Put eggs directly on center oven rack for this clever reason

The "incredible edible" egg earned its nickname because of its nutritional value and versatility, but the reality is that most people don't do much more than scramble, fry or boil their eggs -- but why not use the oven to cook your breakfast?

Using an oven to cook eggs is extremely easy, and you can use the baking time to get ready for your day. Or, if you're entertaining, you can use the oven to prepare large quantities of eggs for your breakfast or brunch bunch.

Baking eggs is celebrity chef Alton Brown's preferred method of cooking eggs within their shell, especially if cooking more than a dozen at a time.

"I prefer the slightly creamier texture of baked eggs," Brown says in his blog. Why the difference in texture? "I imagine it's because the dry heat moves into these eggs more slowly than steam heat does," Brown says.

First, place as many eggs as you want to cook directly onto an oven rack in the center position. Add a pan to the bottom to catch any egg that might fall, then turn the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (162.8 degrees Celsius) -- no preheating necessary!

After 30 minutes, remove the eggs from the oven and place into a bowl of ice water for a few minutes. When the eggs are cool enough to handle, peel and enjoy! Watch the HouseholdHacker video below for visual instructions.

Want more ideas for easy eggs in the oven?

1. Baked omelets
Chop or grate your favorite omelet add-ins and put a small amount of each into buttered muffin cups. Scramble eggs with a pinch of salt and pour egg into cups without overflowing them. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176.7 degrees Celsius) until toothpick inserted in egg comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Omelets can be refrigerated or frozen for eating later.

2. Baked eggs in ham shell
For a baked twist on the classic ham and egg breakfast, form a shell of sliced ham in a muffin tin or ramekin. Fill with desired add-ins (POPSUGAR's Lauren Hendrickson recommends tomatoes, garlic and cheese), a splash of milk, seasonings and egg. Bake until egg white is set in an oven preheated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190.5 degrees Celsius).

3. Egg sandwich bar for a group
Lightly butter a dozen muffin cups and crack an egg into each one (or, scramble a dozen eggs and pour an equal amount into each cup). Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176.7 degrees Celsius) until egg is cooked through, about 20-25 minutes. Lay out English muffins, cheese and condiments, and let your guests build their own sandwiches -- Huffington Post calls this method an "in-home McDonald's."

A few other egg hacks:

4. Separate yolk and white with no mess
Use an empty water bottle to suck up the yolk and plop it into a separate container. The separation is perfect and there's no mess!

5. Freeze eggs for up to six months
Make your eggs last much longer by scrambling them and pouring them into muffin cups, then freezing them. Remove the frozen egg "muffins" and store in plastic freezer bag; POPSUGAR's Anna Monette Robinson says that they will last for up to six months.

Have you used any of these methods before? Please SHARE these ideas, then tell about your favorite egg shortcuts and hacks in the comments below!