Peeling hard boiled eggs

[Moh 10]

Sometimes the shells peel off easily in big pieces, leaving a perfect egg.

Other times you end up struggling to pick off the shell in a thousand tiny pieces, and much of the white gets picked away too.

Is there a secret to peeling a hard boiled egg?

Is it that fresher eggs peel better, or worse?
Is it in the cooking process?

 

[cellentani]

Date: 8/4/2009 4:28:00 PM
Author:Moh 10
Sometimes the shells come off easily in big pieces leaving a perfect egg.

Other times you end up picking off the shell in a thousand tiny pieces, and much of the white gets picked away too.

Is there a secret to peeling a hard boiled egg?

There is a secret, but it''s not in the peeling. If you use fresh-from-the-store eggs, you''ll have peeling nightmares, but if you use eggs that have been sitting in the fridge for a couple of weeks, it should be much easier.

And you know about plunging them in ice-cold water afterwards to prevent the green yolks, right?

 

[D&T]

I roll mine (with a slight pressure) on a table to crack it all, peels off nicely for me.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I sometimes peel them under running water.

 

[Snicklefritz]

I must be tired. I thought the title said peeling hard boiled Potatoes, and was very intrigued.

 

[Mara]

i have the same issues...i read that it has to do with the cooling of the egg after the boiling. i have read all sorts of tips online. but honestly... it ist still hit or miss for me. plunging them into cold water seems to make it harder to peel them later. i peel them under running water typically and i make it just lukewarm, for me this is the best i have found to try to prevent the tearing of the egg. but i have the same issues!

 

[Elegant]

Date: 8/4/2009 4:34:33 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
I sometimes peel them under running water.

Yes, under cold running water. I crack it on the counter and then peel it under cold running water.

 

[Upgradable]

Date: 8/4/2009 4:31:32 PM
Author: cellentani

Date: 8/4/2009 4:28:00 PM
Author:Moh 10
Sometimes the shells come off easily in big pieces leaving a perfect egg.

Other times you end up picking off the shell in a thousand tiny pieces, and much of the white gets picked away too.

Is there a secret to peeling a hard boiled egg?

There is a secret, but it''s not in the peeling. If you use fresh-from-the-store eggs, you''ll have peeling nightmares, but if you use eggs that have been sitting in the fridge for a couple of weeks, it should be much easier.

And you know about plunging them in ice-cold water afterwards to prevent the green yolks, right?

+1

 

[sbde]

btw here''s a super quick and easy way to peel an egg in 5 seconds. i tried it and it works haha!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETgWdRfRY2U

also, salting the water you boil the egg in prevents it from sticking to the shell. i also add a tsp of baking soda in the water.

HTH!

 

[jet2ks]

Date: 8/4/2009 5:41:59 PM
Author: sbde
btw here''s a super quick and easy way to peel an egg in 5 seconds. i tried it and it works haha!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETgWdRfRY2U

I gotta try that one!!!!

 

[Shopaholic]

My mom taught me this when she used to have me peel eggs for her - you leave the eggs in the pot or put them in a bowl (make sure all the water is drained) and swirl and shake the pot/bowl back and forth until the shell is covered with little crack lines/or small cracks all around it from the eggs hitting the sides of the bowl or each other, then once you peel it, it all comes off real quickly, even in one whole piece sometimes....it really works, though I hope my directions make sense.

 

[Mara]

Date: 8/4/2009 6:55:55 PM
Author: Shopaholic
My mom taught me this when she used to have me peel eggs for her - you leave the eggs in the pot or put them in a bowl (make sure all the water is drained) and swirl and shake the pot/bowl back and forth until the shell is covered with little crack lines/or small cracks all around it from the eggs hitting the sides of the bowl or each other, then once you peel it, it all comes off real quickly, even in one whole piece sometimes....it really works, though I hope my directions make sense.

you can also do this by cracking the egg itself on a counter or something before you peel it. i do this and actually when i crack it all over with tiny lines all over it, it DEFINITELY won't come off in one piece. i typically crack it in one area then start to peel there and then it may come off in one piece. but when i have tried it with small cracks all over it just means lots of pieces STUCK to the egg.

i am going to try that salt and baking soda thing! and interesting re: older eggs because when i make deviled eggs i typically go BUY eggs for that, because i don't have like a pack of 16 sitting around the house often. maybe this is why its so hit or miss but my technique is always the same!

 

[MissGotRocks]

Date: 8/4/2009 4:31:32 PM
Author: cellentani

Date: 8/4/2009 4:28:00 PM
Author:Moh 10
Sometimes the shells come off easily in big pieces leaving a perfect egg.

Other times you end up picking off the shell in a thousand tiny pieces, and much of the white gets picked away too.

Is there a secret to peeling a hard boiled egg?

There is a secret, but it''s not in the peeling. If you use fresh-from-the-store eggs, you''ll have peeling nightmares, but if you use eggs that have been sitting in the fridge for a couple of weeks, it should be much easier.

And you know about plunging them in ice-cold water afterwards to prevent the green yolks, right?

Agreed many times over. Fresh eggs are the pits in terms of peeling!

 

[Haven]

If you over-boil them they''re a nightmare to peel.

I think that most people boil their eggs for far too long. A perfect hardboiled egg will peel easily, and the yoke will be all cooked and all yellow. Mmmm.

If your yoke is green or gray, that egg is overcooked.

 

[jcarlylew]

Date: 8/4/2009 5:41:59 PM
Author: sbde
btw here''s a super quick and easy way to peel an egg in 5 seconds. i tried it and it works haha!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETgWdRfRY2U

also, salting the water you boil the egg in prevents it from sticking to the shell. i also add a tsp of baking soda in the water.

HTH!

+1 and running under water

here is what i do

salt the water, hard boil for 10-15 minutes.
give eggs ice bath (put in bowl of ice cubes/water) and run under hot water
let rest until cool to the touch
peel under water.

 

[Shopaholic]

Date: 8/4/2009 7:13:39 PM
Author: Mara

Date: 8/4/2009 6:55:55 PM
Author: Shopaholic
My mom taught me this when she used to have me peel eggs for her - you leave the eggs in the pot or put them in a bowl (make sure all the water is drained) and swirl and shake the pot/bowl back and forth until the shell is covered with little crack lines/or small cracks all around it from the eggs hitting the sides of the bowl or each other, then once you peel it, it all comes off real quickly, even in one whole piece sometimes....it really works, though I hope my directions make sense.

you can also do this by cracking the egg itself on a counter or something before you peel it. i do this and actually when i crack it all over with tiny lines all over it, it DEFINITELY won't come off in one piece. i typically crack it in one area then start to peel there and then it may come off in one piece. but when i have tried it with small cracks all over it just means lots of pieces STUCK to the egg.

i am going to try that salt and baking soda thing! and interesting re: older eggs because when i make deviled eggs i typically go BUY eggs for that, because i don't have like a pack of 16 sitting around the house often. maybe this is why its so hit or miss but my technique is always the same!

I forgot to mention that the whole point and important part of my mom's technique is the knocking of the eggs around....this loosens the egg from that inner skin between the egg and the shell, sometimes after I peel it just half way down, the egg will actually just slip out of the rest of the shell! I wish I did youtube, because it really works well, but I can't seem to describe it correctly I guess.

 

[VegasAngel]

Date: 8/4/2009 4:31:35 PM
Author: D&T
I roll mine (with a slight pressure) on a table to crack it all, peels off nicely for me.

This is what I do also-makes citrus fruit easier to peel, too. I also use running water sometimes.

 

[Gailey]

Date: 8/4/2009 9:08:29 PM
Author: jcarlylew

Date: 8/4/2009 5:41:59 PM
Author: sbde
btw here''s a super quick and easy way to peel an egg in 5 seconds. i tried it and it works haha!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETgWdRfRY2U

also, salting the water you boil the egg in prevents it from sticking to the shell. i also add a tsp of baking soda in the water.

HTH!

+1 and running under water

here is what i do

salt the water, hard boil for 10-15 minutes.
give eggs ice bath (put in bowl of ice cubes/water) and run under hot water
let rest until cool to the touch
peel under water.

Ditto exactly, works like a dream!

 

[jewelerman]

Date: 8/4/2009 4:28:00 PM
Author:Moh 10
Sometimes the shells peel off easily in big pieces, leaving a perfect egg.

Other times you end up struggling to pick off the shell in a thousand tiny pieces, and much of the white gets picked away too.

Is there a secret to peeling a hard boiled egg?

Is it that fresher eggs peel better, or worse?
Is it in the cooking process?

My father was a chef,and when he boiled eggs at our hotel he would tell me to always soak them in very cold water before peeling.Never peel when warm or under cooked.

 

[Haven]

This thread reminds me of one of my favorite family idiosyncracies: we call it "scaring" the eggs instead of the proper "shocking" the eggs after hard boiling because of a lost-in-translation thing with my grandmother. She always said "scare" the eggs, which my mother says, and which I now say, even though I know better.

 

[DiamondFlame]

I'm in the 'peel when the egg is cool enough to touch' group. Cool the egg under running water or in a bowl of icy water, doesn't matter. I think physics law stating 'matter expands when heated' may account for it. When you're cooling the egg, the shell and the egg white contract at different rates, thus creating a little extra space between the surfaces. This helps in the process of separating the shell from the white.

Does that make sense? Or do you smell BS?

 

[jcarlylew]

Date: 8/5/2009 11:46:40 AM
Author: DiamondFlame
I''m in the ''peel when the egg is cool enough to touch'' group. Cool the egg under running water or in a bowl of icy water, doesn''t matter. I think physics law stating ''matter expands when heated'' may account for it. When you''re cooling the egg, the shell and the egg white contract at different rates, thus creating a little extra space between the surfaces. This helps in the process of separating the shell from the white.

Does that make sense? Or do you smell BS?

nope...i smell sulfer!
sorry, couldnt resist!!

 

[Moh 10]

Date: 8/5/2009 11:52:30 AM
Author: jcarlylew

Date: 8/5/2009 11:46:40 AM

Author: DiamondFlame

I''m in the ''peel when the egg is cool enough to touch'' group. Cool the egg under running water or in a bowl of icy water, doesn''t matter. I think physics law stating ''matter expands when heated'' may account for it. When you''re cooling the egg, the shell and the egg white contract at different rates, thus creating a little extra space between the surfaces. This helps in the process of separating the shell from the white.


Does that make sense? Or do you smell BS?

nope...i smell sulfer!

sorry, couldnt resist!!

Don''t egg him on.

 

[cellentani]

Maybe I''m crazy, but after reading a new-to-me tip about peeling hard boiled eggs, I went out and bought a carton of 18. Since these are fresh, it goes against my usual theory of using only older eggs, so we''ll see how well it works. You''re supposed to poke a pin hole in the fat end of the egg, but everything else is the same - cool in icy water afterwards, peel when thoroughly cooled. Nobody come to my house for awhile, at least until I air the place out! Wonder what DH is gonna say when he gets home - he hates the smell.