Hard-boiled eggs are easier to peel if the eggs aren’t quite fresh, so try making these when you have eggs that have been sitting around for a week or two.

Place a layer of eggs at the bottom of a pot that is large enough to fit them with a bit of wiggle room. If you can’t fit all your eggs, don’t stack them—they might crack. Split them into batches instead.

Cover the eggs with cold water. Bring the pot to a boil over medium heat without a lid. As soon as the water is boiling, turn off the heat and cover the pot with a tight lid. Set a timer for 10 minutes.

When the timer goes off, gently pour out the hot water and cover the eggs with very cold water. The cold water stops the cooking process so that you don’t end up with that slightly icky blue-green skin around your yolk.

Peel the eggs. Everyone has their own technique, but I like to gently roll each egg across the counter to crack the shell. Roll the egg around until it looks like a cracked desert landscape, then peel it starting from the bottom. Once peeled, rinse the egg and set it aside. Repeat until you have peeled all the eggs.

Slice each egg in half lengthwise. Pop the yolks out and put them in a medium bowl. Don’t worry if you leave a little yolk behind. Set the whites aside on a plate.

Sprinkle the yolks with salt and pepper, then add other flavoring ingredients of your choice to the bowl. Mash with a fork and mix until it becomes a relatively smooth paste.

Arrange the whites on a plate and spoon the yolk mixture back into each hole. Pile the filling high! Alternatively, scoop the filling into a plastic sandwich bag. Cut off the corner of the sandwich bag and squeeze the yolk mixture into the whites.

Sprinkle with the scallions and some paprika for color. Have a great party!

Flavoring options

Classic: 2 tablespoons mustard, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons water, pickle juice or lemon juice

Chili and Lime: 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 jalapeño finely chopped

Curried: 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons water, 4 teaspoons curry powder or 1 teaspoon each of turmeric, cayenne, coriander and cumin

Ramen-Inspired: 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, chili sauce to taste

Tomato: 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, ¼ cup fresh or canned tomato finely chopped, or homemade tomato sauce

Chorizo: 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons fresh chorizo cooked and crumbled, 1 teaspoon paprika

Variations: any spice combination, any vegetable finely chopped, green chili and cheese, feta and fresh dill, bacon, avocado, olives

Recipe from Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day by Leanne Brown under Creative Commons.