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The Ultimate Egg
All Cooking Methods

Steamed

easy 20 min

The superior method for hard- and soft-cooked eggs that almost nobody uses. Steam provides gentler, more consistent heat than boiling water and makes peeling dramatically easier — even with farm-fresh eggs.

Step by Step

  1. Place a steamer basket or insert in a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add 1 inch of water to the bottom of the pot — the water should not touch the bottom of the steamer basket.

  2. Bring the water to a boil over high heat with the lid on. You want a full head of steam before the eggs go in.

  3. Once steam is pouring out, place eggs directly on the steamer basket in a single layer. Work quickly — you want to keep the steam contained. Cover immediately.

  4. Steam for 6 minutes for soft-boiled (runny yolk), 10 minutes for medium (jammy yolk), or 12 minutes for hard-cooked (fully set yolk). These times are for large eggs straight from the refrigerator.

  5. Prepare an ice bath while the eggs steam.

  6. When the timer sounds, transfer eggs to the ice bath immediately using tongs. Cool for at least 5 minutes.

  7. Peel under running water. You will notice that steamed eggs peel significantly more easily than boiled eggs — the steam creates a slight gap between the membrane and the white.

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