I’m not sure exactly where I found this method, but I know it was ascribed to the American Egg Board. I have now tried it at least a half dozen times with at least six eggs each time and I have yet to have a single piece of shell stick to an egg and have yet to have anything other than a perfect smooth egg. Don’t ask me why it works, because I have no idea.
The key is to steam rather than boil the eggs. Set up a steamer with enough water to last for a 25 minute boil. I just use a pot with steamer insert. Make sure that the water is below the steamer insert because you do not want water touching the eggs. Boil the water and insert the eggs into the steamer in a single layer and cover. Steam for 20 minutes if you like hard boiled eggs. Once I get a rolling boil, I turn the heat down to medium-low so it is a slow boil but still generating steam. I usually go for 25 minutes because I like to make sure they are really done. I suppose you could do it for 10 minutes and maybe get one that was half and half.
Turn off heat, run eggs under cold water or soak in cold water until cool. You can peel them right away or leave them in the refrigerator for days. It does not seem to matter. The shell comes off smoothly and never sticks to the egg.
I’ve found the faster Cook’s Illustrated method works well, with a steamer basket or just one inch of water brought to a vigorous boil. Place cold eggs (six or less) in the boiling water or in the steamer basket, cover and reduce to medium low for 13 minutes, followed by five minutes in an ice/water bath. Perfect every time with pasty (not dry) yolks. If you want dry yolk you could go a couple minutes more.
Mine is similar. Poke hole in each egg, drop in boiling water, cook 12 minutes, run eggs under cold water for a minute in the pan, draining occasionally and shaking eggs into each other so the get spiderweb cracks all over. I generally softly squeeze each egg at the end to amplify the shattered shell effect. Works great always
I have no idea why you would need to steam them for that long though?? I do 12-13 minutes (Put the steamer tray on once the steam water is boiling) and it works great for fully cooked, but still tender, hard boiled eggs.
There’s no need for a lot of complexity. Chez Panisse method is boil 8 minutes (adjust this according to how you want your center) and transfer to ice water.
You obviously do not cook. We make 300 deviled eggs for a homeless shelter banquet every year. We usually have to boil at least 170 eggs because so many of the whites are ruined when the shells stick. This new method will be far superior.