Plan for Progress  

Achieving great hard boiled eggs clearly comes with an art. A number of persons figure that boiling the egg actually means to let the eggs stay in boiling water for some time. This is not so, as the eggs can be overcooked creating a gray-green color. Invariably the picks of eggs decides how easily the eggs will peel once they are cooked.

Fresh eggs are not the better choice for hard-boiling. Ensure the eggs are a couple of days old. Hard boiling farm fresh eggs will always lead to eggs that are hard to peel. If you have boiled a batch that are difficult to peel, crack the eggs all around and lay them to soak in cold water for a couple minutes. This will allow the water to enter betweenthe eggs and their shell so they are faster to peel.

Lay the eggs in a single layer in a saucepan, covered by at least an inch or two of cold water. Beginning with cold water and slowly bringing the eggs to a boil will help keep them from cracking. including a tablespoon of vinegar to the water will help keep the egg whites from leaving any eggs that happen to crack when cooking. Adding a half teaspoon of salt will hinder cracking and make the eggs easier to peel. Place the burner on high and bring the eggs to a boil. As quickly as the water starts to boil, removethe pan from the heat for a few seconds.

Decrease the heat, and return the pan to the burner. Let simmer for one minute then take the pan from the heat, cover, and let rest for 12 minutes. If you are doing a large batch of eggs, you can check for doneness after 10 minutes by opening one egg. If it isn’t done, cook the other eggs a minute or two more. The eggs should be done completely at 10 minutes, but there are factors which may impact the timing. These consist of the shape of the sauce pan, size and number eggs and amount of water in pan. This check will also eliminate the overcooking of the eggs.

Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place them into a bowl of ice water (this is if you have a lot of eggs) or drain out the water from the pan, and refill with cold water. Repeat until eggs are cool.

Peel the eggs if ready for eating or store them in a covered container in the refrigerator. They should be eaten within 5 days.