Selecting and Preparing the Eggs

• Part of making great hard-boiled eggs is choosing the right ones. They should be three to five days old--fresh but old enough to be easy to peel. They should also be crack-free.
  Bring the eggs to room temperature before you cook them. Eggs can crack during cooking because the interior is much cooler than the shell.

Boiling the Eggs

• Place the eggs in a single layer in the bottom of a pot. Pour in just enough room-temperature water to cover the eggs. Do not add salt, as it will raise the boiling temperature and make the eggs rubbery.
  Set the burner on high and place the pot on the burner to boil. Let the water heat until it just begins to bubble and boil. Once it does, remove the pot from heat immediately. Cover the pot to trap the heat.
  Set a timer or watch the clock to allow the eggs to sit in the water for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on egg size. When the time is up, drain the warm water and place the eggs in a secondary container filled with cold water. When the eggs have cooled for 10 minutes, drain the water. The eggs can now be placed in the refrigerator or peeled and eaten.