How to Hard Boil Eggs

Hard-boiled eggs are used for everything from salads to sandwiches. They can simply be enjoyed with salt and pepper as well. And yes, deviled eggs are everyone's favorite. Irrespective of the dish you are using them in, they should be hard-boiled in the right way.

• It is always better to use eggs that are about a week old. This is because older eggs are easier to peel.
• To check whether the eggs are fresh or not, place them in a bowl of salt water. Floating eggs will indicate that they are unfit for consumption.

• Remove the eggs from the fridge thirty minutes prior to boiling so that they come to room temperature and do not crack or break when boiled.
• Take a large pot; one that will let the eggs boil comfortably without cracking.

• Fill the pot with cold water at a level that is an inch above the eggs.
• Cover it with a well-fitted lid, and set the burner on a level so as to bring to boil in six-seven minutes. If the burner is extra hot, adjust the temperature so that the eggs do not crack when the water heats up.

• Keep a check on the eggs by lifting the lid and checking the water temperature.
• Let the water come to a full boil, and transfer the pan from the hot burner to a cold burner.
• Then, add a teaspoon of salt to the water containing the eggs. This will help in peeling the eggs easily and will not make the eggs salty either.

Eggs need to be cooled quickly before peeling to avoid the greenish tinge that tends to form around the yolk. This greenish tinge is the result of a chemical reaction caused by the iron and sulfur present in the egg yolk and egg white, respectively.

• The easiest and fastest way to cool eggs is by placing them in a bowl of ice and water. Let the eggs cool for thirty minutes.

• After the eggs have cooled, peeling should be fairly easy. Crack the shells on a hard surface and do not to remove the peels right away.
• Place the cracked-shell eggs into a bowl of water for about ten minutes, so that peeling is easier.

• For each egg, look for a place where the inner membrane and shell are peeling; use that and peel the entire shell off. It is important that the inner membrane also comes out with the shell. If the membrane isn't coming out properly, place the egg under cold running water, and then peel it.