Hardboil Eggs in a Microwave

Hard-boiling an egg in the microwave is possible, but you have to take precautions to avoid an explosion. You can microwave eggs in the shell as long as you cover them with water and add a little salt to the water. Or, you can microwave eggs without the shells if you do not need your eggs to be in a spherical shape.

Steps

Microwaving Eggs in the Shell

  1. Place your eggs in a microwave safe bowl. Use a large microwave safe glass or plastic bowl to microwave your eggs. Place your eggs in a single layer in the bottom of the bowl. Do not stack the eggs on top of each other and be careful not to crack the eggs.[1]
  2. Add water to the bowl. Pour enough water over your eggs so that they are completely covered with water. There should also be about a centimeter (or half an inch) of water above the eggs. If the eggs are not completely covered with water, then they may explode.[1]
    • To speed up the cooking process, you can pour boiling water over the eggs instead of room temperature water. You will still need to cover the eggs completely with water.[2]
  3. Pour one tablespoon of salt into the bowl. Measure out a tablespoon of salt and then sprinkle it into the water. The salt will help to prevent the eggs from exploding while they are in the microwave.
  4. Cook the eggs for up to 12 minutes. Set your microwave on medium power and begin microwaving the eggs. The eggs may take anywhere from six to 12 minutes to become hard boiled, depending on your microwave. The eggs may be ready sooner if your microwave is high-powered or if you prefer your eggs softer.[2][1]
    • If you poured boiling water over your eggs, then you can just cook them for three to six minutes on high.[2]
    • You can check to see if your eggs are done by taking an egg out of the water, putting it in ice cold water for a few minutes, and then cracking it. However, if you do not want to check, then just cook your eggs for a little longer than you think they will need.
  5. Let the eggs cool down before you touch them. When the eggs are done, the bowl and water will be very hot, so wear an oven mitt when you take the eggs out of the microwave. Do not reach into the bowl or touch any of the eggs until they have cooled down.[1]
    • You can also drain the hot water and refill the bowl with cold water to speed up the cooling process. This will also prevent the eggs from becoming overcooked.[2]
  6. Enjoy your hard-boiled eggs. After your eggs have cooled down completely, you can crack them open and enjoy them. Eat them or use them in a recipe. For example, you can use your hard-boiled eggs to make deviled eggs, egg salad, or Easter eggs.

Microwaving Eggs without the Shell

  1. Use this method for safe, even cooking. Breaking the egg apart also breaks the first step in hard-boiling, but if you're using a microwave, this is highly recommended. Cooking the egg yolk and white separately ensures that each part is cooked just as "hard" as you want it, and removes the risk of a scalding explosion.
    • This method of microwaving eggs is sometimes called "hard-cooking," since it doesn't involve any water, but results in an egg with a hard-boiled texture.
  2. Lightly grease two bowls. Rub the inside of two small, microwave-safe bowls with butter or butter substitute, using a paper towel. Custard ramekins work well if you are only cooking one egg, but you can use any size container.
  3. Separate the egg whites and egg yolks. Crack the egg open carefully, then separate the two halves of shell, with the egg still inside one of them. Pour the egg yolk from one half of the shell to the other repeatedly, until all of the egg white has separated from the yolk. Put the yolk into one bowl, and the egg white into the other. If you are cooking more than one egg, repeat this step, keeping all yolks in one bowl and all whites in another.
    • If this is too tedious, you can just drop the entire egg into one bowl. This can lead to a runny white or an overcooked, rubbery yolk, since the two parts cook at different rates in the microwave.[3]
  4. Pierce the egg yolks. Even the thin membrane holding the yolk together will build up pressure as the moisture inside heats up, eventually exploding messily. Prevent this by piercing each yolk with the tip of a knife, skewer, or fork to let the steam escape.[3]
  5. Cover each bowl. Contrary to rumor, plastic wrap can be safely used for this purpose, as long as it does not touch the food itself.[4] Parchment paper or wax paper can be used instead.
  6. Cook the white at medium or low power. If your microwave oven has a medium or low power setting, use it whenever cooking eggs or egg dishes, since eggs are easily overcooked to a rubbery, superheated mess. Because it's difficult to control the temperature of microwaved food, it's best to cook in short bursts, checking frequently. Follow these guidelines for typical, large chicken eggs:
    • Most importantly, take the egg white out while it is still slightly underdone, before it is completely hard. The egg will continue to cook from its own heat after removal.
    • Cook 1 egg white (or 1 whole egg) for about 30 to 60 seconds.[5]
    • Cook 2 egg whites for about 45 to 75 seconds.[3]
    • Cook 4 egg whites for about 2 minutes 30 seconds to 3 minutes 15 seconds.[3]
  7. Cook the yolk for 20 to 30 seconds per yolk. Remove the bowl containing white and put in the yolk. Still on medium or low power if the option is available, cook the bowl of egg yolk for about 20 to 30 seconds per yolk.[5] If cooking more than one yolk, stop every 30 seconds to check on progress. Remove the yolk once it's slightly softer than you prefer.
  8. Let the egg stand for two or three minutes. Microwaves heat up the fat in the egg much hotter than a pot of boiling water does. This heat will continue to cook the egg after it is removed. If part of the egg isn't hard enough after three minutes, cook it for another 10 to 20 seconds.
    • There is no way to make an overcooked egg softer, so it's usually better to aim for a slightly soft "hard-cooked" egg.

Tips

  • When cooking multiple bowls of eggs at the same time, arrange them off center or in a circle, so they are all at roughly the same distance from the center.[3]
  • Make sure you use a microwave safe bowl.

Warnings

  • An egg will always explode if precautions are not taken, before it is fully hard-boiled.
  • Do not stare at the microwave if eggs are being microwaved in the shell. Face away from the microwave to protect your eyes in case of explosion.
  • Microwaving an egg without cracking it open first creates extremely hot, high-pressure steam inside the shell. Even if you take all the proper precautions, the egg could explode with surprising force, potentially blasting open your microwave door, shattering the glass, or causing serious burns. Some people have even been injured by an egg that exploded shortly after removal from the microwave.[6]

Things You'll Need

Method 1

  • Raw eggs
  • Microwave-safe bowl
  • Water
  • Salt
  • Oven mitt

Method 2

  • Raw eggs
  • Two microwave-safe bowls
  • Butter or butter substitute
  • Knife or other sharp utensil
  • Plastic wrap, parchment paper, or wax paper

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHuu-IRMRn0
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 http://www.microwaveassociation.org.uk/recipes/recipe.php?id=76
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Montgomery Ward & Co., Inc. (1983), Adventures in Microwave Cooking
  4. ↑ http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update0706a.shtml
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 http://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggs/MicrowaveEggs.htm
  6. ↑ http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn4946-microwave-ovens-should-warn-of-exploding-eggs.html

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