I have an obsession with "perfect" hardboiled eggs. It all started when my mom, after coming back from Australia, introduced us to her version of perfect hardboiled eggs - the egg yolks just about to set, still a little viscous. I remember her telling us not to overcook the eggs and to keep the yolks a little bit liquid in the middle for maximum flavor. As I grew older though, my vision of perfect hardboiled eggs evolved.

I hate runny yolks. I used to like soft boiled eggs as a kid but now I hate them. They're just too wet and slimy and raw. I hate the idea of eating "raw" eggs and the taste is just horrible. That is just my opinion though, I don't have anything against people who like runny yolks, to each his/her own. :)

A perfect hardboiled egg for me is this: the egg yolk had just set, it's still bright yellow, it does not have a gray outline (as over boiled eggs are wont to have), and does not disintegrate when poked with a fork; the egg whites are firm to the touch but still quite soft; AND the egg is easy to peel. Some people prefer eating the eggs from the shell, scooping it up with a spoon, but not me. I like peeling my eggs and slicing them up before serving them.

Anyway, I did not have a formula or formal recipe for getting perfect hardboiled eggs every single time until I saw this post from Market Manila. This worked 9 out of 10 times but the eggs were very difficult to peel and one has to watch the time very, very closely, which is quite a hassle for me when preparing breakfast because I tend to prepare everything at once - heating the milk in one pot, boiling the eggs in another, frying protein or veggies in a pan, toasting bread in the oven all at the same time. So I looked for something more reliable and fail-proof and I found this post from Serious Eats. Hallelujah! This is the best thing that ever happened to my eggs.

The article explores all the different ways of preparing hardboiled eggs, compares them, and arrives at a conclusion of the best method to use to get easy-to-peel eggs. Basically, it says that the best way to cook hardboiled eggs is to: