How Julia Child Made Tender Hard-Boiled Eggs

For the longest time, I had no idea that my process for making hard-boiled eggs had already been discovered, much less attributed to one of the world's most beloved chefs. I thought it was a slightly newer revelation, maybe only a few decades old. But I'm glad to admit my error and give credit where it's due. Turns out, I've been boiling eggs exactly like Julia Child's method.

Her way of creating hard-boiled eggs is simple, easy, and effective. Despite what the ads say, you can skip the fancy egg cookers and opt for a deep pot or pan filled with cold water. (My rule is to add enough water so that there's an inch covering the eggs.) Get the eggs nice and cozy in the pan, and let water — and time — do its thing. One other important step: remove the eggs from the burner once the water is boiling. It's counterintuitive, but it'll help you make Julia-Child-approved hard-boiled eggs.

The magic began when Julia Child put eggs in a pan on the stove. But according to Sara Moulton, who helped the chef style food on set, Child didn't boil the eggs. "The real nugget was she put the eggs in cold water, bring them up to a boil, take them off the heat and cover them and give them, say, 14 minutes without the boiling. And then immediately drain them and put them in the ice water," Moulton said on the Homemade podcast. Child's method cooked the eggs perfectly — soft yellow yolks with delicate whites —  every single time. 

Child's technique includes other notable benefits. The lack of true "boiling" keeps egg whites from getting tough and prevents that horrifying greenish-gray line that sometimes appears between the egg white and the yolk. Peeling eggs is much quicker. The egg shells flake off in larger chunks and are easier to remove than the traditional hard boiling approach. You can even put your own spin on Child's recipe. If a slightly gooey, still soft yolk is more your style, cook the egg for 10 to 12 minutes (my personal favorite) instead of 14. When it comes to proven formulas for cooking a hard-boiled egg, trust Julia Child. She knew what she was doing, and I promise you won't be disappointed.