Turn up the heat. Place the eggs in a saucepan and fill it with enough cold water to cover the eggs by one inch. Set the pan over medium-high heat and bring the water to a boil.

Put a lid on them. Once your water has reached a boil, turn off the heat and cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid. Set a timer-4 minutes for soft-boiled eggs and 9 minutes for hard-boiled-and keep the pan covered so that no heat escapes.

Cool them off. Once the timer sounds, carefully remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking.