How To Get Perfectly Hard-Boiled Eggs Every Time, According To Amanda Freitag
Hard-boiled eggs are a perfect staple to have on hand, especially if you meal prep or just like having good-for-you snacks to reach for. They can be eaten as is with a sprinkle of seasoning for a protein-packed pick-me-up, or they can be chopped up and added to salads or sandwiches — the possibilities are limitless.
While it might seem that preparing hard-boiled eggs would be completely foolproof, that's not exactly the case. Countless chefs have go-to methods for achieving the perfect hard-boiled eggs, from starting with boiling water to starting with cold water and from having your eggs on the heat to allowing them to cook in heated water that's been removed from the stovetop. If you just can't manage to crack the stovetop method, there are even hacks for making them in the oven, as per Allrecipes, or in the air fryer, as per Food Network.
Chef Amanda Freitag, who's known for her "Easy AF" tutorial series, frequently walks her audience through how to make various dishes or master certain techniques — and she did just that for hard-boiled eggs in a May 17 Instagram post. Anyone looking to answer their hard-boiled queries once and for all may want to check out her Easy AF method of getting flawless hard-boiled eggs — it's a fairly foolproof approach that even kitchen newbies can master.
Amanda Freitag's easy method
If you've found the toughest part of existing hard-boiled egg methods is figuring out exactly when the water is boiling enough, or at what point to start timing when you've placed them in cold water and are waiting for the water to boil, Amanda Freitag's approach is perfect for you.
As demonstrated in her short Instagram video, Freitag starts by boiling the water in the same way you would for pasta. Then, she lowers the eggs into the hot water. To avoid cracking or damaging your eggs (and because you obviously won't want to get your hands too close to the boiling water), she suggests lowering them in with a slotted spoon or a similar tool. Freitag recommends cooking the eggs for 12 minutes in the boiling water to reach the perfect hard-boiled egg consistency — and you don't need to worry about taking it off the heat at a certain point, covering it, etc. (Her method is very simple.)
Freitag even tossed in an extra tip to help make the hard-boiled egg peeling process easier. Rather than just putting the eggs into cold water or into the fridge to chill, she suggests going for an ice bath. According to Nellie's Free Range, you'll want to allow the eggs to chill in the ice bath for about 10 minutes before peeling.