2 ways to boil the perfect egg

Anyone can boil an egg, but not everyone knows how to boil the perfect egg. We do! Get a perfect-tasting egg every time by following these steps.

• There's more than one way to boil an egg. Do you want the control freak's method or the easygoing system? They both work. A lot of cookbooks want you to think there's only one way to do something—their way, of course!
• In some cases, that's true. If you want to beat egg whites for an angel food cake, you can't allow even a speck of yolk to get into the whites or they won't beat up into a meringue. But more often, there are several ways to do something—like boil an egg.

1. Bring water to a boil and then place the eggs carefully into it. Cover the pot and when the water returns to a boil, set the timer for three minutes for soft-boiled eggs or 13 minutes for hard-boiled.
2. When the timer goes off, remove the pan from the stove and drain off the water. You'll probably be eating the soft-boiled egg immediately, but if you intend to refrigerate the hard-boiled ones, first run cold water over the eggs until they're no longer hot. (That will also make them easier to peel).

This method doesn't require a timer.

1. Start by putting the eggs in the pot and covering them with cold water. Put the pot on a burner over high heat and cook just until the water comes to a boil.
2. Turn off the heat immediately and leave the eggs in the hot water, covered. After 20 minutes (you can use a timer if you want to—this is the easygoing way, after all) the eggs will be hard-boiled to the same degree as they are following 13 minutes of constant cooking. But you'll have helped combat global warming by saving 13 minutes of energy usage.

Note: There's nothing sacred about the 20-minute requirement; that's merely the minimum. You can let them sit in the water much longer, although eventually the whites will become a little rubbery and a greenish ring will form around the yolk. It's harmless, but some people find it unsightly. Eggs will be soft-boiled under this method after sitting in the hot water for five minutes.

There's no reason for any supposed non-cook to lament, "I can't even boil an egg!"

• It's well known in Europe but not so well known in North America: pricking eggs before boiling them makes them easier to peel.
• In Europe they even sell little gizmos for piercing the eggshell, but you don't need one of those. Just take a pin and insert it about half an inch into the fat end of the egg. That lets in enough air to break the seal between the membrane and the egg white it wants to cling to.

• Older eggs peel easier than fresh eggs. If you're making egg salad and won't be serving the eggs intact, don't peel them at all. After you've boiled and cooled them, crack them open and scoop out the egg. You're going to mash it up anyway, so why bother with all that peeling?
• If, on the other hand, you're planning on making deviled eggs or slices for a garnish, you do want perfect eggs.

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