Tricks to Peel an Egg????

ModaVita wrote: »

I love hard-boiled eggs but am at my wits end to peel the @#$%^& things!!

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

Peel it under running water

I peel them under running water. Usually helps.

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.

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!!!

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.

Thanks for the eggsplanation, @sixxpoint . I will no longer spread my silly old wives' tales.

In for the rage!! LOL

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.

queenliz99 wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkWISKfgqZ0

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!

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

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

I agree with the use of baking soda. Every single egg peeled without any problems.