Perfect Boiled Eggs | Kenji's Cooking Show 

"I actually have, like, the data to back this up." I never doubted you bro.

Kenji actually thought we wouldn’t want to hear him talk about eggs and watch water boil with him for 7 minutes.

Kenji: “Skip to 9 min in to not hear me talk about the science of boiling eggs.” All of us: “Why do you ask us to betray you?”

Why would ANYONE skip Kenji's talking in the video? I literally enjoy your knowledge sharing session amidst the cooking

Kenji: Sit! Jamón: R U Serious? Keni: Oh, you don't need to sit.

I was one of your volunteer peelers-that was an awesome experiment to be a part of. It was fun trying to guess what methods you were testing.

Yes, I just watched a 12 minute video on how to boil eggs and I learned A LOT! Thanks!

"I'm not just saying that, I've got the data to back it up" "Despite what you've read and despite what I've written in the past." Why can't everyone be more like Kenji?

Kenji's such a good representative of MIT. He didn't necessarily go into the field he studied for, but he has the mindset of always learning what you can and improving whatever can be improved. Thanks for all the "egg-speriments"!

Do you know that moment when your friend is an expert in some niche field, and you can listen to them for days, even though you don't have the fuzziest idea about what their talking about? listening to Kenji feels like that, except i do follow the logic for once.

Not that Kenji needs little ol’ me to confirm this method works… I am here to say it absolutely works perfectly. AND thank you for sharing yourself, your talent, your vast experiments to help us become better cooks. I have saved a screen shot of the image you include with different cook times and I refer to it depending on what I need from my boiled eggs. Thank you Kenji.

Thank you for including that high quality picture at 1:43! That picture really shocked me when I saw it in the food lab and it completely changed how I thought about cooking proteins. I'd always wanted to see a clearer version of it but never went through the trouble of recreating it myself.

I appreciate that you clarified at the onset that the eggs were straight from the fridge. Also appreciate that you point out that one can never truly get perfectly peeled eggs 100% of the time. I'd been stressing on why I still continue to get at least one or more out my batch of boiled eggs (8 min or 11 min) that would stick to the shells during peeling. The rest wouldn't. So like you said, about an 80% success rate and just come to terms with the fact that one or more may stick while the rest peel just fine. Good stuff brah... thanx... I don't feel so bad now!!!

Reading Kenji's NYT column from a couple of years ago (his debut there, if I recall correctly) in which he advocated this method was a game changer for me. It worked so well for me on the first go, plus it's just sooo much easier to remember compared to other less reliable methods, that I signed right up for this RU-vid channel.

i have watched and read about 100 "things" to help me master this simple technique...FINALLY THE TRUTH!! so simple, so clear, so full of UNDERSTANDING and not just questioning based hope. Thank you, again, Kenji

I really really really appreciate all the effort and testing that went into this. Thank you Kenji!

Kenji, your voice is so calming and I tend to listen to everything you say in your videos while I’m doing my own cooking or even homework and just listen to what you’re doing. It’s very relaxing, and I learned a lot from your egg-testing data. Great video! :)

By far my favorite and most referenced article from you, honestly, and that's saying something given the number of sous vide references I take from your articles

I have been using this method for months now, and I have literally never had a single egg that was difficult to peel. The shells just basically fall right off. I'm so glad you made this video, thanks!

I appreciate the painted toes! Cute dad moment right there!

I can’t believe we get these videos for free!!!! Thank you Kenji!

Yet another caveat in boiling eggs is cooking altitude. The eggs take significantly longer to cook because the lower air pressure causes the water to boil at a lower temperature. For example at ~6000ft, a soft boiled egg takes 9 minutes and hard boiled eggs take 13 minutes. It was quite frustrating that no recipe would give me perfectly cooked eggs until I realized the problem.

This video has saved my life…I am and have been my family’s designated deviled egg maker and bringer for every reunion, event, or holiday. For twenty years, I have been starting ancient eggs in cold water and wanting to smash every intractable egg to the ground. I just finished cooking my first batch with this method, and I could cry - 18 eggs, not a single blemish. Thank you for saving my Thanksgiving (and the rest of my deviled-egg-making days) by sparing me rage quitting five minutes into the peeling time! 😍

I just watched this video then promptly went into the kitchen to boil eggs. It works! And so easy to remember! Thank you. You have no idea how many boiled egg videos I have watched in an effort to cook them properly and make them easier to peel. Wow. Mind-blowing stuff.

I used this method today. These were the easiest eggs I've ever peeled. Made a lovely egg salad and then combined it with a previously made salmon salad. So good! Thank you Kenji!

Ngl EVERY time I’ve boiled eggs (twice in life) I always had to search up how long i should boil them for and even then I’d just guess when I think they’re ready so I appreciate this video

Best video on boiled eggs out there, thank you.

I saw your Serious Eats boiled egg cooking directions a couple of years ago and LOVED IT! I loved it because it works soooo well! I had tried everything except putting the eggs into boiling water and ALWAYS had trouble getting the shells off until I tried your boiling water technique. THANK YOU!!!! Great to see your foolproof method here again. I really enjoy your videos! Love your dogs too!!

I boiled mine using your method and they came out perfectly. I say you are the eggspert!

I've always boiled eggs using this method, it does make peeling a lot easier. However, to get the same doneness as you did, my medium-sized (around 55g), thin-shelled eggs take only 6.5 minutes. 9 minutes and they would be grossly overcooked. Egg size, shell thickness and altitude matter too!

my partner made these for me within 4 hrs of you posting - one of the yummiest things I’ve had in a while. thank you!

Been doing this for years, thanks for shouting it from the rooftops!

It's funny your old method was completely different than this one, boiling eggs in like a gallon of water and then ice bath. Good thing those variables tested out to not mattering because this method is certainly a lot easier!

Thanks Kenji! I would add what helps me is (this works for soft boiled too); after you cook them, put them in water (room temp or iced), when they are cool enough to handle, crack them all over and put them back in the water (room temp, or iced). Go back to an earlier cracked egg and start peeling. I think having the cracked eggs sitting in water just a minute or two allows a little water to get in between the egg & shell, contributing to being easier to peel.

Thank you for the vids! I love your attention to detail and commitment to getting accurate data that is encompassing. The egg chart is appealing and an easy reference point. I would imagine that those times would be longer for somebody at a higher altitude

Thank you for all the effort you put into cooking. We could easily just read your articles but the videos on top of the articles are *chef kiss*

Uses wok for boiling eggs. I'm beginning to suspect this man would recommend a wok as an essential home item. He should a book on it.

I really hope the next video is the egg salad! One of the greatest foods on earth, I would love to see your take on it.

Finally! I am amazed by all the "experts" telling us to start the perfect hard boiled eggs in cold water. This is the validation I've been waiting for. :)

Thank you Kenji for sharing your techniques and data. Much appreciated.

That moment you notice Kenji's toenails are painted and can't really pay attention to the rest of what's being said 😁😆

Only Kenji can make me watch a 12min video on how to boil eggs.

Tried and tested. another success.This almost 12 min video on how to boil egg saved me 10min of my life today and in the more coming days or weeks. Thank you kenji!

I never really think about how I boil eggs but this will definitely make my life easier and the video is incredibly informative and helpful! Thank you!

1. Love the egg chart and other similar tastings. I'd love a shot of that for some wall art or as a reference chart. 2. Cold eggs, boiling water, cold water bath. The crack and roll that you do afterwards, I also do but under running cold water and to all the eggs before I peel them. I do a dozen at a time, and they always turn out, if not maybe 1.

I lower my eggs into the boiling water with silicone-tipped tongs. That way you avoid cracking the eggs or scolding your fingers, if you dip them in the water in an effort to soften the egg's landing

This was fun to watch. I am happy for the picture of eggs at different times also. Thank you for sharing all your experience 🤗

The talk in the middle is be far the best part of this episode. I love the scientific method!

Funny enough I remember seeing this way of boiling eggs from Chef John! GREAT MINDS definitely think a like, awesome video !

Painted toenails are my highlight of the video.

Thank you for sharing all the story and detail about your testing and journey with 🥚!

I tried this today and all three of my eggs came out super clean and easy to peel. Thanks a lot chef!

"Skip to 9:05 if you don't want to watch water boil and listen to me talk" You mean miss the best part?

A few more of the variables that have seemed to matter from when I've been boiling eggs: Air pressure, external air temperature, egg starting temperature. These are mostly hard to control but it might be helpful for people who are still having issues

Within the 1st minute, he gives such an excellent tip. Gonna start using my wok for eggs

Your short video with 6 minute eggs, furikake and shoyu was a game changer for us for a quick, high protein snack. Thanks for eggcelent content!

I use an egg cooker that actually steams the eggs instead of boiling them and in the over 10 years I've been using it, I have never had a shell that stuck to an egg or any difficulty at all peeling an egg that has been cooked in this gadget, the shells easily slide right off in two halves. It's a lot easier than boiling eggs in a pot.

This guy is endlessly cool, lol.

Its was purest pleasure to listen you knoweldge about cooking eggs! Thats all i need Thank you Kenji

NEVER will i skip a second of your videos

Hey Kenji, I initially subbed to your channel when you said you'd be doing a series on how commercial kitchens run processes (like doing 60 minute eggs to order). Are you still thinking of doing this series in the future?

This is the video we needed.

I eat about 4-5 boiled eggs a day. So I do a lot of cooking and peeling! I slowly figured out a decent way to do it that works for me but still had like 60% at best clean peels. I tried this method today and it was 4 for 4 so far. Clean easy peels and nicely cooked. I am gonna keep doing it and see what happens! Thanks!

Oh my god, this works so much better than any technique. I stopped hard boiling eggs for a bit because mine always fell apart and I felt like 25% of my eggs were going into the drain, stuck to the shell. Not only does this cook them faster, but they peel so easily. A real game changer. Thanks for the hard (no pun intended) data!

Kenji controlling my living room HomePod a couple times in this video XD

Whoa - ATK thinks the cold water shock helps the peel. Also wild to see that at no point the flame was turned off. Extra points for activating MY siri

Just did my first boiled eggs last night for ramen, but I’m super happy to see this video now so I can improve my next eggs. Thanks Kenji.

The talk warning was hilarious 😄 Listen to your stories is half of the fun of your videos 😍

Who doesn’t want to watch water boil while you wax poetic on eggs?

If you hard boil a lot of eggs you need an Instant Pot! They peel perfectly every single time.

I've forgotten what method you used to cook eggs, I will always refer to your video of cooking eggs! Thank goodness for a genius to do the due diligence that others wouldn't! LOVE YA KENJI!

Okay, I need to give some serious shoutouts and a fan-boy moment. We just tried this method with a dozen eggs, which were cooked to perfection at 8:30 without an ice bath. I'm 53 and this is the first time I've made 12 perfect eggs. Perfect peel.

Im usually pretty good with boiling eggs, but after trying this method, ALL my eggs cracked while boiling. What gives?

Hey Kenji, Love the effort that went into this. Out of interest have you ever tried in the instant pot? 3 minutes on low comes out perfectly soft and incredibly easy to peel.

This is my second favorite way to make hard boiled eggs. (Sorry Kenji!) I boil about 2 cm of water in my stock pot, put my eggs straight from the fridge into the steamer basket that fits my pan, pop the steamer on top of the pot, cover, & set my timer for 5 minutes. Run under cold water or drop into a bowl of ice water if I'm thinking ahead. Perfect every time for anywhere from 2 to 2 dozen eggs!

Blindly trusting your data I made a dozen hardboiled eggs for tunafish salad and egg salad. I should've have taken a video to show the results. It took less time to peel the eggs than to eat one! WOW! Kenji thank you so much for posting this - total game changer for an essential element to so many recipes.

One question: Does the size of the egg make a difference in the cook time? Sometimes i buy extra large eggs and am always unsure if they need an extra minute.

"Sit? Oh, you don't need to sit" I'm sure there's a good reason, and don't mean to impugn your training, but this was so very relatable having always had dogs. There're definitely times where everyone involved knows the treat is going to be given either way :)

You posted this video at the perfect time. Been wanting to learn how to do half-boiled eggs for ramen. Thanks Kenji.

You're a madman, Kenji. Love it

Listening to you is like being in college listening to a professor. Thank you sir

Love the video's concept, love the thumbnail even more. Have you studied photography professionally before, or did all of this come naturally over the years via managing the channel and writing your books? Either way, it's clear you've got the eye for it. Thanks for the video, Kenji!

After about 8 months of this method, can confirm. This is the best method.

Thank you for that wonderful timing image. 11 minutes looks perfect for me. (And "I have the data" is so Kenji!)

Love your toe polish!!

I've found starting hot absolutely makes them easier to peel. I usually put mine in a steamer.

I do love that after years of testing thousands of eggs, the best way to boil an egg is just to boil it. First is was steam it. Then boil and ice bath. Now, just boil it.

I like these last two thumbnails. Love the clean look.

Pro tip: use a raised basket to eliminate direct harsh heat and also have the eggs fully submerged for balanced heat penetration.

I notice you didn't transfer the eggs to an ice bath after cooking. I've seen it said that this should be done to halt the cooking process. Have you done any testing on that, and if so, has it made a difference?

Great video. I put the eggs on a grid above the boiling water. Reason this works is steam has more energy than water, and it does not drop the water temperature since the egg is not cooling the water. Time for pure steam cooking is a little longer since there is not as much thermal mass as water to get the yoke set to you want.

One factor Kenji didn't take into account is starting with fridge-cold eggs. Though he mentions it, he doesn't say how this will effect the timing or the shells cracking. When a perfect soft-boiled egg is the aim, timing is critical: 15-seconds will make or break the results. How cold the eggs are from your fridge is a major variable. Another variable is how these cold eggs effect the temperature of the boilng water. Putting one cold egg into a pan won't change the timing much, but putting 10 into a such small amount of boiling water will. You can see he has to keep the water at a vigorous boil, to keep the water temperature > 100°C/212°F. I'm not sure whether such forceful heat from the burner on the bottom of the pan is transferred directly to the egg whites. There are two solutions for these variables. First, the effect of the cold eggs on the water temperature: As Kenji alludes, the eggs don't have to sit submerged in boiling water; the steam also cooks the eggs just as well, and at the same temperature as boiling water. So you can also put a steamer basket into the bottom of a pan, with only a little water (much quicker to bring to the boil), and steam as many eggs as you can fit in the pan, without effecting the temperature of the water. The timing, from my own tests, is exactly the same as boiling. Second, the starting temperature of the eggs: If the first solution is used, then it's only a matter consistent timing. How large and how cold the eggs are will still effect the timing, and this can be solved through trial and error; finding the right timing for your desired boil. The other solution is to use room-temp eggs. As Kenji says, this isn't really practical if eggs are stored in the refrigerator (though one commentor here says he sets the eggs in warm water for a few minutes, which sounds like something I'll try when visiting the US. In the US, the commercial production/supply chain for eggs requires their refrigeration from the hen, through transport, sale and until consumption. Eggs have a layer of bacteria on the outer shell that acts as a barrier to bad things like salmonella. Once they are washed in water and refrigerated, this layer quickly breaks down, and they must be refrigerated from farm to table, so storing US commercial eggs at room temperature on the kitchen counter is not an option. As Americans who travel may have noticed, this is not the case in Europe and many other countries, where eggs are never refrigerated (a decision made standard long ago, where energy costs and practicality probably were more of an issue than tradition). The protective layer on the eggs remains intact and active without refrigerating. This is why you'll find eggs sold in the supermarket, not in the refrigerated aisle, but on the shelf elsewhere in the store (and sometimes you'll see a feather or other matter attached to one or more of the eggs which were never washed). It's also why the image of a European kitchen includes a basket of eggs on the counter, next to the onions and garlic. I live in Europe, so I start my soft-boiled/steamed eggs at room temperature (20°C in winter, up to 28°C in summer). For me, a 06:45-07:00 boil/steam is consistently perfect for a small to medium egg with slightly solid, but still runny yolk. Larger, colder eggs would take a bit more time.

"who has time to get their eggs out and let them warm to room temp?" Everyone outside of the USA who doesn't have to refrigerate their eggs, I'm guessing?

Kenji does it again!

thank you for actually saying the time, the temp, and the age of the egg! also that egg chart really helps!

I always look forward to your videos, you have taught me alot

Wow, this was so spot on. I made a salad tonight for dinner and boiled a couple eggs for it (with eggs that are on the older side). Changed from my normal cold water start to your boiling water start, let them go ten minutes, dunk into ice water. Also followed your rolling method for peeling. They came out perfect and peeled really easily. The only thing I didn't realize was how long it takes ice water to cool them down, as the insides were still warm even after a couple minutes in the ice water.

I am amazed by your diligent scientific approach to eggs! Something so simple yet so detailed. Loved this video!!! Ok, I love eggs 😂

I know how to boil eggs. I can't even eat eggs after developing an intolerance. And yet, I was still enraptured by this for a full 12 minutes. Quality content as always. :)

Need more thumbs to give. Absolutely the best bit of cooking knowledge for boiling eggs. Thanks!