The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg

To quote a slogan... "The incredible, edible egg." It comes prepackaged naturally, at one point it had the potential for life, they are all-natural, packed with nutrients, vitamins and minerals, high-quality protein and antioxidants.

However, the best way to go, is to purchase free-range. This means the chickens are actually outside, eating bugs, pecking the ground and foraging for their food just as God intended. Thus, if you eat free-range, you will get from that egg what you are supposed to. I can not say the same for the mass produced egg typically purchased in your local grocery.

I enjoy eggs in different forms: over easy, pickled, as an omelet, a late Sunday dinner fried egg sandwich and hard boiled to name a few. But I have had some bad hard boiled eggs in my time. You know the type that are cooked beyond recognition where the white has turned to rubber and the delicate yellow resembles grey chalk. Nothing says pass the salt and a large glass of water more than a poorly cooked hard boiled egg. So I would like to share some wisdom that was given to me by my lovely step-mother, Miss Meyer. She could cook an egg like I had never had before. It was poetry to watch her remove the shell. And so now I will give you the golden nugget you have longed for and I promise perfect results every time. Miss Meyer would never steer you wrong.

*Safety Note: I'm sure there are some regulations on salmonella and all. If you're interested, go ahead and Google that. Otherwise, on with the show.

Place fresh eggs in a pot. You can cook as many as you like as long as they rest on the bottom of the pan in a single layer. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the eggs by about an inch. Turn your burner on high and bring those beauties to a boil. Once the water boils, turn the heat down so that your water is at a gentle simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, remove from the heat and very carefully pour the water out of the pot. Not all of the water will leave the pot, or you would have Humpty Dumpty in the bottom of your sink.

Run cold water over the eggs for a good minute. This will cool the pan and the eggs at the same time.

Use whatever you have lying around to collect some ice cubes. I had just washed some grapes, so my ugly yellow colander was still close at hand. Let the ice sit in the water until it is completely melted.

Take the egg in your hand and give one of the ends a sound rap on the side of your sink.

Turn the egg around and tap the other end.

This will loosen the shell on both ends and make peeling much easier.

Roll the egg gently between your hand and the side of the sink. This will loosen the membrane of the shell from the egg.

Cooking the eggs this way and cracking the shells as instructed will have you amazed at how easily the shell comes off.

It will most likely peel off in large pieces.

Swish your egg in the cool water in the pot to rinse off any stray pieces of shell.

Then place your eggs on a paper towel to drain. They're so pretty.

No grey chalky center here. Just a beautiful yellow that is delicate and melt in your mouth.

If you are planning on serving these as simply hard boiled eggs, you can store them in a plastic zip top bag until your ready to use them. They will "weep", or give off a clear liquid if they are stored for a few days. This does not mean the eggs have gone bad. It is a natural occurrence.

I hope if you have had struggles in the past, that the lovely Miss Meyer's technique will give you many years of success.