heed, and it requires no special equipment: bring your eggs to room temperature before boiling.

It may seem superfluous. After all, what does a difference of 30 or 40 degrees Fahrenheit make compared to the intense heat of a boil? But there's (scientific) method to this madness. Popping cold eggs straight into boiling water raises the risk of thermal shock, a sudden temperature change that can cause the egg shells to crack, allowing egg white leakage during your cook. Cold eggs can also cause your whites to cling to their shells, making for an incredibly hard-to-peel egg.

The easiest way to bring your eggs to room temperature is to simply set them on the counter for 30 minutes to an hour before boiling. Don't let them sit for two hours or longer to avoid an increased risk of bacterial growth, which can cause salmonella infections. If you're in a pinch, you can bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a colander and running warm (not hot) water over them for five to 10 minutes. You can also place your eggs in a bowl of warm water to sit for about 10 minutes before boiling.

Once you've done all that work to protect them against thermal shock, you don't want to toss them directly into fast-boiling water. Instead, place your eggs in a pan and cover them with cool or room-temperature water, and bring your eggs to a simmer rather than a rolling boil. Once it's simmering, remove from heat and let your eggs sit, covered, in the hot water about 12 minutes if you want a hard-boiled egg. After the cook time is up, follow Julia Child's simple tip for peeling boiled eggs to avoid ruining your masterpiece: crack your eggs once before placing them in an ice water bath to help separate the whites and shell before you start peeling.