Hard-Boiled Eggs

Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

Makes 4 to 6 eggs

I’ve found this recipe to be foolproof. I usually make 4 eggs at a time, but you can make 6. There is no exaggerating how nice it is to have some hard-boiled eggs in the refrigerator.

These eggs are essentially steamed, not boiled.

Put an inch of water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil over high heat. Put a basket steamer in the pan and carefully add the eggs to the steamer.

Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook the eggs for 13 minutes—no longer.

While the eggs are cooking, get a bowl of ice water ready using 2 cups of ice cubes and 2 cups of cold water. I keep it in the sink.

When the 13 minutes are up, take the pan off the heat, put it near the bowl of ice water, and use a pair of tongs to carefully move each egg individually to the bowl. Let the eggs sit in the cold water for 15 minutes before peeling.

Depending on the age of the egg, there is usually an air cell at one end—usually the larger end. I find the easiest way to peel these eggs is to kind of "smash" the large end and, starting from there, peel under running cold water.

I was a charter subscriber to Cook’s Illustrated and have been “with them” from the beginning—from Christopher Kimball to J. Kenji López-Alt, to where they’ve landed now. Even with all the changes, their mission has stayed on track. They remain an excellent source of inspiration, reliable recipes, and unbiased product reviews.

There’s a group of Cook’s recipes that has stayed in my repertoire since I first found them:

– Shrimp Salad (which includes a great way to cook shrimp for shrimp cocktail)
– The Best Sangria
– Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake
– Basmati Rice, Pilaf Style

If you’re a digital subscriber to America’s Test Kitchen, as I am, these are all available there. This recipe—along with their method for soft-boiled eggs—is one of the most-used in my kitchen