How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

Have you ever peeled and halved a hard boiled egg to be disappointed by that black edge around the yolk? Or found your yolk wasn't quite cooked enough?  The perfect hard boiled egg is not difficult -it just takes precision.

1.   First thing is to pick the right eggs to hard boil. Fresh eggs can be very difficult to peel.  I have had them where the shell came off in miniscule points bringing bits of the white with it.  They were so pocked and torn I had to  chop them up.  They could not be used for deviled eggs. So buy them and leave them in your fridge for a week to 10 days before you boil them.
2. Position the eggs in a single layer in a sauce pan covered by 1 inch of water.
3. Bring them to a very gentle boil over medium/high heat. That gray-green ring is caused by a chemical reaction between the iron in the yolk and the sulphur in the white when the egg is overcooked or cooked at too high a temperature.  It can also be caused by too much iron in the cooking water.  To avoid the ring you will bring them JUST to a boil, uncovered on your stove top.   I don't even let them come to a vigorous boil.
4. Then you will cover them, remove them from the heat and let them sit about 12-17 minutes. Use 12 minutes for smaller eggs and 17 for large eggs and/or a crowded sauce pan.  If you use the very gentle heat/boil approach it is difficult to overcook these eggs.
5. Next you want to cool them down as quickly as possible. Drain off the hot water and then immerse them in a bowl of water with ice cubes in it. Let them cool about 5 minutes. I used to skip the ice but not any more.  I found without the ice I would still get the  black ring sometimes and I never do when there is ice in the cool down water.
6. If using immediately peel them by gently cracking the shell on the large end, then roll them lightly on a hard surface to crack the peel all around.  Peeling them under running water may also help the peel pull away cleanly.
7. If not using immediately hard boiled eggs can be stored in the fridge for a week.  They make a handy, healthy on-the-go breakfast or snack!