The egg is our most enduring staple. Symbol of our continued growth and rebirth. It’s also one of the most versatile cooking products. An egg can be hard or soft, runny or solid, fluffy or crisp, broken into its white and yellow parts, and made tasty in a variety of different ways.

But efficient eaters must embrace one and only one variety of egg preparation that fits our approach to cooking and eating – hard boiled.

BTW: If you do not like eggs and do not intend to consume them, you can skip this article.

Boiled eggs permit not only the mass production that is critical to the Efficient Eater lifestyle, but also the long-term storage ability.

The hearty egg is a good source of protein and a simple way to have a dose of nutrients without too much fuss or preparation. The idea is you boil 12, 18 or even 24 eggs at a time and keep them ready in the refrigerator.

Boiling Time

You can overcook a boiled egg. If you’ve ever cracked one open and found the space between the white and yellow to be gray, that’s the overcooked part.

You need to consider the cooking time for a hard boiled egg varies widely. Some people swear by 3 minutes, but for others that is not enough time to ensure there no runny parts.

For large pots of eggs (18 or more), I bring the pot to a boil, go 3 minutes at boiling, and then turn it off and let the eggs stay in the hot water for about 10 to 30 minutes. You can actually over cook the egg again, or for the first time, by forgetting them in the hot water which is slow to cool down.

But how do you learn to like only one kind of prepared egg?

You have to add some features and concepts around the consumption of eggs that distract from the idea you are only eating one plain old option.

• Spices. Efficient eaters throw a lot of spices on food to change the taste and make any meal more exciting. You can add different spices to your boiled egg to find out which one is of the most interest to you.
• Mixing. You can put an egg into just about any type of other dish and enjoy the nutritional benefit without the bland boiled taste. Keep boiled eggs to throw on the plate with chicken, fish or veggies.
• Scarcity. Because hard-boiled eggs can stay in the refrigerator until…who knows how long, you do not have to worry about eating them quickly. You can eat an egg once every three days, and limit your exposure to them if you are tired of the same old thing. This allows you to substitute other foods in place of eggs.

An efficient eater can commit to boiled eggs by ignoring the idea that the eggs are bland, and looking for options that change the egg’s appeal.