The 12 essential ways to cook an egg

Hard-boiled eggs are the base ingredient for deviled eggs and egg salad as well as a quick and easy breakfast that you can make ahead. To make perfect hard-boiled eggs, use older (i.e, not fresh from the hen) eggs, place them in a pot and cover them completely with cold water. Then, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, turn the heat off, cover the pot and remove it from the heat. Allow the eggs to sit in the water until they are cooked; 9 minutes for medium-sized eggs and 12 minutes for large eggs. After that time period, transfer the eggs to an ice bath. It's just that simple! But if you need more in-depth instructions, check out our full guide to making (and peeling) hard-boiled eggs.