Boiling eggs isn’t hard, but sometimes, the tedious task of peeling them can be painfully slow if you don’t take proper steps. A little while back, I did a little experiment involving different techniques for boiling eggs. A few of those techniques, luckily, made for hard-cooked eggs that were pretty easy to peel. But browsing around online, I came across this little tip that I’d never seen before, claiming that the secret to the perfect hard-boiled egg is all about thumbtacks.

Here’s what you do:

Firstly, you bring a pot of water to a boil. While the water boils, insert a thumbtack into the roundest end of your egg, or eggs. This crucial step will release pressure inside of the egg so that the shells won’t crack on you.

Remove the tacks from the eggs. Once the water is boiling, use a spoon to gently lower the eggs into the water. They should be in a single layer in the pot. Boil for about 10 minutes or so, keeping the water at a gentle (not vigorous) boil.

Empty all of the water from the pot, then shake the pot so that the eggs bang together and shells crack. Next, refill the pot with cold water and let the eggs cool for 5-10 minutes. You should end up with perfectly boiled eggs that are a breeze to peel – no extra steps or ingredients necessary!

Be sure to check out the 4 other methods I’ve tried so that you can pick your favorite!