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desertdance

Please Help me Hard Boil Eggs on my Induction Cooktop!

I have been boiling eggs for years on a gas cooktop, but I've become a complete idiot numbnut trying to do this simplest of all cooking tasks on induction!

I used to never bring them to a full boil. Just a simmer. Shut off the gas, put the lid on, and get perfect hard boiled eggs.

No more! I am boiling a batch now for the third time. The whites are mushy and runny. WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE? What am I missing? First batch was not good, so I tried re-cooking them at a lower temp... 3, for a couple hours. Still not done. Now they are back in there on 5. I let them boil hard for an hour. They are sitting with the lid on.

Please help! I love my induction, but this has me stumped!

Suzi

Comments (12)

  • 12 years ago

    Try steaming them until they're hard boiled. Put an inch of water in a pot and use an expandable steamer basket. When the water boils, put the eggs in the steamer basket.

    In ten minutes, you'll have perfect hard boiled eggs. And if you wanted perfectly set soft boiled eggs, steam them for 6 minutes and then plunge them into ice water.

  • 12 years ago

    I will try that! My husband is laughing at me and teasing me about becoming senile!

    Thanks so much!

    Suzi

  • 12 years ago

    KristianCO,

    Everything else I cook simmers perfectly. No problem with pasta. It's just eggs. My 3rd try is waiting to get cool.

    From now on, I'm going with the steaming for 10 minute suggestion! And 6 for soft boiled.

    I think that with gas, it takes some time for the water to fully boil, and the eggs are cooking that entire time, but with induction, it goes from zero to boil so fast, the eggs might not get hot enough.

    I may have compromised and confused this batch of eggs. There aren't many left because I keep testing them. They better be done this time. Anxious to try steaming them! I'll try for soft boiled ones tomorrow for Breakfast!

    Thanks for all the ideas!

    Suzi

  • 12 years ago

    Yikes, I didn't know that there was that much variation in hard boiling techniques for eggs. Two factors are relevant:
    (a) Once water is boiling it stays at the same temperature whether boiling gently or vigorously
    (b) Vigorous boiling may improve the coefficient of heat transfer at the egg surface due to rapid water motion, or degrade it due to the lower coefficient of steam vs. water in contact with the egg. In either case the difference is likely subtle, and the larger problem with vigorous boiling is shell cracking leading to egg white leakage.

    Anyway, I use a small (ancient) stainless Revere pan that just happens to be magnetic. I cover the eggs with water and use the smallest hob. I set the hob on power boost and set a timer for 2 minutes. At about 2:20 the pan is starting to boil and will become Old Faithful if not turned down. I turn down the hob to a midpoint setting that I know will continue a gentle boil, but intermittently check that it hasn't become too vigorous. If the two eggs were cold, I boil for 10 minutes, if room temperature, I boil for 9 minutes. The eggs are cooked through and still tender. This is not the recipe for killer Easter pecking attack eggs.

    If the pan were covered, the hob setting could be lower due to lower heat loss from the pan, but unless the cover is glass it will be difficult to see the degree of boil.

    It seems to me that simmering eggs leads to uncertain water temperature and thereby uncertain completion of cooking. Boiling is relatively constant, although at higher altitudes the boiling time will have to increase due to the lower temperature of boil.

    To take best advantage of the relatively stable behavior of induction, whatever process is used should be one that allows repeatable settings and timings.

    kas

  • 12 years ago

    Hi desertdance, this is how I boil eggs on my induction cooktop: I put three or four eggs in a small saucepan, completely cover them with cool water with at least half an inch of water over their tops, and put the lid on. I slowly bring them to a boil using medium or medium-high (6.5 on a 1 to 10 scale). I bring them to more than a simmer and less than a rolling boil. After 10 seconds, I turn the burner off, leaving the eggs covered, and set the timer for 14 minutes. When the timer goes off, I drain them and rinse them in cool water. The whites are solid, the yolks are hard without being dry. I think the trick is to bring them to boil slowly. Btw, I don't live at a high altitude.

  • 12 years ago

    I haven't boiled eggs in decades, so can't say how I would do it on our 1-yr old induction cooktop. We use our 36 year-old Oster brand egg cooker for poached and hard-boiled eggs. Love it! Might be worth a try if you can't get the induction sorted out.

  • 12 years ago

    No magic involved here with my Elux Induction Cook top.

    I drop the eggs in, just as the water starts to boil, (to keep from cracking them), I then just let them boil 10 minutes or so. They come out perfect~~~~~how do I know that???
    Because I like deviled eggs, they would be mighty hard to devil and stuff, were the whites or the yokes runny.

    I'm no chef, but I haven't messed up yet!

    Gary

  • 12 years ago

    I liked the precision of gtadross's suggestion, so I tried the steamer method this morning for perfect soft boiled eggs. 6 minutes, ice plunge and done!

    YAY! Success! I'm sure the steamer will work for hard boiled too.

    Suzi

  • 12 years ago

    No problems with eggs on my GE Profile. I put the eggs in cold water and put them on the stove at level 8 till they start to boil which is just a few minutes. I let them cook at a gentle boil for about 3 minutes, then turn the stove off and put the lid on. Let them set for 12-15 minutes and then drop in cold icy water. Peel them - no green, no mush. Easy peasy!

  • 12 years ago

    I second the egg cooker! I bought my first when I was 18, and now am 60! I have given them away for years, as gifts. Fantastic! It hard boils, poaches, or soft boils. It depends on the amount of water being used. Built in shell piercer, so no cracked shells, or green yolks. Set it and forget it! Get 1 that hard boils a half a dozen eggs. Some only cook 4 or 5. The eggs R steamed and not boiled.

  • 2 years ago

    Just happened to me! :(