Here’s the best way I have found to hard-boil eggs so that they can be peeled with ease. These eggs ought to be called “Hard-Steamed Eggs” and the method is adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, March & April 2016. You need a steamer basket and a saucepan that the steamer basket fits into. The directions work for anywhere from 6 to 12 hard-boiled eggs. Be sure to use large eggs that have no cracks and are cold from the refrigerator. There’s no need to peel the eggs right away. They can be stored in their shells and peeled when needed.
6 to 12 eggs
Place steamer basket in medium saucepan. Fill pan with about 1 inch of water, making sure the water is below the basket. Bring water to a rolling boil over high heat.
Place an egg into the grippers of the tongs and deposit it gently into the steamer basket. The inside of the pan is very hot so that is why tongs are recommended. Repeat until all eggs are in one layer in the steamer basket. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook eggs for 15 minutes (Cook’s Illustrated says to cook for 13 minutes but the hard-boiled-egg consumer around here says 15 minutes is better.)
While the eggs are cooking, put about 2 cups of ice cubes in a medium bowl and add cold water to cover. Once the eggs are finished cooking, use tongs to pick up the eggs from the steamer basket and put them in the ice bath. Let sit for 15 minutes.