Good for: A popular, reliable way to cook an egg. Eggs should be 7 to10 days old for easy peeling. This seems to be the most popular way for egg afficionados to hard-cook their eggs, and it's the method touted by the American Egg Board on their website. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with water by one inch. Bring just to a boil over high heat, then cover and remove from heat. Let eggs stand in hot water for 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water to cool and peel under cold running water.