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I hard-boiled eggs using the 5-5-5 method and noticed one significant difference Credits: Social Media
By Chaitra Krishnamurthy

I hard-boiled eggs using the 5-5-5 method and noticed one significant difference

By Chaitra Krishnamurthy

There’s no right way to boil an egg. Some like it hard and others, softer. But, you can still benefit plenty from the popular 5-5-5 method, which I believe results in the “perfect” hard-boiled eggs and works like a charm every time.

The method discussed below was popularized on cooking communities on Facebook and found its way onto other social media sites with time. Aside from a well-done egg, I noticed one major difference upon using the 5-5-5 method.

Hard Boiled Eggs
@Credit: Laurie Ambrose | Getty Images

How to hard boil eggs using the 5-5-5 method

Unlike the traditional way of boiling eggs – bringing them to a boil in a pot – the 5-5-5 method uses a pressure cooker or an instant pot.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to the technique quite popular on social media.

  1. Pour about one cup of water into a pressure cooker or an instant pot. Feel free to add more water if you use more eggs.
  2. Place a steamer basket inside the cooker and carefully arrange your eggs over it.
  3. Cook it for five minutes on high flame.
  4. Turn the cooker off and wait for an additional five minutes until the steam releases naturally. You can remove the excess steam after the five-minute mark.
  5. Transfer the eggs into a bowl filled with ice cubes and water. Wait for five more minutes before removing them out of the bowl.

You can peel the eggs once they are cool whichever way you like and enjoy them as-is or include the same in your favorite dishes.

Side by side pictures of eggs hard boiled using the 5-5-5 method
@chaitra

Why I prefer this method

I like my eggs well done. But often, I would end up with a runny yolk or extra-boiled whites. But my biggest issue with boiled eggs was peeling them if the shell wouldn’t come off easily.

However, I was truly impressed with the 5-5-5 method, when I could peel the boiled eggs easily without the outer layer breaking into tinier pieces or getting stuck to the egg white despite letting it cool.

The yolk always cooks well and fluffy, just the way I like it, and the whites are well cooked too – not too hard or soft.

Furthermore, using a timer at every step quickens the process and you know the exact time at which the egg is set to cook and is ready to eat.

If you’re as absent-minded as I am, the 5-5-5 method is the best option so you don’t let it overboil or undercook with a timer for every step serving as a reminder.