Perfect Hard Cooked Eggs

I originally learned to cook eggs in a steamer basket from Alton Brown on an episode of Good Eats. This method reliably provides hard cooked perfection and it's super easy too! You will need:

• pot with tight fitting lid
• steamer basket
• eggs (at least four)
• large bowl
• ice
• water
• tongs
• paper towels

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Add about an inch of water to the bottom of your pot-- but not so much that it rises to the level of the steamer basket, which you'll place in the pot next.

Stick the pot on the stove with the lid on (high heat), and watch it for small bubbles to form as the water begins to simmer. When steam is coming out of the pot, reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer (but not a rolling boil), and add at least four eggs to the steamer basket using a pair of tongs. Clamp the lid on tight.

Press GO on a 12 minute timer. If you don't have a dedicated kitchen timer, cell phones and microwaves commonly have built in timers you can use.

While the timer counts down, prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and adding water to cover.

When the timer is finished, immediately turn off the stove and use tongs to carefully move the eggs to the ice bath. Not only will this stop the cooking, but the combo of quickly heating and quickly cooling aids in peeling later. Leave them in the ice bath for at least 5 minutes, then dry them off and store in the fridge.

To peel your hard cooked egg, tap it on a hard surface and gently roll it around to crack up the shell around the "equator". Pick at the shell to remove it where cracked, and the two hemispheres should come off the ends of the egg easily.

Slice your egg or bite into it to discover the buttery yolk inside. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!