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Ok, so the guinea egg in that first photo may not be fully hard boiled but the yolk was so pretty and orange that I just had to use it for the pictures! But don't worry. I've experimented a ton with these so that you can get a perfectly hard boiled guinea egg cooked to your preference. And if you like them a little closer to soft boiled than hard boiled, I've got you covered too.
Ever since my parents got guinea fowl, they've been sharing their eggs with us. Although they're a little tough to crack (I'd compare it to breaking open a geode) they're worth the effort! I love that there's so much yolk compared to white in them. Of course, I also love knowing they came from happy, healthy birds.
Up until now, I've only had them scrambled, fried, in omelettes, etc. I don't know how to bake with eggs this size or what the different yolk/white ratio will do to baked goods. I also couldn't find anything online about how to hard boil them so I figured I'd need to experiment for myself.
When it comes to hard boiled eggs, I personally prefer a fully cooked yolk that is buttery soft as opposed to that dryer crumbly texture you get when you cook them just a tad longer. Some people prefer the crumbly consistency and some people actually like them a bit runny in the center without actually being completely soft boiled. While experimenting with various cooking times, I was able to find a range of textures that people might prefer.
However, don't just look at the cook times and plop them in boiling water for that long. Read the recipe. You'll want to follow this method to avoid over cooking, green rings, sulfur smell, and so on.
All of the whites are fully cooked so let's talk about these yolks. Cooking (not boiling) for 3 minutes yields a slightly cooked yolk but it is mostly runny. 4 minutes yields a very soft yolk with a slightly runny middle. 5 minutes is perfectly hardboiled but if you like it slightly softer, you can try 4 ½ minutes. 6 minutes is fully cooked with the outside of the yolk beginning to get a bit crumbly. I'd recommend staying under 6 minutes and setting a timer since only a minute off can make a huge difference as you can see from the photos.
So why does the 5 minute egg appear more cooked than the 6 minute egg? Just an illusion! Yolk color varies from egg to egg and I think the lighter orange color on the 5 minute egg makes it appear dryer and thus more cooked but if you look closely, you can see that the outside of the 6 minute yolk is starting to crumble and pull away from the white because it's been cooked just beyond that creamy texture.
By the way, how cute is this little chubby hand photobombing my picture?!
Recipe
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Learn how to hard boil guinea fowl eggs. I've tested a variety of cook times to yield the perfect hard boiled guinea egg. No green ring and no sulfur smell!
Ingredients
- 1 dozen guinea eggs (or however many you would like to cook)
- water
- ice cubes
Instructions
- Place the eggs in a pot and add just enough cold tap water to barely cover the eggs. Be sure the eggs are in a single layer, otherwise you may need a bigger pot or need to work in batches.
- Put a lid on the pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
- As soon as the water reaches a boil, immediately remove the pot from the heat and allow to sit for about 3-6 minutes depending on how fully cooked you prefer the yolk (I recommend 4-5 minutes. See photos and recipe notes). Once the time has elapsed, use a slotted spoon to move the eggs to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. The idea is to cool these as quickly as possible so if the ice melts and the eggs are still warm, add additional ice to the water until the eggs completely cool.
- Once cooled, you can peel and enjoy them right away or store them in the refrigerator for later.
Notes
- A few notes on cooking times: 3 minutes yields a slightly cooked yolk but it is mostly runny. 4 minutes yields a very soft yolk with a slightly runny middle. 5 minutes is perfectly hardboiled but if you like it slightly softer, you can try 4 ½ minutes. 6 minutes is fully cooked with the outside of the yolk beginning to get a bit crumbly. I'd recommend staying under 6 minutes and setting a timer since only a minute off can make a huge difference as you can see from the photos.
- Egg sizes: The size of your eggs can also affect the cooking time. I'd estimate that these were slightly smaller than medium chicken eggs. If yours are larger, increase the cooking time. If smaller, decrease the time. Don't be afraid to experiment with a few eggs to find what you like!
This is a really helpful guide to prevent throwing out under cooked eggs. Although, it doesn’t look like your little photo bomber minds the under cooked yolk. It’s worth noting that while guinea eggs are smaller than chicken eggs, they have twice as much protein which is great for vegetarians like me.
Ha! My photo bomber would eat the eggs straight out of the carton if he was left alone with it! That kid sure does love eggs. The results were consistent across multiple eggs cooked at the same time so you shouldn’t end up with any undercooked. I don’t like them undercooked either.
Does your method make it easier to peel? Im fining to much white is wasted because it has a hard time separating from the shell.
No, it doesn’t necessarily make them easier to peel. However, I find that using the oldest eggs you have on hand and peeling them right after chilling in the ice bath (rather than storing them in their shells in the fridge) makes peeling significantly easier for both chicken and guinea eggs.