How to boil an egg: Seriously!

I thought I knew how to boil an egg. It's simple right? Boil water...insert egg. But every time I cooked them, I would always end up with cracked eggs. It never occurred to me that there might be a better way.

A couple of years ago I bought a copy of The All New Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook. It was one of those days when I apparently had a lot of time on my hands, so instead of just looking at the pretty pictures, I decided to actually read the book! 

The first chapter of the book is titled "kitchen basics" and is full of really usefully information. In the pages of that first chapter, I learned how to properly boil an egg.

So on a weekend when most people will be boiling more eggs than usual, I share the steps for a perfectly boiled egg.

The key to it all is not cooking the eggs in water that is at a rolling boil. 

Place your eggs in a pot that is not too much larger than the amount of eggs you are cooking (less space for them to roll around and get cracked in).  In other words, don't put six eggs in giant stock pot! Be sure that the eggs are laying in a single layer and not on top of each other.

Put in enough water to cover the eggs over an inch (don't fill that pot completely up). Then turn on your heat and bring the water to a boil. 

As soon as the water is boiling, TAKE THE POT OFF THE HEAT. Cover with a tight fitting lid and let the eggs sit in the boiled water for about 15 minutes. Drain and cool.

Your eggs will thoroughly cook in the hot water, but without the violent boiling water tossing them around, they won't crack!

Ta Da! Perfectly cooked eggs ready to be colored!

Happy Easter!