Every egg lover has experienced it. The green ring around the yolk of an egg isn’t just visually unappealing-it’s a sign that the egg has been overcooked. The green ring comes with a chalky, lifeless texture and lack of taste.

Hard boiled eggs are not always considered to be the most glamorous food, but when cooked properly, the flavors are creamy, unctuous, and luxurious. Here is a tutorial on how to cook a perfect hard boiled egg.

If your eggs have been sitting in the refrigerator, bring the eggs to room temperature by placing them into a bowl full of room temperature water

Meanwhile, bring a covered pot of water to a boil

 

When the water reaches a rapid boil, turn the heat off, but leave it on the burner

Slowly add each of the eggs

Make sure that all of the eggs are covered by water

Add a generous amount of salt. Notice that I just ran out of my favorite salt.

Why salt your egg bath? Egg shells are porous, so by salting the water, you are seasoning the egg inside as it cooks.

Add just a dash of baking soda, because it makes the egg shell easier to peel

Cover the pot, and set a timer for 15 minutes

After 15 minutes, add the eggs back to the room temperature water, and cover with ice

After about 8-10 minutes, you can peel the cooled eggs

Gently tap each end of the egg onto a hard, flat surface to just crack it

Gentle taps on each end of the egg help to loosen the shell

It should look something like this

Gently roll the egg between the palms of your hands

Starting at one end of the egg, start to peel away the shell

Now peel the other end

Now peel away the middle

The shell should come away from the egg pretty easily

Look how beautiful the egg is! Rinse away any egg shell chips under cold running water.

The moment of truth-slice the egg in half

No green ring in sight!

Using the method above, a 15 minute egg is great eaten alone, as deviled eggs, in egg salad sandwiches, or sprinkled on top of cobb or niçoise salads
14-12 minute eggs have slightly creamier, brighter yolks and are great eaten alone with a dash of salt, or chopped and layered atop fresh, thick cut bread with butter
12-10 minute eggs have a lusciously creamy yolk with a fully set white, and are best eaten on top of toast or on top of Asian noodle soups
8-6 minute eggs are considered medium to soft boiled, with a firm white and a yolk as runny as melted cheese
5-3 minute eggs have a semi-set white, and thin liquid yolk

Tonight, I will be enjoying my egg as a snack, sprinkled with a dash of salt and pepper. Call me a pureist.

How do you like your eggs?

xo