I know, I know, making a hard-boiled egg should be easy and shouldn’t even require a post. But I have to tell you, I just couldn’t get it right and now that I have it perfected, I’m sharing it because I know there are others of you out there struggling with your eggs that won’t peel or that come out over cooked.

Before figuring this out, I followed many people online that gave several methods, I even used my hand-me-down Betty Crocker cookbook – only to have eggs that were a nightmare to get the shells off and usually left me with ugly, jagged eggs. Worse still, I often lost a good portion of the egg because it was stuck on the shell as I was attempting to remove so many teeny-tiny stuck pieces.

Finally, I reached out to a friend who is a great cook and asked her, “What is the secret to cooking hard boiled eggs that I can ACTUALLY peel???”

She came through and her method is super easy and it works every time.

So Pin this for later, because in my mind, this is the only way to boil those eggs and it takes a fraction of the time to remove the shells which is so much less frustrating.

And the topper? They look nice. If we truly do eat with our eyes first, these look so much better than my prior flops.

Here’s my super easy method for cooking hard boiled eggs that come out perfectly every time:

1. Put the desired number of eggs in cool water, enough to cover the eggs so they are submerged.

2. Bring the water to a boil over high heat.

Once it’s at a boil, reduce the heat slightly to boil GENTLY for 15 minutes. (Set your timer! I hate it when I forget to!)

After 15 minutes of a gentle boil, remove the eggs from heat and plunge them into ICE water for at least 5 minutes though I prefer longer. Just put ice cubes with water in a bowl, transfer the eggs from the hot water with a slotted spoon, and let them “chill.”

3. Now they should be easy to peel and have a yellow center.

Don’t they look nice?

If you want to make a super easy egg salad, just add a little mayo, salt and pepper. If you sprinkle a little paprika on top it’s like a deviled egg salad.

Do you have any other toppers or seasonings that make a fun edition to your hard boiled eggs? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Nicole is the Creator/Editor for Mind Over Messy. She has two "spirited" boys and a family that loves adventure. From enjoying a home cooked meal to night snorkeling in Hawaii, you can find it on this website. If you're interested in Guest Posting on MindOverMessy.com, click HERE for more information.