Hard-boiling eggs can be harder than it seems, but the best method I’ve found is just to jump and and try a few different techniques. Here’s what works for me.

Step One: Boil the water. Make sure it’s enough to cover the tops of all the eggs you want to make. The water needs to be fully boiling before you add the eggs.

Step Two: Gently lower the eggs into the boiling water. I like to use a slotted spoon for this.

Step Three. Boil the eggs for nine minutes. Nine minutes is the best amount of time I’ve found for a perfectly boiled egg. This is subjective, so you will need to play around with the time.

Step Four: Prepare a bowl of Icy water, mostly ice.

Step Five: Once the eggs have boiled for the nine minutes, take them out with the slotted spoon and put them into the icy water bowl. Let them sit in the bowl for at least five minutes, preferably ten.

Step Six: Peel the eggs. This is the tricky part. I like to gently break the egg on the top and bottom, then along one side connecting the top and bottom cracks. Then I use the side of my thumb and push the shell off, working around the egg.

Step Seven: Eat the egg. This is the most important step.