I've got some real cute molds for charaben, but I'm having trouble getting eggs to peel well enough to use. I don't really want to boil a half dozen eggs to get one for my bento.

I know some people seem to do this flawlessly, so I'm missing something. I often have eggs that are too fresh (I get them from the farm), but even when they're aged it's often hit or miss. I currently use J. Kenji's method for boiled eggs, and they're perfectly cooked. I used to use Julia's method (drop in simmering water , hold simmer for 13 minutes for large eggs) and that worked too.

I've added salt and not, added vinegar and not. I used to punch a hold in the large end before cooking, but mostly don't anymore. Once done I drain the water, let the shells crack and add cold water, and try to peel under cold water. Sometimes it all works fabulously well, and sometimes it's a disaster.

Recently I thought I'd bring a platter of charaben eggs to a pot-luck, but instead I ended up bringing a bowl of egg salad.

How do you peel your eggs, and do you get consistent results? What do you think are the critical elements?