Storage: Having peeled the eggs, you can store them in a refrigerator for up to five days. For a fresh storage tip, let the eggs soak in an inch or two (3-5 cm) of cold water--they'll keep for five days.

Egg check: If any eggs have large cracks, discard them. Cracked eggs may have begun to spoil, and eating spoiled eggs can make you very, very sick.

Cold eggs for hard-boiling: If you were in a hurry and didn't feel like waiting for the eggs to warm up, just add some cooking time: four to five minutes for medium eggs, and six or seven minutes for jumbo eggs.

2torial #0704: Learn2 Boil An Egg (continued)   Method One: Soft-boil an egg With this technique, you've got to plan ahead a little: the eggs should be removed from the refrigerator and allowed to warm up to room temperature. Choose the pan. Ideally, the pan will be just large enough to fit the number of eggs you'd like to cook. Otherwise, choose a larger pot that will accommodate all of the eggs in a single layer. If you have two or three layers of eggs stacked up in a small pot, they may cook unevenly. Pour enough water into the pot to cover the eggs with at least one inch (about 3 cm) of water. If you want to be precise, you can place the eggs in the pot to check how much water will be enough. If you do this, remove the eggs before proceeding to the next step! Bring the water to a rolling boil, and gently submerge the eggs in boiling water. This is best accomplished using a spoon: place the eggs on the spoon (one at a time) and lower them into the boiling water. Watch your hands--you don't want to scald them. Use a kitchen mitt if you have sensitive hands. After the eggs are in the pot, lower the heat until the water is lightly simmering: a few small bubbles will rise to the surface. Watch your timing. With soft-boiled eggs, careful timing is crucial. The recommended range of times is between three and four and a half minutes. Experiment with a batch: take an egg out at three minutes, at three and a half minutes, four minutes, etc. Everyone likes their soft-boiled eggs cooked a little differently, so discover which time is perfect for you. For folks who live at higher altitudes, a little extra time may be necessary, since water boils at a lower temperature there than at sea-level. And if you're in a hurry or are too impatient to wait for the eggs to warm up to room temperature, then cook the eggs at least four and-a-half minutes, and check one to see if it's done (see next step).   Too soft-boiled? If your soft-boiled eggs aren't entirely cooked (i.e., portions of clear egg white are visible), don't fret. One trick to check soft-boiled eggs is by cracking and emptying them into a small sturdy, oven-safe ceramic bowl. If they're not quite done, take the pot of hot water and pour out some water, so that the water level is less than the height of the bowl. Then place the bowl with the undercooked eggs directly on the bottom of the saucepan, and put all of this back on the stove burner. Another 30 to 60 seconds of cooking and the eggs will be cooked to perfection. Serve in a small cup or bowl, or in the shell in an egg cup, with butter, salt, black pepper, and perhaps some hot chili pepper sauce.   Method 2