There are many tips and tricks to cooking hard boiled eggs. Some say using eggs older than 5 days helps the shell peel off easier after boiling.* Others say to lay the eggs on their side the night before you hard boil them and the yolk will be better centered after you cook them (this is a good tip when cooking Deviled Eggs). I don't think either of these practices could hurt but below is the fool proof method that works for me every time.2) Fill the pot/saucepan with enough cold water to cover the eggs with about an inch or two of water. Using cold water will keep the eggs from cracking.
3) Put the pot on the stove on high until the water is at a fast full boil.
4) Once the water is at full boil turn the stove heat off and cover the pot/saucepan with a tight fitting lid for 17 minutes.**
When you remove the eggs from the saucepan it is very important that you cool them quickly in a cold water bath. Moving the eggs directly from the hot water in the saucepan to a cold water bath causes a layer of steam to build inside of the egg shell which helps the shell peel off MUCH easier than not rapidly cooling the eggs. I have also read that this helps reduce any greenness in the yolk.
Enjoy!
*Before cooking there are ways to estimate an eggs age. If you place an egg in water and it lays on its side it is a very fresh egg. As eggs age air pockets form inside of the egg which will cause the egg to stand on end if placed in water. Ideally, an egg that stands on it's end is a a few days old and will be the best for hard boiling. If you place the egg in water and it floats it is a bad egg and needs to be thrown in the trash. Either way, the best way to get the shell to peel off easily is to rapidly cool the eggs after cooking in a cold water bath.
**For soft boiled eggs you can cook them for 5 minutes, about 8 minutes is good for a medium cooked egg.
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