I put eggs in a saucepan with cold water and the lid on. Bring to a boil, turn off heat, leave on burner for 7 minutes (our stove is an electric glass-top), then cool with cold tap water as quickly as possible. To eat, using a teaspoon, tap side with bottom of spoon hard enough to break shell and then separate halves and scoop out with teaspoon or other small spoon. I know it's not peeling the shell, but that's how I do it.
If you add a lot of salt to the water at the beginning of the process, the eggs are easier to peel. I use at least a quarter of a cup of salt to boil half a dozen eggs.
My 2p/2c: Easiest method to cook is to bring to the boil then turn of the heat and wait; 20 minutes works for me. I use an old travel kettle if I just want one or two. Easiest method for removing shell is to pierce or crack the more rounded end of the egg a little before boiling, it lets some water in between egg and shell which makes peeling much easier. Using a teaspoon to get under the shell starting from the more rounded end can help, also doing it under running water can help too...
Quite so, indeed. Eggxactly the method I outlined above. wherein I said: "Yowzer. 13 minutes in boiling water!!!! not for me. that is wayyyy overcooked and makes them very sulphury in taste and smell and harder to digest. My view of course, but hey, I am the one that has to eat them. I put them in the water first. That is to say, i put them in the cold water in the pot. Then I put the burner on high and let the water and the eggs come up to a quick hard boil. Then I just turn the burner off and let them sit there until the water cools down. So there is no heat other than the bringing it up to a had boil then total shut down. Also, with this approach, there is no watching or "oh shit" because you went off to do something else."
I never understood the rationale for putting the eggs in cold water before cooking. Would not putting them in hot tap water move things along a bit? Would the eggs be cooked any differently if you otherwise followed your recipe? I don't think so. Life is short; start with hot tap water.
Depends on whether you are having problems with eggs cracking and splitting open when cooking or not. Letting the eggs come up to room temp a bit or putting the eggs in warm water for a few minutes before cooking all helps. But going from refrigerator cold to boiling hot in too short a time can cause eggs to crack open, split and the entire egg starts bulging out of the side of the egg and more less messes the egg up. If you are not having that problem then it is not a problem, for people who are having that problem, well then, don't do that because therein lies the problem.
I use considerable salt with mine...11 minutes at slow boil after getting the eggs to room temp prior, then immediately into ice water. Some whites stick to the shell but most don't, but the eggs that break while boiling do peel the easiest. I don't hard boil them too much anymore because I'm trying to limit my yolk intake. I can easily toss yolks when doing egg whites raw, but hard boiled, they must be consumed.