
Once the eggs have had their allotted time, you can remove them and plunge them into cold water. A very large egg will need a little longer to cook than a noticeably small one. Of course, how quickly the egg cooks will depend to some degree on its size, so take this into account when timing. If you prefer a more liquid yolk, take them out a little sooner. Four minutes will leave the center somewhat soft but still thick, and at twelve minutes, the centers will be fully cooked. Many people then turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid. This should then be placed on a high heat to bring it to the boil. There are many different methods for boiling eggs, but a lot of people prefer to start by putting their eggs in cold water.

Longer periods of time will often be considered overcooking and while that isn’t a problem for your health, there are disadvantages that we’ll come to shortly. How Long Should You Cook an Egg to Hard Boil It?Ī boiled egg should usually be cooked for nine minutes, or up to twelve minutes if you prefer a really firm center. You can just ignore it and enjoy your egg as you would if it had a bright yellow yolk. That’s usually a sign that there’s a lot of iron in the water you’ve boiled the egg in.Īgain, it’s nothing to worry about and it won’t hurt you at all. You might occasionally observe this ring around your egg’s yolk even if you haven’t overcooked the yolk. It is a result of iron and sulfur within the egg reacting with the yolk’s surface and it will not hurt you at all. What Makes the Green Layer on a Boiled Egg Yolk?Īs mentioned, you may sometimes observe a green layer on the outside of the egg’s yolk when you cut up a boiled egg. There are no records of anyone being made ill by an overcooked boiled egg. Unless you are allergic to eggs, you should find boiled eggs completely safe to eat.

Even if they release some gas into the egg, it’s in minuscule amounts, and will not hurt you. You may have read things about the sulfur content in eggs making them dangerous by releasing hydrogen sulfide, but the amount of sulfur in eggs is safe for humans, even when they have been overcooked. There are no harmful chemicals or reactions going on. Yes, overcooked boiled eggs should always be safe, provided they were cooked using fresh eggs. 5 Final Thoughts Are Overcooked Boiled Eggs Always Safe?
