Heston Blumenthal’s specialized “formula” creates “perfect” hard-boiled eggs every time

Consistently making delicious hard-boiled eggs can be very difficult, but Chef Heston Blumenthal has come up with a professional “formula” for making “perfect” hard-boiled eggs every time.

Heston’s specialized ‘formula’ is not to be missed, as he spent a lot of time conducting ‘relentless experimentation’ to ensure his hard-boiled eggs were ‘perfect’. Previously writing for The Guardian, he said the perfect egg is when “the yolk is warm and runny, wrapped in a blanket of just-prepared egg whites.”




And he has a unique technique for achieving this – and it’s not by boiling eggs at all. This is done by using a water bath to boil on low heat.

This method changes the texture of the yolks and whites slowly enough to set them right away, allowing you to better control the temperature. So, what is the best way to boil an egg? The first step in Heston’s tried and tested formula is to take a small saucepan with a glass lid, and then you should gently lower one egg into it. Two or three of them can be cooked in a water bath at once, as long as the pot is not too crowded, as they will not cook properly. Remember, you don’t want the white to be slimy or harsh.

Once the pan is full, fill it with water to a level that just covers the eggs. Chef Heston Blumenthal said you shouldn’t add “an extra millimeter.” “If you have a centimeter of water covering the egg, you can still get the same result, but you have to manipulate the timing,” he said.

When the water level is ideal, place the pot on maximum heat with the lid on and bring the water to a boil. Immediately after the liquid begins to bubble, the pan should be removed from the heat. Leave the lid open and set aside with a timer for six minutes. Heston cautioned that this had to be timed “exactly” to ensure the egg was “perfect.”

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