I cooked the eggs, cooled them, then started peeling. The thin membrane stuck to the egg instead of to the peel, turning what should have been a simple task into an impossible one. I finished peeling the eggs and stared at the pile of what my family jokingly calls “gnarly eggs,” since I make them so often. I burst into tears.

Seriously. Peeling hard boiled eggs can make a grown woman cry. It’s one of those theoretically easy tasks that can easily go wrong, and when it does, you’re left with eggs that are, well, gnarly, with big chunks of the whites coming off as you try to peel them.

I wish I could tell you that now that I’m more experienced, I have mastered the secret to always-perfect hard-boiled eggs. I’m close – I get it right most of the time- but once in a while, I still make gnarly eggs. I don’t cry over them anymore – I just turn them into an egg salad.

To make hard boiled eggs, place eggs that have been sitting in your fridge for at least one week in a pot, then cover with cold water. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. When the water has reached the boiling point, turn the heat off, cover the pot and set the timer for 13 minutes. When the timer beeps, transfer the pot to the sink and fill it with cold water. Get the eggs cold fast- this should help the thin membrane separate from the egg, making peeling a bit less frustrating. Now peel the eggs. With a little luck, you will get beautiful, smooth hard-boiled eggs with creamy, yellow yolks. Once in while your eggs will be impossible to peel. Turn those into an egg salad.