I must be stupid. Teach me how to...

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Phrick
Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
in Recipes
hard boil eggs. In the past 7 days I've tried 4 different methods of hard cooking eggs, and haven't yet been able to peel a single one of them. wasted an entire dozen stupid frickin' eggs and so frustrated I could just scream. I want my egg salad dammit!!! *sigh.* I used to be able to hard boil them, I remember doing it just fine when I lived at home, but somewhere in the intervening years my brain has lost the method I used back then. I've tried methods from everywhere from The Incredible Edible Egg website, to Martha Stewart, to Pinterest (the "bake them till they're hard cooked" method) and everything fails me. Help a gal out, I'm really ready to have a meltdown (TOM, anyone???? :laugh:)

Edit to add, I am pretty sure the raw eggs I started with were not "too fresh" as I know that can cause problems but I don't think that's it in this instance.
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Replies

  • mushroomsontoast
    mushroomsontoast Posts: 118 Member
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    If the eggs are mega fresh, ie new laid less than 3 days ago, they will not peel neatly; it just isn't possible.
    With older eggs, I always crack them and then run under cold water for 5 mins or so - the shells then just slide off.
    I use a small teaspoon handle. TIP : if you can get the first piece of shell off neatly (make sure you get the membrane too), the rest will follow :smile:
  • ks4e
    ks4e Posts: 374 Member
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    Add a bit of baking soda to the boiling water. An old trick my mother taught me.
  • KathleenMurry
    KathleenMurry Posts: 448 Member
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    add vinegar to the water. Works for me!
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    Is the problem you are having peeling the eggs, rather than the cooking of them?
  • NarneyK
    NarneyK Posts: 264 Member
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    Add a bit of baking soda to the boiling water. An old trick my mother taught me.

    Yup this is what I do too.
  • themelmac
    themelmac Posts: 59 Member
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    You have to peel them when they are finished cooking, otherwise it's impossible to get the shell off.

    I crack the eggs, run cold water in the pot, and peel them. Works everytime.
  • tlmcint
    tlmcint Posts: 74 Member
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    Ok I really have try these tricks!! However, if you are making egg salad, meaning the eggs are going to be chopped up, why are they going to waste if they don't peel cleanly? Just chop up the ugly eggs I would think.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
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    The best way to do this is to first tap the eggs all over to crack the shells, then hold each egg under a slow trickle of running water as you peel the shell off, starting at the wide end.

    The water will flush off any bits of shell that cling on. Then back they go into cold water until completely cold. If you don't cool the eggs rapidly they will go on cooking and become overcooked, then you get the black-ring problem.

    link: http://www.deliaonline.com/how-to-cook/eggs/how-to-boil-an-egg.html
  • dawningr
    dawningr Posts: 387 Member
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    Set eggs on counter (on their side so the yolk is centered and not at the bottom like it is when they're in the carton).

    Bring water to boil

    gently place eggs in water

    wait for the pan to come to a boil again and boil for 10 minutes.

    take off heat and pour out hot water

    crack ends of eggs and fill pan with COLD water (you may need to do this a few times to keep it cold)

    Let eggs rest in cold water for about 10 minutes.

    They will peel no problem!

    Never has failed me since I started doing this (thanks Martha Stewart message board) :bigsmile:
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
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    Is the problem you are having peeling the eggs, rather than the cooking of them?

    Most likely yes. I assume they're cooked just fine but I haven't gotten past the peeling part (or non-peeling as it is) to find out.
  • NaomiJFoster
    NaomiJFoster Posts: 1,450 Member
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    Peeling? You have to make the shell separate from the egg itself before you even attempt to peel it. Have a bowl of very cold water ready when the eggs are just about done. Use a slotted spoon to lift the eggs out of the hot water and transfer them immediately to the cold water. Or use a strainer. The shell will contract from the sudden temperature change, and will pull itself away from the egg. Then, you can almost pull the shell off in one piece.
  • larsensue
    larsensue Posts: 461 Member
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    great tips!!!
    I always run them under cold water for about 2 minutes. seems to work most times except when the eggs are old.
  • RobTheGourmet
    RobTheGourmet Posts: 189 Member
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    Place eggs in medium saucepan in a single layer,
    cover with 1 inch of water, and bring to boil over high heat.
    Remove pan from heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes.
    Meanwhile, fill a medium bowl with 1 quart water and 1 tray of ice cubes (or equivalent).

    Transfer eggs to ice water bath with slotted spoon; let sit 5 minutes. Peel and use as desired.
    If you plan on peeling your eggs immediately after cooking, drain the hot water from the pot used to cook the eggs and shake the pot back and forth to crack the shells. Then plunge them in enough ice water to cover the eggs until they cool down.
    The water seeps under the broken shells, allowing them to be slipped off without a struggle.

    If you want to leave the shells intact (perhaps for decorating), and wish to peel them later, the best way is to start to peel from the large end of the egg, which has an air pocket. This lets you get under the membrane without digging into the white.

    ( there is no need to use anything in the water I use plain tap water have made many thousands of hard boiled eggs )
  • tehzephyrsong
    tehzephyrsong Posts: 435 Member
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    Here's my method, and it uses less water than running the eggs under the faucet (also handy as i don't have a garbage disposal).

    1. Take eggs out of the fridge.

    2. Put some water in a pot, along with a healthy shake of salt/baking soda/vinegar. If the eggs crack, this addition will help the escaping white congeal faster, so you don't lose much of the egg and have less of a mess to clean up.

    3. Turn on the burner. Do something else while the water heats up.

    4. Using a large spoon (slotted serving spoon is ideal), carefully lower the eggs into the boiling water, so they don't crack and you don't burn yourself.

    5. Cover the pot and set a timer for 12 minutes. Turn the heat down a little bit so the water stays at a nice simmer; a rolling boil will bounce the eggs around inside the pot and they may crack.

    6. After 12 minutes, get a bowl large enough to accommodate all your eggs, plus ice, and water to cover it all. Fill halfway with ice, add enough water that all the ice is floating, and then fish out the eggs one or two at a time with your large spoon (depending on how big it is) and put them in the ice water. Once they're all in the ice bath, give it a few stirs, and let it sit for a few minutes.

    7. After a few minutes, take each egg out of the bowl one at a time and tap it against the counter all around the equator, and at either end. Use your fingers to gently push and pinch the eggshell so it's cracked all over. Submerge the egg in the cold water again, and do the same with all the other eggs. Somehow the cold water helps pull the membrane off the egg white.

    8. Start pulling off pieces of eggshell. Be sure to get the membrane between shell and white; if the egg underneath the shell isn't shiny, you didn't get the membrane, so pick at it with your thumbnail until you get it. Once you get the membrane, you can pull off strips of eggshell.

    9. Give the egg a quick dip in the bowl to rinse off any lingering shell bits, and then move onto the next egg.

    10. Eat! Or prepare them however you were going to.
  • BoomstickChick
    BoomstickChick Posts: 428 Member
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    Put salt in the water when you're boiling them. It'll help the shells not stick. Also make sure they're fully cooled before you try and peel them.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,775 Member
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    I put the eggs in the sauce pan, cover with water plus 1 inch, and a TBSP salt, turn the burner to "high". As soon as I see the water boiling, I time 2 mins. At 2 mins, I turn off the heat, but leave the pan on the burner.

    And I use 2-3 week old eggs, as they peel so much better.
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,676 Member
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    Boiled eggs can be finicky! Who knows why?
    My method for peel-able eggs is not science...but here goes:
    place eggs in enough water to cover.
    Bring to a boil, then lower heat until eggs barely simmer while pot is covered.
    From that point, set timer for 6 min.
    Then remove from hot water.
    Turn on cold water a little bit in your sink, let it run while you peel the eggs....
    I like to start with the small end first......tap cracks into the shell all over the egg.
    If you can get a hold on that membrane under the shell while peeling the eggs, that is the key...along with using the cold running water to handle the egg and help loosen the shell while you peel it.
    Hope you get your salad!:)
  • tzig00
    tzig00 Posts: 875 Member
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    Set eggs on counter (on their side so the yolk is centered and not at the bottom like it is when they're in the carton).

    Bring water to boil

    gently place eggs in water

    wait for the pan to come to a boil again and boil for 10 minutes.

    take off heat and pour out hot water

    crack ends of eggs and fill pan with COLD water (you may need to do this a few times to keep it cold)

    Let eggs rest in cold water for about 10 minutes.

    They will peel no problem!

    Never has failed me since I started doing this (thanks Martha Stewart message board) :bigsmile:

    ^I do this except instead of putting the cold water in the same pan I put them in a bowl of cold water and put it in the fridge so it stays cold.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    It's interesting how everyone boils their eggs differently! I've always put them in the cold water (enough to cover) then bring water to hearty boil, shut off heat, cover and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Then transfer eggs to ice water bath and let fully cool. To peel, I smoosh them against the counter top so the shell gets all crackled, find a starting point and the shell typically comes off pretty easily. I agree with the poster above who said it doesn't really matter if they're pretty since you're making egg salad. Just get as much of the white off as you can so you don't have all yolks. :)
  • F1TCH1K
    F1TCH1K Posts: 72 Member
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    Oh my geez! Am I the only one that thought "how to Dougie" when I read that title?!?!

    I have this : http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=40817224 It was a Mother's Day gift and it has been GREAT! I made 30 eggs yesterday (3 sets of 10) and each & everyone was PERFECT! If you use a BB&B coupon (20% off) it's not too expensive.

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