No, no and no to everyone.Why? Because that´s how YOUlike your hardboiled eggs. I boil them for 5 minutes, leave them in hot water for 2 more, then stick them in iced water to peel them. That´s how I like them.
The only way Jennifer Murphy is going to get perfect hard-boiled eggs is to put them in cold water, bring to a boil, and then cook for(XXX) minutes; or put them in a steamer and steam for (xxx) minutes.
Jennifer: get the timer out. Use your cellphone or oven timer to mark the exact number of minutes needed for YOUR perfect egg.
What I , or other folks consider perfect, maybe very different for you, so make eggs every day of the week until you nail your perfect egg. It will be worth it!
+1
For soft boiled, on my stove, with my well water, and the pot I like to use, place water into the pot and cover with water until all of the shell is submerged. Tur on heat to medium. When water just starts simmering, cook for 2 minutes, 37 seconds (for extra large eggs) Remove the pot from the water, drain. and fill with cold water after gently crazing the shell. Let sit for 1 minute. The yolk is soft, with firm, but not rubbery white all around. For hard boiled, increase cooking time by 3 minutes. This gives me a yolk that is at that in between stage of hard, and soft, with tender egg white.
For your perfect version of boiled eggs, on you stove, in your favorite pot, just do a bit of experimenting, record the results, and duplicate the technique. You will get perfect eggs every time.
For cooking large numbers of hard boiled eggs, like at Easter, or when making deviled eggs, Place a bunch of eggs gently into a stew pot. Cover with water. Heat until water begins to boil Reduce heat to keep the water just under a boil. Cook for ten minutes. Water doesn't boil until 212' F. Egg starts setting at 170. By cooking this way, the water is still, and doesn't jostle the eggs, and so eliminates cracked shells.
Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North