Perfect hard-cooked eggs

Making a hard-cooked egg seems like a sure thing; the messy part's in it's own little box, you boil it in a little water and voila! Done! Why, then, do so many eggs cooked this way end up with rubbery whites and gray rings around super dry (and sometimes gray) yolks? When cooked too long, eggs of any preparation turn dry and rubbery. So the key to a perfectly tender, moist, hard-cooked egg is how long (and how hot) the egg is cooked.

The way to the perfect hard-cooked egg

1. Put your raw eggs in a sauce pan that is big enough to allow them some room to dance around without banging into each other too much. Then add enough cold water to cover the eggs, plus one inch. Turn the stove onto medium-high and bring the water to a boil.

2. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and set a timer for eight minutes. Then turn off the heat and set the timer for eight more minutes.

3. Pour off all of the hot water, cover the cooked eggs with cold water, and add 1 1/2-2 cups of ice (the ice keeps the eggs from cooking anymore and cools them down so you can eat them sooner). Let the eggs sit in their icy bath until they are cool enough to handle. Peel and enjoy!

Note: All eggs are not created equal. I've found very fresh eggs (we had chickens in our backyard two houses ago) cook a little differently than store eggs. If my eight minute technique is too long or too short, or if you like your yolk a little less done (yum), adjust the simmer and sit-in-the-hot-water time accordingly.