Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs (In Only 7 Minutes!)

I've always loved eggs. I think it stems from when I was younger and my Grandma would babysit my sister and I. She would make us scrambled eggs and they were delicious. I've written about my Grandma before so you may remember that she's Polish and therefore cooks like, well, a Polish Grandma would. Those eggs were full of Polish Sausage and butter. I'm pretty sure there were at least a few tablespoons of that butter mixed in with the sausage grease. I've since changed how I make my own scrambled eggs so they don't have all those 'extras' but I've still managed to make them taste just like hers. The secret? Seasoned salt...

Anyways, that love of scrambled eggs translated to a love of hard boiled eggs. Easter was really the only time we ate them and I just don't know why. For the longest time, I would only associate them with Easter but over the past few years, I've made them here and there throughout the year. A couple times have been for Deviled Eggs, but mostly just to enjoy them plain or on a slice of toast for breakfast. At Easter, we've all become accustomed to putting a little pat of butter on a slice of the egg with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. It's hard to walk away from something that good and something that you ate every year since you can remember so now I spread a tiny bit of butter on the toast, slice up the egg, give it a sprinkle of salt and pepper then fold it all up for a nice, little egg sandwich. That's it. Way less butter than putting some on every single egg!

Over the years, I've also perfected making hard boiled eggs so they're cooked just right. No green rings around here! While I do enjoy a semi-soft boiled egg every once in awhile, the hard boiled wins overall! I've also found the shortest time possible to cook up a few eggs. There are a ton of sites out there that use the 12-minutes method, but if you're short on time, they'll cook in 7. Seriously. And they're perfect. Sure it's only 5 minutes but some mornings, every minute counts! The 7-minute method works best with smaller batches (up to around 6 eggs) so if you're doing a big batch, either do some in each pan or go with the 12-minute version.

7-Minute Hard-Boiled Eggs This method works great for small batches. Directions 1. Put up to 6 eggs in a saucepan and add enough water to cover eggs by 1". 2. Bring the water to a rolling boil. 3. Boil for 3 minutes. 4. Turn off heat, cover, and let sit for 4 minutes. 5. *Drain and submerge in ice water until cool enough to handle. 6. Peel and enjoy! 12-Minute Hard-Boiled Eggs This method works great for small or large batches. Directions 1. Put eggs in a saucepan and add enough water to cover eggs by 1". 2. Bring the water to a rolling boil. 3. Reduce heat and simmer for one minute. 4. Turn off heat, cover, and let sit for 12 minutes. 5. *Run cold water over eggs or drain and put into ice water until cool enough to handle. 6. Peel and enjoy! *For easier peeling, crack the ends of each egg when you take them out of the boiling water, right before adding them to the ice water. The water will get under the peel making it easier to get off. I can't guarantee that it will always find it's way in there, but the majority of the time it does.