How to ACTUALLY boil an egg that peels
If you haven't personally made boiled eggs that peeled cleanly several times, please don't answer. I've tried most (not all) of the tricks online and had the best luck with salt in the water, put the ~2 week old eggs in cold water, bring just to boil, turn off and let sit x minutes, pull eggs out and plunge into ice water.
They are ok but they NEVER peel perfect. They would never be good enough to make a pretty dish of deviled eggs. How do you do it??? (please note if your method affects the taste)
thanks!
They are ok but they NEVER peel perfect. They would never be good enough to make a pretty dish of deviled eggs. How do you do it??? (please note if your method affects the taste)
thanks!
2
Replies
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It's almost always a hit or miss thing for me, however this seems to work best from everything I've tried ... let the eggs come to room temperature before putting into the pot and covering with the tap water. Bring to a boil relatively quickly, cover the pot and remove it from the burner if you have an electric range. I let mine sit 10 minutes. Remove to iced water ... (I don't have ice cubes, so I put a pyrex 4-cup container into the freezer to chill the water when I take the eggs out of the fridge) and let cool in that water. Keep the eggs in the water as you peel each ... take an egg out of the water, tap it all around on something to crack the shell in many places, and dip the egg back into the water to peel it under water. Remove the peeled egg to a paper towel lined dish to dry.
PS ... don't do too many eggs at once ... anytime I do more than 6 at a time I have more issues with peeling them.
PPS ... and don't start peeling at the equator, start at a tip.4 -
My eggs always peel perfectly. (When I say always I literally mean always)
Boil water, add eggs to boiled water, boil for 20 minutes exactly. (Don't turn element off, keep it on high)
Run eggs under cold water until cool enough to handle.
Smash egg on plate/counter/hard surface. Peel. (Obviously don't smash too hard lol)
Seriously, perfect every time.
This is how I've always made boiled eggs so I'm not sure if it affects the taste.13 -
I knock a small divot in the bottom of my eggs before boiling, just enough to crack the shell, I use the handle side of a butter knife and just tap it, some people poke a hole with a thumb tack5
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I honestly think the real secret is the eggs you use, not the method. Because everyone seems to have different levels of success with different methods. But I have no idea what egg-factors are the key. Mine are always hit or miss. I actually cut myself - like a bleeding cut - on eggshell while peeling one recently, so I have no tricks for you
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The best thing us to crack the egg gently in several places the minute its boiled, this stops the membrane holding on tightly to shell. Heard that tip from a chef once and it works.
7 mins once water is boiled ( pan starts off with cold water) is perfect for medium sized egg for hard boiled. 4 mins for soft.9 -
I have decent luck by peeling them under running water; the water helps the shell slide right off.3
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eliciaobrien1 wrote: »My eggs always peel perfectly. (When I say always I literally mean always)
Boil water, add eggs to boiled water, boil for 20 minutes exactly. (Don't turn element off, keep it on high)
Run eggs under cold water until cool enough to handle.
Smash egg on plate/counter/hard surface. Peel. (Obviously don't smash too hard lol)
Seriously, perfect every time.
This is how I've always made boiled eggs so I'm not sure if it affects the taste.
TWENTY minutes?! woah. Aren't the yolks crumbly and green at that point?12 -
It's almost always a hit or miss thing for me, however this seems to work best from everything I've tried ... let the eggs come to room temperature before putting into the pot and covering with the tap water. Bring to a boil relatively quickly, cover the pot and remove it from the burner if you have an electric range. I let mine sit 10 minutes. Remove to iced water ... (I don't have ice cubes, so I put a pyrex 4-cup container into the freezer to chill the water when I take the eggs out of the fridge) and let cool in that water. Keep the eggs in the water as you peel each ... take an egg out of the water, tap it all around on something to crack the shell in many places, and dip the egg back into the water to peel it under water. Remove the peeled egg to a paper towel lined dish to dry.
PS ... don't do too many eggs at once ... anytime I do more than 6 at a time I have more issues with peeling them.
PPS ... and don't start peeling at the equator, start at a tip.
Hmm never thought about room temp or fewer eggs. I do think my ice bath usually gets too warm because I do a dozen at a time. I'll try that thanks.1 -
Thank you for all of the responses!2
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The secret is to use older eggs. The fresher the egg the harder to peel they are. This is why it's so hit or miss with most methods.
13 -
After you cook them and put them in the cold water, tap the top/bottom of the egg where the "air bubble" has formed to break the shell then put them back into the cold water for another few minutes. This helps the water move into the egg and separate the membrane before you peel it.5
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I got an egg cooker on amazon for like $15. You add a little water and it auto shuts off/buzzes when they are done. I’ve had good luck with getting great hard boiled eggs, but I have to be very careful with adding the right amount of water. The shells of the eggs don’t always look pretty because I’m not the best at cleaning the thing, but they peel wonderfully and taste great! Make sure your counter is level!1
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I boil my eggs for far too long. Probably close to 20 minutes. They peel OKAY when warm but if you put them in the fridge overnight, they peel perfectly. That would work well for deviled eggs, if you cook them the night before and prep the next day before heading out.3
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The Dash egg cooker (picked up at home goods for 9.99) or the Instant pot (although I prefer the Dash egg cooker because it is quicker). Perfect every time, the shells slide right off.
Note, before I used the dash egg maker, I was determined NOT to spend money on something like an egg maker. Why, right? It's just boiling water and waiting.
Well, with this silly little egg maker, its a set it and forget it kind of ritual, takes less than 10 minutes, and it has literally cut my peeling time of eggs into 1/3. So amazing to me. Simple things I guess.....3 -
RunRutheeRun wrote: »The best thing us to crack the egg gently in several places the minute its boiled, this stops the membrane holding on tightly to shell. Heard that tip from a chef once and it works.
7 mins once water is boiled ( pan starts off with cold water) is perfect for medium sized egg for hard boiled. 4 mins for soft.
This^. I also roll the eggs gently between my hands after cracking.4 -
My hard boiled eggs always peel easily.
- Bring water to rolling boil.
- Use a push pin to poke a hole in the big end of each egg.
- Immerse eggs with a slotted spoon.
- Boil 12 minutes for hard-boiled.
- 10 minutes for slightly soft yolks.
- Move pot to under cold running tap water to stop cooking and cool to the desired temperature.
5 -
If you haven't personally made boiled eggs that peeled cleanly several times, please don't answer. I've tried most (not all) of the tricks online and had the best luck with salt in the water, put the ~2 week old eggs in cold water, bring just to boil, turn off and let sit x minutes, pull eggs out and plunge into ice water.
They are ok but they NEVER peel perfect. They would never be good enough to make a pretty dish of deviled eggs. How do you do it??? (please note if your method affects the taste)
thanks!
Using older eggs mostly worked well for me in the past.
Now I use an electric pressure cooker (based on comments from others on MFP), and they are ALWAYS super easy to peel.2 -
I have the dash egg cooker as well. .I got it at goodwill still in the box for 4 bucks. Works great.2
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I boil for about 10 minutes, turn off stove top, cover, then let it sit for another 10 minutes...rinse in cool water...usually works out well, but it can be a hit or miss.3
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eliciaobrien1 wrote: »My eggs always peel perfectly. (When I say always I literally mean always)
Boil water, add eggs to boiled water, boil for 20 minutes exactly. (Don't turn element off, keep it on high)
Run eggs under cold water until cool enough to handle.
Smash egg on plate/counter/hard surface. Peel. (Obviously don't smash too hard lol)
Seriously, perfect every time.
This is how I've always made boiled eggs so I'm not sure if it affects the taste.
TWENTY minutes?! woah. Aren't the yolks crumbly and green at that point?
No lol for some reason it works perfectly for me. No green and crumbly.1 -
I put the eggs in just cold water, boil them 10 minutes. Drain off the hot water right away. Fill the pot with cold water from the tap- not ice water. Crack the shells all over and put the hot eggs back into the cool water. Let them sit a couple of minutes. Start peeling right away. The shells just slide off when the eggs are still very warm.
I think even with cold eggs cracking them all over and putting them in water helps get the shell to seperate from the egg.
Refrigerating hot eggs immediately seems helpful for peeling later too.
A spoon slipped under the shell was my grandma's trick to peeling eggs.
4 -
I steam mine! I put 1 inch of water in a large saucepan. Insert vegetable steamer. Set eggs in the steamer. Cover & Turn on high and set timer for 15 min (for my stove). When done, rinse in cold water and peel. Perfect eggs every time.
I came up with this after using an egg steamer in a bnb and loving the results. I didn't really want another specialized appliance . After thinking about it a while I came up with this, then actually found out it was a "thing" on the web lol.7 -
I steam mine! I put 1 inch of water in a large saucepan. Insert vegetable steamer. Set eggs in the steamer. Cover & Turn on high and set timer for 15 min (for my stove). When done, rinse in cold water and peel. Perfect eggs every time.
I came up with this after using an egg steamer in a bnb and loving the results. I didn't really want another specialized appliance . After thinking about it a while I came up with this, then actually found out it was a "thing" on the web lol.
I'm totally trying this. Are the eggs cooked after the 15 minutes? I only ask because I'm not a fan of soft boiled! I never thought to use the steamer pot in a saucepan to "boil" eggs, that's a great idea.2 -
Add white vinegar to boiling water; peels perfect every time; and helps hide the smell of boiling eggs4
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maura_tasi wrote: »I steam mine! I put 1 inch of water in a large saucepan. Insert vegetable steamer. Set eggs in the steamer. Cover & Turn on high and set timer for 15 min (for my stove). When done, rinse in cold water and peel. Perfect eggs every time.
I came up with this after using an egg steamer in a bnb and loving the results. I didn't really want another specialized appliance . After thinking about it a while I came up with this, then actually found out it was a "thing" on the web lol.
I'm totally trying this. Are the eggs cooked after the 15 minutes? I only ask because I'm not a fan of soft boiled! I never thought to use the steamer pot in a saucepan to "boil" eggs, that's a great idea.
Yes, they are fully cooked.3 -
Definitely use older eggs. Fresh ones are super tough to peel regardless of the method.
I put cold eggs straight out of the fridge in a pot of lukewarm water.
Bring to rolling boil on high heat.
Remove from heat and cover with lid.
Let sit for 15 minutes. (use a timer)
Cool using cold tap water.
Let sit for about 20 minutes, replacing the cold water a couple times.
Crack eggs all the way around, roll between your palms, and the shells usually slide right off.
I've tried cooking eggs lots of different ways for many years and the above process works the best for me. A friend recently told me that they peel better while slightly warm and she was right! I usually peel all of them at once and put them in a ziploc bag in the fridge.3 -
My eggs also always peel, but they peel better a few days after cooking. I steam mine. Get the steamer going over high heat, put the eggs straight from the fridge into the steamer basket, cover the pot and steam for about 13 minutes. Remove from the heat, run under cold water until cool and then add some ice and let them chill.
I peel my eggs by putting them in a jar with some water, screwing on the lid and shaking vigorously until the egg peels itself or mostly peels itself.
Voila! Perfectly cooked and peeled hard boiled eggs!3 -
Several years ago there was a thread running on this and a chef answered. He had a job in a large hotel in New York and had to do the hard boiled eggs for breakfast every morning. He explained that he experimented with different ways of boiling and peeling eggs. His best result was to bring the water to boiling and then put the eggs in for 10 min, run under cold water, shake the pan to crack the shells, and then peel when you're ready. He did alot of eggs.5
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I agree with stew 501. Just add a splash of vinegar to the water and the shell just slides off in large chunks. The acid breaks down the shell & makes eggs SUPER easy to peel. My grandma taught me that and she's 94! No vinegar taste unless they get large cracks when cooking either. Plunge in cold running tap water when done and keep it running until you can feel the eggs have cooled and no longer warming the water.
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I put mine in the pot with cold water, turn electric stove on high for 13 minutes. They always come out great (no green yolk) and peel relatively easy1
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