Ellie Scott
No, really- not joking…. Lots of people don’t know this- it works!
Place eggs gently into already boiling water (using a spoon or tongs) and start the timer- 7 minutes if you like a slightly soft yolk, 10 minutes for fully hard boiled. Overcooking an egg leaves a grey ring around a chalky dry yolk (yuck), so timing is the key. (this assumes that your eggs have been in the fridge- if they are room temp the cooking time will be a lot less)
When the timer goes off, drain all the hot water and immediately run cold water over the eggs (this stops the cooking). Then, crack the shells lightly- as the egg cools, it contracts. If there is a crack in the shell, it will pull water into the space between the inner membrane and the shell. This makes eggs very easy to peel. The fresher the egg, the harder to peel- so this is a very handy trick.
