I'm in search of the best method for making hard-cooked eggs at high altitude and I need some help. So far I've tried four different methods for hard-cooked eggs with varying degrees of success. Quite honestly, I'm beginning to drive my family and co-workers a bit crazy will all the eggs. Do you have a favorite method of making hard-cooked eggs? I'm not really looking for perfection, just a tried-and-true method for consistently producing quality hard-cooked eggs in "the boat" at 6,700 feet above sea level.
This obsession began while I was thumbing through my newest food science book, The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. He writes for one of my favorite food blogs, Serious Eats. As a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he is decidedly a nerd-in-the-kitchen who takes his food science seriously. In his six-pound book (of course I weighed it---what else are kitchen scales for?), he has a chapter on boiled eggs. As he describes the "truly perfect boiled egg" I, of course, had to try it. This launched me into my high altitude experiment of four different methods for hard-cooked eggs.
The challenge:
Below I've listed the methods that I have tried so far. Does my criteria for the best egg match yours? Have I tested your method yet? If not, leave a comment with your favorite method and I'll give it a try. Make sure to tell me your town or elevation when you comment.
Criteria for the perfect hard-cooked egg:
- Both the yolk and the white should be cooked throughout, but not tough.
- No green coating on the yolk! (As a child, my sister and I hated the green balls inside the yummy whites. One Easter we hid a dozen green-tinged yolks under our beds. Trust me, you have never smelled anything as bad as two month-old decaying egg yolks...yuck.)
- Relatively easy cooking method.
- Cooked eggs should be easy to peel.
Cooking methods:
The Food Lab Method - #1:
For hard-cooked eggs at high altitude, The Food Lab recommends strongly that you use a thermometer while using their method.
- They start with 2 quarts of water brought to a boil in a large pan.
- Carefully lower the 1-6 eggs into the boiling water and cook for 30 seconds. Did I mention that you also need a timer for this method?
- Next, add a dozen ice cubes to the boiling water then return the eggs to a boil. If you are still tracking these instructions you are truly amazing because I am totally over following this method and it's fussiness...but it goes on.
- Once the water returns to a boil, lower the water to 190 degrees for 11 minutes. Of course you have nothing better to do than baby-sit your eggs with your thermometer for the next 11 minutes.
- Drain and peel under running water.
My opinion: I guess you can tell from my comments above that I am not a fan of cooking methods that need so much of my time and attention. After all...this isn't brain surgery, these are hard-cooked eggs. This method made perfect, easy-to-peel eggs, but I have better things to do with my time than hovering over a simmering pot of water monitoring the water temperature.
The 20-minute Boil Method -#2:
This method comes from The New High Altitude Cookbook by Beverly Anderson and Donna Hamilton. A good friend swears by this technique, so I gave it a try.
- Place eggs in the bottom of a saucepan, then fill the pan with cold water to cover the eggs by one inch.
- Bring the water to a "furious" boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low.
- Simmer the eggs for 20 minutes.
- Cool immediately in cold water.
My opinion: This method would easily accommodate a large amount of eggs. The eggs were only slightly green, but some of them were difficult to peel. The total cooking time for this method was 30 minutes, plus cooling time. This method can work, but the eggs fell short of my expectation of perfection.
Boil and Leave Method - #3:
The cooking method that I have been using for the past ten years was derived from a conversation that I had with the people at the American Egg Board. At the time they didn't have specific recommendations for a high altitude version of their recipe, so I adapted their method until it worked for my altitude.
- Place eggs in a single layer in a medium saucepan, then add enough water to cover the eggs by one inch.
- Bring the water to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to simmer the eggs for 5 minutes.
- Remove the covered pan from the heat and let sit for 15 minutes.
- Plunge eggs into ice water.
My opinion: This method works well for large batches of eggs, but often the eggs yolks have a green tinge. I have also noticed that the eggs with this method are hard to peel. Until recently, I thought that the ease of peeling had to do with the age of the egg, but now I'm thinking that it might be my cooking method. It's time to replace the method with something better.
Steamed Method - #4
My favorite foodie magazine, Cook's Illustrated, shared a new cooking method in their March-April 2016 issue. I had never heard of steaming eggs, but when my nutrition colleagues at the Colorado State University recommended it, I decided to give it a try.
- Bring one inch of water to a boil in a medium saucepan with a steamer basket.
- Place eggs in the steamer basket and cover.
- When water returns to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue steaming for 13 minutes.
- Plunge the steamed eggs into a bowl of ice water.
My opinion: If you own a steamer basket (and I hope that you do because it's my favorite way to cook veggies) this method is worth exploring. It is easy and took less than 20 minutes of cooking time, plus cooling time. The eggs were easy to peel but the yolks were under-cooked so I'll need to make some adjustments for my 6,700 ft. elevation. This method has potential.
Now it's your turn-
If you have another way of making hard-cooked eggs at altitude share it with me, I'd like to give it a try.
If you want to try something new, give method #4 a try and let me know how many minutes of steaming works for your elevation. I know that for Steamboat, 13 minutes isn't long enough cooking time. Post your results in the comment section and together we'll find the perfect method for high altitude hard-cooked eggs. Thanks for sharing!
Check back with lifeintheboat.com to see which method works best. I'll also be sharing some great recipes for all of those hard-cooked eggs.
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Carol
We're at 7,300' here in Los Alamos, NM. and just recently learned about steaming eggs. I've just tried it once so far, but steaming them for 17 minutes seems to be the right amount of time for out altitude.
Karen
Thanks for the input! Your elevation is close to mine in Steamboat. Here's a link to my final recommendations - for Steaming Eggs. I hope that life is good for you in Los Alamos and that you are out of harm's way with all of those wildfires.
Kathy Potter
I'm live at just under 6000' and my eggs steamed for 15 minutes were underdone and hard to peel. These are an older dozen from my own hens and the shells were kind of thin. Of course they were in the ice bath before I tried peeling, so it shall be interesting to see if I can re- steam them with any decent results. Btw, we lived at sea level on our sailboat for 20 years, now we are almost 20 years at altitude. Still haven't figured everything out.
Karen
Hello Kathy and fellow sailor!
You might up your minutes of steaming to the 17 minutes recommended at for 6800 ft. Let me know if you were able to successfully re-steam the eggs to get them done. I don't know if it makes a difference that they were older. I have definitely noticed that fresh eggs are harder to peel!
Terry Schaaf
I have an issue with fresh eggs not peeling well. I was told by a friend of mine that pressure cooking eggs works great at our altitude in Chromo, Co of 7,283. So I gathered the eggs when I got home from work (that's as fresh as it gets) and pressured a couple batches. I put 1 cup of water in the pressure cooker with a steamer basket, placed the eggs in and set the timer for 6 minutes. It took about 10 minutes for the timer to go off, this time includes pressuring up. I did a quick pressure release and immediately put eggs into an ice bath. The eggs were very soft still. I don't want soft hard-cooked eggs. The other issue was the water was all gone. I have a 16q electric pressure cooker so there is a lot of space the steam has to fill. The next batch I put 1 1/2 cups of water and the steamer basket in the pot with the eggs. This time I set the timer for 12 minutes. It took about 19 minutes including pressuring up and again did a quick pressure release. The eggs went into an ice bath for about 3 minutes. They pealed amazing!!! The shell came off in almost a complete piece! The inside was perfect! I am so excited to find a way to hard-cook fresh eggs!
Karen
Terry- thanks for sharing your experiences with pressure cooking fresh eggs. I had heard about that technique, but loved hearing about your first-hand experiences. Lucky you for having fresh eggs!
Elisa Shackelton
Tested the steaming method with large eggs here in Fort Collins at 5,000 feet and they were perfectly done in 15 minutes. (We tried 13, 15 and 17 minutes.) Used the 'ice shock' cooling method, and again, they peeled like a dream after less than a minute in the ice bath.
Karen
I'm loving this new method of cooking, cooling and peeling eggs. Stay tuned, I'm working on an awesome recipe that you can use with all of these hard-cooked eggs. You're the best!
Barb Parnell
Love that you are helping us prepare eggs that look and taste better! Thanks for your information.
Elisa Shackelton
Great article Karen! I tested method #4 (steaming) in Leadville, CO recently at 10,200 feet and they came out perfect at 20 minutes. (Tender, firm yolk and white; and easy to peel.) As soon as they were cooked, I submerged the eggs in a bowl of ice water*, gently swished them around a few seconds, and they peeled perfectly with little effort! I also really like this method, as it used the least amount of water and energy. (You are just bringing to a boil enough water to fill below the steam basket vs. boiling 1-2 quarts of water which is typical of other methods.)
*According to Cook's Illustrated 'The Science of Good Cooking', the secret of easy-to-peel hard cooked eggs is to shock them in ice water immediately after cooking to halt the bonding of the white to the shell, which causes the cooked egg white to shrink away from the shell.
Karen
Wow, Elisa, it looks like you have this technique dialed in for hard-cooked eggs in Leadville. I particularly appreciate your comment about the amount of time is takes to boil 2 quarts of water versus 1-inch of water. In the Boat, it took me 12 minutes to bring 2 quarts of water to a boil and less than 4 minutes to boil an inch of water. I'm all for saving time!
Jim
This method works to solve the peeling problems you might have encountered.
1. In an empty pot, place up to a dozen fresh eggs. Pour water over the eggs until they are covered by about an inch.
2. Turn on the heat to high. Bring the water to a boil, then turn off the heat. Cover the pot and let it stand for 14-17 minutes. Larger eggs take longer to cook.
3. The cool down stage is the key to easy to peel eggs. Pour out the hot water from the pot and fill it with cold water. Gently crack the eggs on the bottom of the pot with a rolling action and let them stand for about an hour. The cool water works its way under the shell, making peeling quite easy.
While not real high altitude, I am at 5,870 feet and it works well here.
Karen
Thanks Jim! Your cooking method is similar to Method #3 that I tested, but my yolks turned greenish grey on the outside. Have you ever noticed that problem with your eggs? I'm going to give your easy-peel method a try and report back. I hate spending time peeling stubborn egg shells! Thanks for sharing your method that works at 5870 ft with me.
Lyndy
Well, coincidentally I have been experimenting with different methods too! The latest issue of Cooks Illustrated did their scientific research and suggested steaming the eggs. I tried it and it was great! You use a steaming basket and put the eggs into the pan once the water boils. Then steam them for 15 minutes. (CI said 12 minutes. I increased it for altitude.) Carefully take them out and put them in an ice bath for 15 minutes. Then refrigerate. The egg whites were really soft - not rubbery and the yolks were perfect! I will doing this soon for our Easter eggs / deviled eggs!
Karen
It looks like you're a fan of Method #4 - Steaming. If you have perfected your hard-cooked eggs with 15 minutes of steaming, what's your altitude?