How to make easy peel eggs in 5 steps, just in time for Easter

We’ve all been there, especially on Easter.

Standing over the trash, your fingers tips are blue from picking stubborn pieces off a dyed shell. Sometimes it happens at the kitchen sink holding that difficult egg under the cold running water.

Cooking boiled eggs sounds easy, but the method to an easy peel eggshell is a hard one to crack.

And I tried a few methods.

On the first attempt, I salted my water. Wholeyum says salt permeates the eggshell for an easy peel. And for the second attempt, I followed thekitchn recommendations and put the eggs in cold water and brought them to a boil. Both methods resulted in me peeling off chunks of egg white that stayed attached to the shell.

All I wanted was an easy-peel egg with smooth exteriors and a perfectly cooked yolk.

According to the American Egg Board "The Incredible, Edible Egg" company, the way to ensure easily peeled hard-boiled eggs, buy and refrigerate them a week to 10 days in advance of cooking. I followed their advice, added some of my own and was able to achieve my goal in five simple steps.

Just grab a few household items and ingredients: a pot, water, a large bowl, and eggs. Follow these steps:

Step 1. Let your old eggs sit out.

Old eggs are eggs bought from the grocery store which have been refrigerated for over 10 days. Let your eggs sit on the counter while you fill your pot with water and bring it to a boil.

Step 2. Start with boiling water.

Add your eggs to the pot of boiling water. Gently place the eggs in the hot water using a serving spoon or tongs. Make sure the eggs are fully submerged then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer instead of a rapid boil. This will prevent the eggs from cracking while knocking around in the pot.

Step 3. Set a time.

Cook your large eggs for 14 minutes to get a thorough cook yolk. Setting a timer will prevent under cook yolk and the green ring created from overcooking. For larger eggs add 2 minutes.

Step 4. Cool your eggs in a bowl of cold water.

Prepare a large bowl of cold water. When the time is up drain the eggs quickly then transfer them into the cold liquid and let them cool for 3 minutes.

Step 5. Crack then peel.

While they are slightly warm crack the egg on the round side. Then peel them under cold running water. The shell will slide off with ease.

When it comes to perfecting the hardboiled egg there are no secrets, just different ways to prepare them.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: How to make easy peel eggs in 5 steps, just in time for Easter