The microwave generally doesn't work quite as well as the stove for hard-boiled eggs, but with a little patience it can work in a pinch. Here, you'll want to boil the water in the microwave without the eggs first. See our guide to boiling water in the microwave safely for important information.


This bears repeating: don't heat unbeaten eggs in the microwave. Even out of the shell, a build-up of pressure in the yolk can cause them to explode, damaging your microwave., Using a towel or oven mitt, take the bowl out of the microwave. Use a slotted spoon to add the eggs one by one. Make sure each is covered completely by the water.









Don't drop the eggs directly into the water. Not only can they break when they hit the bottom, but they can also splash boiling-hot water upward.
 Once all the eggs are added, cover the bowl with a lid or a plate. Let it sit — the eggs will cook in the heat of the near-boiling water. Your cooking time will vary depending on how hard you want your eggs. In general, you should expect your eggs to take slightly more time than they would on the stove. This is because they did not have a chance to cook while the water was heating up.










If you like your eggs soft-boiled, let them sit for 10 minutes or less.The yolk should still be somewhat runny.

If you like your eggs medium-boiled, let them sit for about 15 minutes.The yolk should be semi-soft and the whites should be quite firm.

If you like your eggs hard-boiled, let them sit for 20 minutes or more.The white and yolk should be completely firm without being an unappealing grey-green color.
 After you've let your eggs sit, remove them from the water with a strainer or a slotted spoon. At this point, the rest of the process is the same as for eggs you've cooked on the stove. See below:









Cover the eggs with cold water or set them in an ice bath for about five minutes so that they cool.
When the eggs can be comfortably held, you can crack and peel them right away or stick them in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to make this easier.
Store the eggs under a moist paper towel or submerged in water in the fridge. Eat the eggs within four or five days, changing the towel or water every day.
 Letting boiled eggs cook for too long will give the yolks a gray-green ring and a sulfur-like smell. There's nothing wrong with these eggs and they are perfectly safe for eating. However, if you find this unappetizing, simply reduce the amount of time you let your eggs cook for next time.


The gray-green color is formed when iron from the yolk reacts with hydrogen sulfide from the white.This reaction occurs after the rest of the egg has finished cooking.
Extra heat also tends to over-coagulate the proteins in the egg. This can give rubbery whites and dry yolks.
 If you don't use enough heat when cooking your eggs, you may find yourself with the opposite problem as the gray-green yolks above. Eggs that don't cook long enough may have yolks that aren't as firm as you'd like. Extremely undercooked eggs may even have whites that aren't completely set. If you notice that the first egg you peel and crack is undercooked, return the rest to hot water and allow to sit.


Undercooked eggs can pose a risk of salmonella infection. The FDA recommends cooking all eggs until the yolks are firm or using eggs that have been in-shell pasteurized.As noted above, you can spin an egg on a hard surface to test whether it is hard boiled. If it spins evenly (like a top), the egg is finished. Undercooked or uncooked eggs will wobble or spiral off to one side.
 When eggs are just a day or two old, the membrane sticks to the shell, making the egg difficult to peel.The best eggs for hard-boiling are about 7-10 days old. If you have to boil very fresh eggs, try steaming them first to help separate the membrane from the shell:


Place the eggs in a metal colander and rest the colander on top of a pan. Boil an inch or so of water in the pan for about 10 minutes, turning the eggs frequently. After, boil the eggs as normal.Some people also like to add a teaspoon of baking soda to the water when boiling eggs that are very fresh. This can add a sulfuric taste to the eggs, however.
 If you notice the white of the egg sticking to the shell as you peel it, roll the egg around to make lots of little cracks in the surface of the shell. Then, place the egg in a bowl of cold water and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. This often helps to loosen the shell up and separate the membrane, making it much easier to peel.
 This is a common problem, especially with eggs that are very cold. If you notice that an egg has cracked, a teaspoon of vinegar in the water helps the proteins in the egg white coagulate faster, plugging the cracks in the shell.Try to be quick here — if you add the vinegar to the water as soon as you notice a crack, the egg should still boil evenly.









You may notice a little whiteness creeping out of a cracked egg. If you don't get to it with the vinegar in time, don't worry. It should still boil fine, but it may look a little funky.
Heat water to boiling in a microwave-safe bowl.
Remove the bowl and carefully add the eggs.
Cover the bowl and let sit.
Remove the eggs and chill as normal.
If your yolks are grayish-green, cook for less time.
If your egg is too runny, cook for more time.
Steam fresh eggs to make them easier to peel.
Crack and soak eggs that are difficult to peel.
Add vinegar if an egg cracks in the water.
{"src": "wikihow-all_validation", "title": "How to Hard Boil an Egg2"}