What's the secret to making a perfect hard-boiled egg?

[BookstoreEscapee]

. So now I just "wing it". Cook them for like 10-15 minutes and hope.

Yeah, that's my usual method...I'm trying to get a little more consistent results...

[Evil Queen]

I use RW's method EXCEPT:

I boil for 16 minutes. But I also live at 5 foot altitude.

"Old" Eggs peel very easily. If they've been in your fridge for at least two weeks and are still good, they'll peel like a dream. New eggs (closer to the Born date) are a bitch to peel because they haven't had time to the thin plastic-like membrane to get soft.

If you want SOFT BOILED EGGS:

Bring to room temperature and use the same boiling method but boil for 5 minutes. This will result in the perfect or near perfect soft-boiled eggs. I went through two dozen eggs trying to do this correctly. Serve the egg with the top third peeled off and resting in a shot glass.