Tricks to Peel an Egg????

2

Replies

  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited September 2015
    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?

    1. bring them to room temp
    2. cover by at least 1" with cold water
    3. cover pan and put on high heat and heat just until the water starts to boil
    4. set aside, still covered for 15 minutes
    5. pour out hot water and smash the large end so the shell cracks (thank you Alton Brown!)
    6. chill and start peeling (use @ktekc 's method below)
    ktekc wrote: »
    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.

    ETA: this seems to work the same, no matter how fresh the egg is

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Dee dee dee dee dee dee deeee dee dee dee dee de de de de de de LOL
  • annette_15
    annette_15 Posts: 1,657 Member
    Peel it under running water
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    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.

    thats how i do it
  • withoutasaddle
    withoutasaddle Posts: 191 Member
    I peel them under running water. Usually helps.
  • bepeejaye
    bepeejaye Posts: 775 Member
    JaneiR36 wrote: »
    JaneiR36 wrote: »
    In for eggspert

    eggspert.jpg

    :laugh:

    Made my day

    Love that word, "eggspert" haha!

  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
    edited September 2015
    There are a lot of old wives' tales about making eggs easier to peel. Some methods help slightly, some don't work at all.


    http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/the-secrets-to-peeling-hard-boiled-eggs.html


    Pressure Cooked Eggs

    There is absolutely zero correlation between cooking eggs in a pressure cooker and ease of peeling.

    Age of Eggs

    The age of an egg does make a difference, but only when the eggs are super fresh: freshly laid eggs are more likely to stick to the shell. In the U.S., eggs can sit for up to 30 days before being packaged, and the sell-by date can be a further 30 days after that, which means that most likely, the eggs you're getting at the supermarket are old enough that no further aging at home should be necessary.

    The Pin Method

    This allows the air inside to be pressed out rapidly as the egg cooks, leaving you with a completely smooth egg. Usually.

    But occasionally, you end up with an egg full of craters. Unreliable method.

    Brown Eggs vs. White Eggs

    No difference.

    Oven-cooked Eggs

    Ovens are inherently unreliable because there is no physics-based indicator or limiter of heat. A pot of simmering or steaming water, on the other hand, is reliably at the same temperature (assuming constant atmospheric pressure).

    ____________________

    No method will work perfectly 100 percent of the time to get an egg white to separate cleanly from the shell, but there are things you can do to push the odds in your favor.

    Hot or Cold Start

    More than any other factor, the thing that made the most difference in how cleanly eggs released from their shells was the temperature at which they started: A hot start produces easier-to-peel eggs.

    Shocking the Eggs in an Ice Bath

    Shocked eggs also have a slightly higher success rate for peeling. Make sure to chill your eggs completely for at least 15 minutes, or better yet, let them sit overnight in the fridge. The cooler the egg is, the firmer and tighter its structure will be, and the less likely is it to develop craters when you pry off the shell.

    Peeling under Water

    The many cracks makes it easier to gently peel away the shell under running water.
  • Matt200goal
    Matt200goal Posts: 481 Member
    I'm just lazy & usually buy the already peeled eggs...
  • ilovecereal1982
    ilovecereal1982 Posts: 1,194 Member
    I go with the hand technique. It is pretty easy and most can learn it in just a few simple steps. First you need the egg. Second, what you want to do is pick the egg up. Third and most important, you are going to want to use those hands and begin peeling the egg. Fourth is the fun part, you eat it!!!
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    @sixxpoint Thank you for the info!! Turning off Jeopardy music in my head! LOL
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    I have my own method and almost never come across an egg I can't easily peel.

    I crack the egg on the counter where the air bubble is. I start there and work up to the top of the egg in a straight line. Since you started where the air bubble is, it is typically easy to get under the membrane. Since the rest of the egg is still in tact, it comes off as one or two pieces and takes the membrane with it.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Put a little baking soda in the water!

    This^ .....works for me.

    Add 1 teaspoon to the water before you cook them.
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
    I'm just lazy & usually buy the already peeled eggs...

    + a bajillion. I eat about a dozen hard-cooked eggs a week and ain't nobody got time for all that peeling and all that rage.

    A dozen pre-cooked eggs (at least in my grocery store) are cheaper than raw anyway.
  • sudmom
    sudmom Posts: 202 Member
    Well I learned something today! All these post make me want to go home and boil eggs! :)
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    Thanks for the eggsplanation, @sixxpoint . I will no longer spread my silly old wives' tales.
  • ModaVita
    ModaVita Posts: 27 Member
    Wow, everybody - thanks! I'm the original poster and popped back on my lunch hour to see if anybody had weighed in. I've now got about 20 ways to Egg Rage, lol! But I'll try them all and let you know the winner. :)
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    In for the rage!! LOL
  • hcs00
    hcs00 Posts: 40 Member
    I bought the pre-cooked from Egglands Best because I can't handle the ones that peel poorly and I lose all that tasty egg white. But the pre-cooked ones have very little flavor! I end up putting them in a salad for protein but no taste. I must make my own fart-smelling eggs.
  • zikarra
    zikarra Posts: 16 Member
    This is what works for me every time:
    Bring water to bubble boil (so it`s cooking properly), cook them for 8-9 min for medium-firm, drain the hot water and immediately run cold water over them and keep changing the water so they cool down. Poking a hole in the shell can also help with that. I think the eggs shrink a tiny bit by being cooled off quickly so they come off their peel on the inside. It is important however that the water is really really boiling,my boyfriend often ignores my advice and we peel off half the egg afterwards.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Thanks for the eggsplanation, @sixxpoint . I will no longer spread my silly old wives' tales.

    I dunno.. Except it turned out there could be some truth to what you said. "Sell by" and "can be" won't always mean the eggs being handled by an individual are old enough. What if the OP or some lurkers had chickens? B) Or otherwise get fresher eggs at their location.

  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    I just had to bump this to say that I tried this out today and it worked out really well!

    I get to eat hard boiled eggs more often thanks to this!

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    I just had to bump this to say that I tried this out today and it worked out really well!

    I get to eat hard boiled eggs more often thanks to this!

    Thanks for trying, now off to boil some eggs for lunch!!
  • ModaVita
    ModaVita Posts: 27 Member
    Hey All! I'm the OP, and today I easily peeled an entire carton of FRESH, hard-boiled eggs!

    Here's eggsactly what I did, with no eggsasperation. (Oh, I'm so sorry - couldn't resist!)
    1. Bring pot of water to a rolling boil
    2. Gently add eggs, cover and boil 9 minutes
    3. Drain and rinse with cold tap water a minute or so
    4. Tap egg all over, "massage" between fingertips to loosen shell
    5. Be awed & amazed as the shell slips right off

    j03vm959ibdt.jpg

    Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
    Eggs.jpg 130.1K
  • mwyvr
    mwyvr Posts: 1,883 Member
    I have my man-servant Gustavo peel my eggs. Two snaps of my fingers and it is done. One snap means cheese omelette, no peeling required.

    If only I could get rid of having to snap my fingers, it would be easier still.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    mwyvr wrote: »
    I have my man-servant Gustavo peel my eggs. Two snaps of my fingers and it is done. One snap means cheese omelette, no peeling required.

    If only I could get rid of having to snap my fingers, it would be easier still.

    It's called a mind meld. LOL
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    edited September 2015
    Run under cold water for a few minutes after cooking to cool quickly which can help to loosen the shell from the egg. Remove the shell at each end in about a nickel size hole on the small end and a little bigger on the fat end. Blow hard into the fat end 2-3 times like it is a balloon. Shells peel right off.
  • whatevany
    whatevany Posts: 109 Member
    I did the baking in the oven method, and it worked well for me. Here's the link: http://www.familyfreshmeals.com/2012/11/how-to-make-perfect-hard-boiled-eggs-in-the-oven.html
  • br3adman
    br3adman Posts: 284 Member
    Put one in glass cup of water and shake hard.
  • robertturnland
    robertturnland Posts: 1 Member
    I agree with the use of baking soda. Every single egg peeled without any problems.
  • irisponsible
    irisponsible Posts: 13 Member
    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?

    Just put them in a small bowl of ice water or just cold water or tap water that are not hot/warm. Give it like a minute or two. Usually they peel perfect if u want to use the water directly w/o any bowl, in case u r not the water conserving person. With water they will peel perfectly.