Foolproof hard-boiled eggs

Hard-boiled (or, more properly, hard-cooked) eggs. How hard can that be?

Well, pretty hard. The whites and the yolks set at different temperatures and we have to think about how many eggs we're cooking at once and then there's the ultimate challenge: Will they peel?

Not the first time I have fretted about this here. Pressure cooking worked well but steaming worked better. And recently, I cooked 5 dozen eggs at once -- you can steam any quantity using the same procedure. Win!

Happily, the folks at America's Test Kitchen, who are even more obsessed than I am, tested it in quantity. Their results? Same as Serious Eats found, but I love this chart. It tells the story.

The method again: 

1. Put an inch of water in the pot, set to boil. 
2. Add eggs, straight from the refrigerator (don't bring them to room temp and don't add to the pot until you have a full head of steam). 
3. Cover and steam six minutes for soft-boiled, 12 minutes for hard-boiled.
4. Place in ice bath for 15 minutes, then refrigerate.