12 Ways to Make Hard-Boiled Eggs More Exciting

There are many great things about eggs, but the now or later thing is one of its best: Make one now if you’re hungry, or take an entire dozen and hard-boil them, and you’ve got the beginnings of a week’s worth of breakfasts (and/or lunches and dinners, too) ready to go. And they’re good for a whole lot more than egg salad. Here are a dozen ways to use a dozen hard-boiled eggs. First, a quick egg-boiling reminder to get you started:

Bring a saucepan of water to a rolling boil, then gently lower as many cold-from-the-fridge eggs as you’d like to cook inside. For a mostly firm but velvety-textured yolk, pull the eggs after 8 minutes; for a hard, pale gold yolk, let them go 11 minutes. Drop the eggs into an ice bath immediately, cracking each shell slightly as you go to give the water a way into the shell (this will make the eggs easier to peel). When the eggs are cool, dry them and keep them in the fridge for up to a week.

1. Oeufs Mayos: Eggs, halved + dab of mayonnaise on each half (or off to the side, for dipping) + freshly ground black pepper (+ bonus: finely chop some soft herbs like parsley or dill or tarragon or chives and stir into the mayonnaise)
   
   
2. The Mezze: Quartered eggs + scoop of hummus + a square of feta + chopped cucumber + sliced tomatoes + drizzle over everything with olive oil and, if you have it, sprinkle with sumac or za’atar or both
   
   
3. The Ranchero: canned black beans, drained and rinsed and simmered until hot with a generous spoonful of salsa + sliced avocado + halved eggs + hot sauce to your little heart’s content
   
   
4. The Kuku: pita, warmed in the oven or microwave + thick plain yogurt + sliced eggs + thinly sliced chard or spinach + a blend of every soft herb you’ve got (dill, parsley, cilantro, chives mint!)
   
   
5. The Santa Cruz: toasted multigrain bread + thick plain yogurt or labneh + slices of egg + handful of sprouts on top
   
   
6. Sabich-ish: pita, warmed in the oven or microwave + roasted eggplant (perhaps leftover from last night’s dinner?) or prepared baba ghanoush + parsley + quartered eggs + chopped red onion + tahini
   
   
7. The Soho: toasted sourdough + mashed avocado + slices of egg + chile flakes + a drizzle of olive oil
   
   
8. The Tea Sandwich: multigrain bread + plain cream cheese on both slices of bread + slices of egg + thin slices of cucumber + lots of freshly ground black pepper
   
   
9. The BLET: lettuce leaves (Bibb work well for this) + swipe of mayonnaise + quartered eggs + crisp-cooked bacon, crumbled + sliced tomatoes + flaky salt
   
   
10. The Finn: hot rye toast + egg mashed with a bit of soft butter + flaky salt + fresh chopped dill
    
    
11. Kind-of, Sort-of Curried Eggs: pita or naan, warmed in the oven or microwave + plain yogurt with curry powder stirred in + jarred chutney (your choice!) + fresh cilantro + quartered eggs
    
    
12. The Okonomiyaki: leftover rice + furikake + quartered eggs + very thinly sliced green cabbage + soy sauce + drizzle of mayonnaise