Ways to Cook Hardboiled Eggs in a Microwave

It's possible to cook hard-boiled eggs in the microwave by using a few tricks. Hard-boiled eggs are not only nutritious, but they're also the perfect breakfast for busy mornings. First, make sure you know how to microwave an egg without it exploding.

Most people know how to boil an egg in water on the stove, but you can also cook it in the microwave. Before you learn the tricks, it's important to discuss some safety tips. According to the American Egg Board, you should never microwave an egg with the shell on as it will explode and can burn you or, at the very least, result in a huge mess.

The American Egg Board warns that even without the shell, the heat from your microwave may cause steam to build up under the yolk membrane and cause the eggs to explode. Handle this food with care when microwaving.

When you cook hard-boiled eggs the traditional way in a pan with water, you leave the shell on. Since you can't do this when microwaving eggs, they won't look like a traditional boiled egg even though they are still delicious. One additional plus? You won't have to peel the eggs once they're done cooking!

According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, you must first take two small bowls and lightly grease them before cooking hard-boiled eggs in the microwave. Crack the egg and place the yolk in one dish and the white in the other dish. Cover each container with plastic wrap.

Because egg whites take longer to cook than the yolks, you must cook each dish separately. Microwave the egg yolks on 50 or 30 percent power for 20 to 30 seconds per piece, stirring once or twice.

Cook the egg whites 30 seconds to one minute per piece. Remove the eggs before they are completely cooked and let them stand covered for around two minutes. You now have your deconstructed boiled egg! Slice and serve as you normally would.

If this boiled egg hack in the microwave sounds like too much work, there's an alternative. You can boil eggs in the microwave using a specialized microwave egg boiler. This type of device usually cooks at least four raw eggs (with the shells on!) in its compartment. Just add water, close the compartment and microwave according to your egg boiler's instructions for perfect hard-boiled eggs in minutes.

Microwave ovens are amazing because they use waves of energy to cause the molecules in the food to vibrate, which in turn, creates thermal heat energy to cook your food quickly. Harvard Health Publishing states that microwave cooking is an extremely safe and effective way to prepare food, and it has a negligible impact on its nutritional content.

According to the American Egg Board, the fat content in egg yolks causes them to cook at different speeds. When microwaving eggs, you can scramble them or separate the yolks from the whites and cook them separately.

It is easy to overcook this food in the microwave, so it is best to cook it in 10- to 15-second intervals. Also, eggs continue to firm up when they are removed from the microwave, so keep that in mind as far as cooking time.

In addition to hard-boiled eggs, you can also scramble them and cook in the microwave for 30 seconds to one minute. Cook them sunny-side-up by cracking the egg on a lightly greased microwave-safe plate. Prick the egg yolk with the tip of the knife, cover with plastic wrap and cook for two to three minutes. Then, let them stand covered for another minute until they harden.

Read more: 9 Things You May Not Know About Eggs

According to the USDA, one hard-boiled egg has 78 calories, with 6 grams of protein and 186 milligrams of cholesterol. It's a good source of protein and has few calories. It does, however, have a lot of cholesterol.

The good news is that eggs have minimal effects on blood cholesterol, according to the Mayo Clinic. In general, healthy people can eat up to seven eggs a week without an increased risk of heart disease.

Read more: 7 Reasons to Crack an Egg for Breakfast

Beware, though, that eating seven or more eggs per week may not be safe for those with diabetes as it may raise their risk of heart disease. Talk to your doctor about egg consumption if you suffer from this condition. All of the cholesterol in eggs is found in the yolk, so you can remove it and only eat the egg whites for a cholesterol-free snack.

Cook just the egg whites in the microwave using the boiled egg hack above and put them on toast with avocado for our delicious Veggie Egg Whites on Toast recipe. If you love your eggs scrambled, try our Microwave Egg and Veggie Breakfast Bowl or the Microwave Veggie Nut Coffee Cup Scramble.