Hard Boiled Eggs - best way to cook / peel

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BigBrewski
BigBrewski Posts: 922 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Ok, so I recently tried making some hardboiled eggs and I used my steamer to make them. Maybe I over steamed them but they did NOT peel easy. Is there a trick to making them so they peel easy?

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  • NoSpandex
    NoSpandex Posts: 54
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    I boil mine. If you put salt in the water they will peel easily.
  • weeblex
    weeblex Posts: 411 Member
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    Boil in the saucepan.

    Refrigerate them till really cold and the shell peels right off.
  • lunarastro
    lunarastro Posts: 32 Member
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    boil them and put a bunch of salt in the water (like2 tablespoons). THis should help them peel easier. Also, if possible, peel them under running water. The stream of water gets inbetween the shell and the membrane and makes peeling a breeze.
  • dripsillu
    dripsillu Posts: 3
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    Before I peel mine I fill the pan I use with cold water a couple times (Dump and fill). I peel them after that and they always come out fine, with no difficulties, no wasted egg.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    I boil mine & put baking soda in the water. Saw a video on Youtube ... "Peel an egg in 10 seconds" The baking soda changes the PH of the water.

    http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+easy+peel+egg&view=detail&mid=A79CB0EDF1C699D03A6EA79CB0EDF1C699D03A6E&first=0&qpvt=youtube+easy+peel+egg
  • Kerri_is_so_very
    Kerri_is_so_very Posts: 1,005 Member
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    Really fresh eggs won't peel easy (you can put in ice water bath after boiling). But I would boil and not steam them. I put a drop of vinegar in mine during the boil. I have chickens so my eggs are always super fresh and I purposely set a dozen or so aside to "age" before boiling otherwise I have nothing but yolk left :laugh:
  • Monica_in_MO
    Monica_in_MO Posts: 162 Member
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    Caterer here! : ) Put them into the pot and as soon as the water begins to boil, set a timer for 9 minutes. When the timer goes off, drain the boiling water and run cold water over them until you can hold them in your hand. Peel them under a tiny stream of cold water and you will have no problems!
  • Bilbobradshaw
    Bilbobradshaw Posts: 79 Member
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    Older/less fresh eggs are typically easier to peel. I usually let mine soak in a solution of baking soda overnight, and in the morning, I mildly damage the shell and then roll the egg in my hand (gently enough to crack the shell while allowing the inner membrane to remain mostly in tact) until the entire egg is thoroughly covered in cracks.

    after this, you can pretty much just slide the shell off.
  • hunter624
    hunter624 Posts: 252
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    Before I peel mine I fill the pan I use with cold water a couple times (Dump and fill). I peel them after that and they always come out fine, with no difficulties, no wasted egg.

    this is my best way as well!

    :drinker:
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    Hm, I've never steamed eggs before... What I do is put them in a pot with just enough water to cover, bring to a full rolling boil then shut the heat off (and/or take the pot off the burner if it's an electric stove top) and let them sit for 15 minutes. Then put them in an ice bath and let them fully cool. Never seem to have trouble peeling if I do it this way.
  • janemem
    janemem Posts: 575 Member
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    A few tips that may help (my son has chickens so I regularly hard boil them to eat fresh and to pickle).

    1) If the eggs are too fresh the shell will be a nightmare to peel. Keep the eggs you want to hard boil for at least 10/12 days before boiling.

    2) Add a dash of vinegar to the water before boiling. This will reduce the risk of the shells cracking whilst boiling and losing the white in the pan.

    3) Never start with boiled/boiling water, always put eggs in the pan and cover with tap water and bring to the boil together.

    4) Boil for a minimum of 7 minutes and then plunge the eggs into cold water and keep changing the water until it stays cold.

    5) Peel the shells under gently running water, I find this works even for really stubborn shells.

    I know it sounds like a bit of a palaver but after years of frustration with pesky egg shells that refuse to come away from the egg I get better results by following these steps. :happy:
  • flstarlady65
    flstarlady65 Posts: 129
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    Per my boyfriend and Executive Chef..

    1. Put eggs in water on stove
    2. cook for 15 minutes
    3. when done submerge them in an ice bath.
    4. older eggs are better.

    I think some people tend to under cook them.
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
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    I've tried a bunch of methods and the one I found works best is twofold:

    1) Wait until the eggs are a few days old to HB them. The contents leech out through the porous shell over time so the contents don't press so closely inside the shell during boiling.

    2) Vinegar in the water. Salt doesn't seem to do diddly, haven't tried the baking soda though. But vinegar def makes a difference. I've tried white, apple cider and malt, not noticed a significant difference between them.

    As for steaming... no idea sorry.
  • michelle_w_04
    michelle_w_04 Posts: 23 Member
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    I put the eggs in a pot and cover with cold water. Then I put them on the stove just until the water is boiling. After that I take them off the heat, cover with a lid, and let them set for 11 minutes. Then I put the eggs in a bowl of ice water just until I'm able to handle them. If you peel them under running water it sometimes helps too.
  • kd_mazur
    kd_mazur Posts: 569 Member
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    I also boil then cool my eggs. I have also heard that if they are a little bit older eggs as opposed to farm fresh eggs
  • RunHardBeStrong
    RunHardBeStrong Posts: 33,069 Member
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    I boil mine & put baking soda in the water. Saw a video on Youtube ... "Peel an egg in 10 seconds" The baking soda changes the PH of the water.

    http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+easy+peel+egg&view=detail&mid=A79CB0EDF1C699D03A6EA79CB0EDF1C699D03A6E&first=0&qpvt=youtube+easy+peel+egg

    Yep. Works wonderfully even better then salt water. Shell slips right off!
  • SpecialKitty7
    SpecialKitty7 Posts: 678 Member
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    I think you over steamed. I steam my eggs all the time, even the old eggs peel fine. One thing i have found is that you need to peel them while they are still warm before putting them in the fridge.
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
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    Before I peel mine I fill the pan I use with cold water a couple times (Dump and fill). I peel them after that and they always come out fine, with no difficulties, no wasted egg.

    Works great for me as well. I just switch from boiling water to cold water a couple times and I run cool water over each egg just before I peel it. They usually come out perfect.
  • SteveHunt113
    SteveHunt113 Posts: 648 Member
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    Before I peel mine I fill the pan I use with cold water a couple times (Dump and fill). I peel them after that and they always come out fine, with no difficulties, no wasted egg.
    Yep, if you peel them right after you boil them (need to cool them so they can be handled), they always peel easily.

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