Gordon Ramsay's Trick To Prevent Gray Boiled Eggs

Whether they're used for sandwiches, salads, or just a tasty snack, boiled eggs are a valuable culinary staple. Given that hard-boiled eggs last for up to seven days in the refrigerator, it's easy to prepare a batch for meals throughout the week. But when you peel one and notice an unsightly gray ring around the yolk, it can be very off-putting. Luckily, Gordon Ramsay has a top tip to prevent this happening: Cool the eggs quickly after cooking them.

The gray band — which can sometimes also appear greenish in color — is caused by a reaction that takes place when the eggs are cooked for too long or at a high temperature. Above 158 degrees Fahrenheit, the sulfur in the egg white reacts with iron in the egg yolk and forms iron sulfide, which produces the distinctive gray-green tint. While they may look unpleasant, eggs that have developed this color are still safe to eat, according to the USDA. But Ramsay's technique can help stop it from occurring in the first place.

Once the eggs are boiled, the chef quickly drains off the hot cooking water before running the pan under cold water (per YouTube). He then cracks the shells gently on the side of the pan and submerges the eggs back into the pan of water. This allows a little water to get inside the shells — and as well as prevents the gray band — these couple of steps are also Ramsay's genius process for peeling boiled eggs quickly and easily.

While Ramsay uses cool running water, there's another great hard-boiled egg trick that quickly lowers the temperature of the cooked eggs and reduces the risk of a gray ring appearing: Plunge them into a bowl of ice water. Leave the eggs in the water for around 15 minutes to fully cool, and then keep them in the fridge. The USDA recommends that cooked eggs are refrigerated within two hours, but the cold water method means you can proceed to this step much faster.

Since the discoloration occurs when eggs are overcooked, another useful tip is to simply cook the eggs for slightly less time than you usually would. If you want to boil eggs with jammy yolks, give them six to eight minutes in simmering water. If you prefer them more traditionally hard-boiled, but without becoming dry, try 10 minutes. Either way, start with room-temperature eggs rather than fridge-cold to prevent them from cracking when they hit the hot water.

As well as too much heat, the gray-green ring can also sometimes be caused by cooking the eggs using water that contains a high level of iron. If you live in an area with hard water, you might wish to consider boiling your eggs in filtered water to see if it makes a difference. Alternatively, use your air fryer for hard-boiled eggs with minimal fuss.