With Easter coming up, I’m looking forward to the sentimental conceit of dying, hiding, and hunting eggs for my 14-month-old son, who won’t remember any of it. In our frenzy of egg-dying, I expect we’ll lose track of which eggs are hard-boiled and which are raw. Which is a recipe for trouble.

Good thing I learned the trick to telling whether an egg is raw or hard-boiled. (No, it doesn’t involve cracking the shell.)

Tip: Just place the egg on a hard surface, like the counter, and spin it like a top. As it’s spinning, grab it with your fingers ever-so-briefly and immediately let go. If it keeps spinning, it’s raw. If it stops dead, it’s boiled.