How to Hard Boil Eggs So the Shells Don't Crack

Making hard boiled eggs sounds fairly simple at first. After all, the basic preparation involves nothing more than boiling eggs for a few minutes. Hard boiled eggs can be plagued with various problems, however, ranging from a gray coating around the yolk to a chalky, powdery yolk. One of the most troubling problems is a cracked shell, as this can lead to the white seeping out during the cooking process. Several different issues can cause your eggs to crack, but you can easily address all of them and ensure flawless shells on your hard boiled eggs.

• 1

  Remove your eggs from the refrigerator 15 to 20 minutes before you will use them. Allowing them to warm to room temperature will lessen the shock of heating them, making the shells less likely to crack.

• 2

  Use a pin, thumbtack or similar item to make one small hole in each end of each egg. Many cracks occur when the air inside an egg expands, so making these holes will help prevent cracking by allowing the air to escape. For this reason, you should use the freshest eggs possible when making hard boiled eggs, as older eggs have more air inside.

• 3

  Place the eggs into a pot or pan large enough to easily hold all of the eggs in a single layer with plenty of room in between. The egg should not be packed together or need to touch each other. Cover them with cool -- but not cold -- water until they are submerged by about an inch. If any eggs float, they are not very fresh and not the best choice for hard boiled eggs.

• 4

  Bring the uncovered pot to a boil over medium heat. As soon as the water boils, put on the lid, remove the pot from the heat, and allow it to sit undisturbed for 10 to 12 minutes. Cooking the eggs this way rather than plunging them into boiling water helps prevent cracks in several ways. It removes the risk of the egg hitting the bottom of the pot as you drop it into the water, it removes the abrupt change in temperature for the eggs, and it does not make the eggs bounce around in boiling water for several minutes.

• 5

  Remove the eggs from the pot after 10 to 12 minutes and place them into a bowl of cool but not cold water. This will stop the cooking process. Drain the water once it warms up and replace it with fresh cool water.