The Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg: The Mystery Solved

Eggs have been a food source for man since prehistoric times. Dating almost as far back as the first consumption of the egg has been the question, "How do you make the perfect hard-boiled egg?" For every new wife and college student, here is the answer.

When boiling eggs, one major concern is if the eggs are still good. The American Egg Board explains fresh, uncooked eggs refrigerated in their shells will have insignificant quality loss for at least three weeks after you bring them home from the store. When stored properly, eggs will rarely spoil (they will dry out first) and they can still be used beyond the 'best by' date on the carton. Their appearance may begin to alter after that date and the yolks my break more easily, but their nutritional value will be unaffected. Eggs that are 7 to 10 days old are actually easier to peel after hard-cooking than fresher eggs.

When making hard-boiled eggs, use a pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Do not layer eggs in the pan. If you have a large number of eggs to cook, make several pans worth instead of piling them on top of each other.

To cook the eggs, place them in a single layer in your chosen pan. Add cold water to cover the eggs by 1 inch.

Heat the eggs and water on high until they just start to boil. Remove them from the heat at this point and cover the pan. Do not allow them to come to a full rolling boil. The name hard-boiled refers to the hardness of the finished product, not to the intensity of the boiling water.

Let large eggs stand in the hot water for 15 minutes. If you are using jumbo or extra large eggs, allow 18 minutes for them to cook fully. For medium eggs, reduce the time to 12 minutes.

Drain immediately and cool the eggs with running cold water from the tap or plunge them into a bowl of ice water. This will lower the temperature of the egg inside the shell and stop the cooking process. It will also help you peel the egg, as shocking it with cold water causes the cooked egg to contract slightly in the shell.

Cooking the egg gently, as described above, will prevent the egg from becoming rubbery due to overcooking and you will rarely see that ugly green ring so common with hard-boiled eggs. It also minimizes cracking, which can allow bacteria into a stored hard-boiled egg.

To peel your egg, gently tap the egg on a counter or table until the shell has cracked all over. Gently run the egg back and forth between your hands to loosen the cracked shell, and then begin peeling from the large end. Run more cold water over the egg as needed.

Use peeled hard-boiled eggs the same day. You can store cooled, unpeeled hard-boiled eggs in their original container for up to one week.