How to hard boil eggs

Eggs are smart nutrition – complete protein, satiating fat, and virtually no carbohydrates – and they’re also pretty versatile.

Good from the griddle, the hardboiled version is also great out of your pocket. Only the banana has it beat for having its own resilient packaging. It’s also a good food you can make-ahead of time on the weekends and they can last up to a week or two. But there are tricks to cooking hardboiled eggs safely and with shells that peel off easily.

This advice from the Georgia Egg Commission: 1. Place eggs in single layer in saucepan. Add enough tap water to rise at least 1 inch above eggs.† 2. Cover and quickly bring just to boiling. Turn off heat. 3. If necessary, remove pan from burner to prevent further boiling. Let eggs stand, covered, in the hot water about 15-17 minutes for large eggs. (Adjust time up or down for each size larger or smaller). 4. Immediately run cold water over eggs or place them in ice water until completely cooled. 5. To remove shell, crack it by tapping gently all over. Roll egg between hands to loosen shell, then peel, starting at large end (that’s where the air bubble is). Hold egg under running cold water to help ease off the shell.

For anyone who lives a life on the go, it's a great food for providing some satisfying protein that can sustain you until your next nutritious meal. Skip the junk food snack for this -- it will satisfy your hunger and power you a lot longer.

                                                   # # #  Excerpted from "A Guy's Gotta Eat, the regular guy's guide to eating smart," by Russ Klettke, with Deanna Conte, MS RD LD (Marlowe & Co./Da Capo Press 2004). Available where books are sold and in more than 100 public library systems in the U.S., Canada and Europe.