Tricks to Peel an Egg????

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ModaVita
ModaVita Posts: 27 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I love hard-boiled eggs but am at my wits end to peel the @#$%^& things!! :s

I've tried every "trick" I've heard: Don't use fresh eggs. Don't use old eggs. Peel them hot. Peel them cold. Only cook till boiling, then steep XX minutes. Boil forever and blanch immediately...

Seriously - there has to be something that works consistently. How do deli depts get those perfectly peeled eggs over & over again? (I've asked, and they don't share.)

Anybody?
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Replies

  • ktekc
    ktekc Posts: 879 Member
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    i roll em on the counter with my hand lightly to crack the whole shell up and break the membrane and it all comes off at once.
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
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    ModaVita wrote: »
    I love hard-boiled eggs but am at my wits end to peel the @#$%^& things!! :s

    I've tried every "trick" I've heard: Don't use fresh eggs. Don't use old eggs. Peel them hot. Peel them cold. Only cook till boiling, then steep XX minutes. Boil forever and blanch immediately...

    Seriously - there has to be something that works consistently. How do deli depts get those perfectly peeled eggs over & over again? (I've asked, and they don't share.)

    Anybody?

    I pressure cook them. While I run into the random egg that doesn't peel well, a bigger amount than normal boiling peel very easily.

    I've also read to put the cooked egg in a canning jar with a little water and shake.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkWISKfgqZ0
  • dearmrsowl
    dearmrsowl Posts: 151 Member
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    I barely ever have trouble peeling my eggs. I pinch them with an egg pricker though. It's mainly so they don't crack when being put into the hot water but I figured it also helps with peeling them. If you don't have an egg pricker just use a pin or a needle and prick a tiny whole at one of the ends.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    i crack them all around and use the rounded part of a spoon to peel...works every time.
  • eyeofnewt555
    eyeofnewt555 Posts: 47 Member
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    Put a little baking soda in the water!
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
    edited September 2015
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    queenliz99 wrote: »
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkWISKfgqZ0

    I'll have to boil an egg soon just to try that lol

    I boil my eggs for fifteen minutes (starting with cold/room temp water). Toss the hot water out, add cold again mainly so I can handle the egg. Gently tap it on the kitchen counter as many times as I want - not on the same spot, btw, all around the egg - then peel. Hold it under running water so any little pieces of the shell rinse off
  • Bob314159
    Bob314159 Posts: 1,178 Member
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    Pour cold water into the pan till they cool down. Pour the water out. Put the lid on and hold; swing the pan in a circle so the shells crack on the inside of the pan. If you do it right - a lot of the shell will have come off - peel the rest.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    I kind of tap/slam them on the counter and then roll them around so they're all Humpty Dumptied and then I start peeling. Sometimes a little chunk of white comes off. I don't really care.

    You'll get better as you go. :)
  • ToxDocAR
    ToxDocAR Posts: 49 Member
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    Older eggs peel easier. I try to buy in advance
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,198 Member
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    Another thing you can try (in addition to older eggs, cracking immediately after cooking by shaking in pan of cold water, then cracking all around by hand or rolling on counter): Right after cracking, while egg's still hot, pull off a piece of shell *and membrane*, then hold the egg under cold strongly-running water directing the water between membrane & shell, letting the water help you remove the shell & membrane. No guarantees, but this usually works for me.
  • gaelicstorm26
    gaelicstorm26 Posts: 589 Member
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    What I do that works almost every time is to put the hot eggs IMMEDIATELY into an ice bath. This creates steam between the egg and the shell and I rarely have a tricky egg anymore. I leave mine in the ice bath until they are cool, then refrigerate.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    gaelicstorm26 wrote: »
    What I do that works almost every time is to put the hot eggs IMMEDIATELY into an ice bath. This creates steam between the egg and the shell and I rarely have a tricky egg anymore. I leave mine in the ice bath until they are cool, then refrigerate.

    I do this, as well, but crack them and let them soak in cold water. The water seeps under the egg membrane.
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
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    Serious eats blogger tested various methods and his almost no fail method is to place uncooked eggs in boiling water, then proceed with cooking. no cold start, which is how I learned from food network.

    I've tested it out and he's right. It results in super easy to peel eggs.
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
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    http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/the-secrets-to-peeling-hard-boiled-eggs.html

    The link for reference
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    zdyb23456 wrote: »
    Serious eats blogger tested various methods and his almost no fail method is to place uncooked eggs in boiling water, then proceed with cooking. no cold start, which is how I learned from food network.

    I've tested it out and he's right. It results in super easy to peel eggs.

    This. I think it was on sixxpoint's thread "I am a chef, ask me anything". A chef explained how he had to make the eggs at a restaurant and tried everything. Put the eggs into boiling water for 10 min and then put them in cold. Peel under running water. It has worked like a charm for me too.
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
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    I put some vinegar in the water that I cook them in, then stick them in a bowl of ice water right from the boiling water when they're done.
  • ki4eld
    ki4eld Posts: 1,215 Member
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    I don't boil them, I steam them. I put a little water in the bottom of the pan and the raw eggs into a steamer basket. When the water boils, basket goes in, timer set for precisely 13 minutes, remove them and immediately into an ice bath. Very few cracked and easy to peel every time regardless of the age of the egg. 13 minutes exactly also means really pretty yolks, if that's an issue for anyone.

    I don't eat the yolks, but my dog doesn't care what color they are. The pale yolks do make pretty filling for deviled eggs.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    Alton Brown uses an oven to bake eggs.

    http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/the-kitchen/500-series/rise-and-shine/how-to-make-hard-boiled-eggs-in-the-oven.html
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
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    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Alton Brown uses an oven to bake eggs.

    http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/the-kitchen/500-series/rise-and-shine/how-to-make-hard-boiled-eggs-in-the-oven.html

    I've been wanting to try this.

    I find that eggs that are approaching their expiration date work best for boiling. I try to keep an older carton of eggs in my fridge for when I want boiled eggs.

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