This is one of those things that seems like the easiest thing in the world, but hardly anyone actually knows how to do it, except for grandmothers. You can laugh at the ridiculousness of a recipe like this, and compare it to recipes on how to boil water, or how to make ice cubes (still not sure whether to take this recipe seriously, or whether it’s a joke) (HT @mrz for the link). I’ve asked my grandma at least 30 times how to make hardboiled eggs, and I finally got her secret written down.

Slightly paraphrased, in her words:

Fill a sacuepan with cold water, the eggs sitting in the bottom, just covered by about half an inch. Bring the water to a boil. Let it boil for about two to three minutes. Take the pot off the stove, then cover it and let it sit off the fire in the hot water for about fifteen minutes. Then put cold water or ice cubes into the pot to stop them from cooking further. Test one to make sure it’s to your liking before you empty out all the water. It’s easiest to remove the shells under cold running water, or in a bowl of cold water. This unsticks the shell membrane from the boiled egg white.

Step One: bring to a boil

Step Two: cover and let sit off the heat

Step Three: dunk in cold water then peel

Makes for a perfect yellow yolk every single time. Word of advice: it’s not a very good idea to write in permanent marker on your eggs. The ink will soak through the pores in the shell, the same way it takes four days to get Sharpie off your hands. Quick and easy way to tell whether your eggs are cooked or raw? Spin one on the counter. If it spins fast, it’s boiled. If it sort of wobbles and can’t get enough momentum for a real spin, it’s still raw.