How do I peel a hard boiled egg?
Nowadays all I get is AI slop articles about "other ways to cook eggs".
EDIT: Managed to solve this issue, and I like the way the comment section has gone nuts.
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Nowadays all I get is AI slop articles about "other ways to cook eggs".
EDIT: Managed to solve this issue, and I like the way the comment section has gone nuts.
That's a great question! Break the shell a bit with a spoon, peel under flowing water. The end.
You are absolutely right! Thanks for your insightful answer.
Are you 2 LLMs?
No, I am not a language model (LLLMs) designed to understand and generate human—like text.
Agree!
I just hit the egg a few times on the sink.
Also best to include the membrane under the shell, so a whole lot can be peeled in one go.
i always go for the fat end of the egg, there's normally an air bubble on that end so it breaks away with the membrane so easily and the rest just slips off
After you boil it, put it in some cool water. This helps the white pull away from the shell a little bit, I think. I use a plain kitchen knife to crack the egg and then slide the end of the knife between the shell and the cooked white. There's a kind of a film layer in between too. Usually, this helps the shell stick together as you peel it off.
You want to break off pieces at a time, don't go for the whole thing all at once. Work your way around the egg slowly, breaking off chunks of the shell as you go. Once you're about halfway done, you can usually hold the egg over a bowl or plate or something and then work the tip of the knife around the rest of the shell, letting the egg fall out onto whatever is below it.
It takes a little practice but you should get it after a few eggs. Hard boiled eggs are easier. Soft boiled eggs aren't too bad but you have to be careful that you don't dig too deeply because you'll break the yolk and it all runs out.
Two thing to add. First slightly older eggs peel better (aka what you get from the supermarket). Second: use the ball of your fingers not the nail to avoid ripping up the white.
The way I was taught was to place down a paper towel, then crack the side of the egg against the flat surface and roll the egg back-and-forth to mush the shell into much smaller pieces.
Should make it easier to peel bit by bit instead of pulling away large chunks that can cut into the egg “flesh.”
Edit: the paper towel was to make it easier to clean up the shell bits afterwards
That’s my technique as well.
Yes! Tap it against the counter to start the first crack, and then somewhat firmly roll it on the counter to break the shell all over. You can also do it by tapping it all over with a spoon or something but the rolling is so much quicker I never bother anymore
Mit einem eierschalensollbruchstellenverursacher, natürlich
But if you’re headed for deviled eggs or that sort of thing, a cold plunge is what I’ve always been told.
This is partially because 90% of the time the cook determines how an egg will peel. The other 10% are eggs that are too fresh and no matter what the shell would stick.
But I am the cook
Peeling can be easy or difficult in part due to the cooking method. Here's a good write up on tests of various cooking methods to make easier peeling hard boiled eggs: https://www.seriouseats.com/the-secrets-to-peeling-hard-boiled-eggs
It is a good write up, but I have a 90+% success rate of easy peeling starting with cold water on an electric stove and then putting them in an ice bath.
Water from the tap, put eggs in and set to high. When it starts a rolling boil turn off the heat and put the lid on, start a timer, but don't move the pot. This will cause it to continue boiling for a a few more minutes.
At 11 minutes after putting the lid on I run cold water into the pot to bring down the water temp so I can fish out the eggs. When tolerable I put them in an ice bath and leave them there for about 10 minute or so. When doing it this way I only get one or maybe two in a dozen that is hard to peel by just hitting it on a firm surface and then using fingers to pull shell off sideways.
I had much worse results before the ice bath, and I didn't change anything else.
Funny, that's exactly how I used to do it. And I still do if I want cool eggs sooner.
Our eggs may be different (US here, working from refrigerated washed eggs) or I am less lucky. I had mostly success, but sometimes had troublesome eggs and would have a few mangy looking ones where the white sticks to the inside of the shell and water doesn't change it. Chunks of white pull away. After switching to the Kenji method I have more success than before. Still once in a while I get a stuck shell, but less often.
You'd probably have 100% success rate if you put eggs in when the water is boiling. And pour the hot water out before pouring cold water in, for a better cold shock. This certainly improved things for me.
If I had a wire basket to transition thr eggs into boiling and from boiling to ice I would, just haven't gotten around to getting one.
Eh, I do without any such thing: gently chucking the eggs in by hand one by one, and afterwards just pouring out the water while holding the pot to the edge of the sink to keep the eggs in. Though once in a while fancy takes me and I use a big serving spoon to lower the eggs.
I use Kenji's method as well and it's never once failed. Here's a video 'splanation in case that suits you better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IeKQSW1LX8
Everyone has their specific method, personally I tap the top and bottom on the counter, then roll it on the counter with a little bit of pressure. For me, this let's the shell get all cracked up but still stick to the membrane and peels off super easily... It worked well enough that my wife asked me why I never mention it for the first decade of our marriage, I thought everyone knew and just did it their own way.
The trick is getting the skin beneath the shell to pull the rest of it
Fresher eggs will be harder to peel tho
I'll second the fresh eggs part. We get our family's eggs from a farmer in the next town over. They said that week old eggs will peel much easier.
FWIW, place week old eggs in a pot, cover with cool water, bring to a rolling boil, cover and remove from heat. Wait 20 minutes exactly, then dunk in cool water.
As others have suggested, bang top and bottom of the egg, then roll gently on the countertop/table to crush all of the shell without piercing the membrane, then pierce through the membrane on the top of the egg where the air bubble is and peel from there. Most of the time the shell amd membrane comes off in one piece.
I do the same but I only wait 11 minutes and then I put ice over them
Make sure you get under the membrane, not the shell. Its super easy after that.
For starters, eggs should be put in already boiling water, as opposed to heating up the eggs and the water together. Otherwise the egg sticks to the white. If you have problems with eggs cracking while boiling, use a needle or a knife to poke a hole in the shell in the end that is the least pointy so that the air bubble inside has an escape.
I usually drop it in the table and roll it around just to get the entire shell to Crack. Then it should come off easily.
I was told to steam my eggs at some point because the temp of the water won't drop from the cold eggs. They've always peeled well cooking them this way.
True. I can't be arsed, but dedicated egg cookers do this for that reason.
Press it on the counter then roll it while pressing. Like a rolling pin. It creates lots of cracks. Then do the water thing.
So you are interested in how to peel a hard boiled egg? Let me tell you first about the history of the egg and its impact on society…
Can you also include a few paragraphs about how your grandma used to cook this for you on special nights and how they mean home to you?
My best results come from:
Your water for boiling can be reused for cooking beans, the baking soda will help break down the various gas-causing sugars, and cellulose. Don't fully cook them in this water, they'll taste bad. This is simply a trick so that you can soak your beans for 45 minutes or so instead of overnight.
The salt bath can be used to start a brine, or to cook pasta.
Cook a fresh one. Older ones are impossible to peel, the membrane get's glued to the white.
I've also noticed that if I let them cool for very long, it also gets harder to peel.
From working in commercial kitchens where Id do 50-100+ for breakfast every day:
first boil them, add a bit of white vinegar to loosen the shells. At that scale, i was also able to 'age' the eggs a bit, which helps a lot. (i ordered and set aside eggs to they spent 10-14 days in the walk in before boiling)
then straight into an ice bath. The temperature shock will contract the whites away from the membrane a little. (This also helps prevent carryover cooking)
Then, fish the eggs out, roll them along a hard surface to crack a band around the middle/ widest diameter, then into a second cool, but not freezing bucket of water with a cloth, and use the cloth underwater to gently peel the shells away, with a spoon handy for prying off more stubborn pieces that get stuck, or pushed into the whites a little.
If everything worked out, for most of the eggs, you should be able to sort of twist and pull off the mostly intact top and bottom hemisphere of shell, with the rag, and then gently brush away the cracked middle section.
My experience has been the older the eggs, the harder they are to peel. I think some of the liquid around the membrane dries out or something.
I don't really understand people getting out an unnecessary utensil to crack the egg. Put the pot you cooked it in in the sink and run cod water on it. Then just knock it against the inside of the pot to crack it. If you like the roll technique, roll it against the pan. Do this in the water; some believe cracking it underwater helps the shell release, tho honestly I'm not sure about that part.
Guess I need to go find some cod water now
If you have an actual cod you can save a step by just slapping the egg with the fish directly.
Found the fivehead
Just watch out for the zombie mode.
It definitely helps. I like soft and medium boiled eggs, which are super hard to peel, and eventually found that peeling then under water helps a lot.
with your mouth, silly.
roll it around your tongue to smash the shell up but not break the egg inside. then, suck all the shells down and pop out the freshly washed egg.
this is the way my family has done it for generations. we used to play a game where we would swap the eggs out from person to person and whoever had the clean egg by the end was the winner.
You put it in cold water for a few minutes and it's pretty easy with your fingers, like peeling a brittle orange.
This has to be when it's still hot... Right?
Put it in the cool or cold water right from the hot water so that it goes from hot to not hot quickly. Peel after it has cooled down.
Yes. When it is done boiling, you put it in cold water for like 10 seconds (i usually put it under the faucet).
Paper towel on a hard surface, drop egg to crack shell, roll it under your hand until it’s all crackled, then pick out a piece that lifts the membrane and peel it off like skin.
Give it a rinse after to remove any particulate. Humans really shouldn’t be eating the shells in chunks as it can get caught in appendix if you have one.
Use old eggs. New eggs sink to bottom of a glass of water and lay on their side, old eggs will sink but stand up, bad eggs float.
Get the water boiling before adding the eggs.
Cook for twelve minutes.
Remove from water and immediately place them in an ice bath.
Tap the flat end and then roll its side on a hard surface to crack.
Pick off bits of shell in a vertical line from the flat to the point making sure to remove the film under the shell.
Peel of the remainder horizontally.
Eat all damaged eggs.
Simplest answer?
While/before the egg is cooking, half fill a suitable container (enough to hold egg + water + ice) and then with cold water, set it aside to get cold.
Use thumbtack/pin to poke a single hole in round end (not pointier end) to let air escape.
Cook egg to your preferred doneness, and immediately transfer egg (gently, don't let it crack) to icy water in said container. Let rest for a few minutes (ie. 5+).
Run a cold tap until the stream is steady (just barely above separate drops) but not forceful.
Remove egg from ice bath, and discard contents of container.
Crack egg onto flat surface on opposite sides and then both ends, in turn. (1 gentle tap on each should do it)
Under the stream of cold water, begin with the most prominent section of breakage, peel with the underlying membrane the shell back and let the water work its way between the egg white and the membrane while you work your thumbnail/fingertips to remove the shell in multiple shards still attached to said membrane.
Once you get the hang of it, you can often get ~½" of shell off before the rest simply unsleeves. 🥳👩🏼🍳
The thumbtack trick was a game changer for me back when someone shared it with me. I have a dedicated thumbtack in a kitchen drawer now.
The kid in me likes keeping that dedicated thumbtack in the kitchen wall, but the chef in me sanitizes it both before and after. 🤪
My boyfriend has this trick where he pokes a hole on the top, a hole in the bottom, and then he blows and the egg just falls out.
Never managed to pull it off, I just claw at it until it's done.
I always just shock them in some iced-water when done cooking.
And shuck them while in said water.
🥹
I just hit it againt the counter until the peal breaks then it starts behaving like a bouncing ball. I keep playing with the ball until the shards are small enough and then pull the peal that now is more like a skin.
Then wash it with running water to get rid of the remaining shards. This step helps cooling down the egg which after boiling is too hot anyway, but you can probably skip and just pull the remaining shards manually it if you are one of those people who can stand and prefer things superhot.
With a teaspoon. Gently crack the shell, then pull off a small bit so the spoon fits then run the spoon between the shell and egg. Works perfectly for me, but works best if they're freshly cooked.
Bend over and I'll show you.
Serious answer: Break it, carefully pry off the bits of shell one at a time. Obviously without damaging the egg.
TIL that putting it in cold water has anything to do with that. I always just figured that's part of the recipe and has something to do with the way they cook.
I usually put it in ice water for a few minutes, then crack it slightly and then start peeling the shell off.
Hit it against a counter or table to crack the shell and then peel it. Just like you’re cracking an egg normally.
Sometimes can be helpful afterwards to run it water if there’s little shell bits still sticking to the egg.
Not one Lilliputian joke in site, so disappointing.
Ask my wife. I've followed dozens of direction, none work for me - I get the peel and half the egg white off. She manages to get a nice peel every time.
i don't think it is genetic, but whatever it is nothing works.
What I do is I'll start a small stream of cool running water from the faucet and then take the backside of a spoon and smack the egg under the running water from the faucet.
As it cracks the water will get in between the shell and the egg itself and the shell will just pop right off as soon as you've cracked it enough and you break the membrane.
There’s so much bullshit out there about this “problem”. They’re mostly crap.
The one thing I found works well is to stop the eggs into an ice water bath and let them cool for at least 10 minutes before peeling. They really seem to hold together quite well almost all the time.
But nothings guaranteed. I remember some chef on Reddit years ago said you can be as good at peeling eggs as anybody - they aren’t all going to peel cleanly. That’s why when they are peeling tons of eggs in a restaurant (for deviled eggs or any dish where appearance matters), the rejects go into the bowl for making egg salad later.
https://youtu.be/jjRFu3iIuvg
Shock them in cold water, then drain, then shake them a bit in the pot so that the shells crack all over, then cover in water again and leave for a couple minutes. The water will seep under the shells and unstick them from the eggs. It's not a full proof method, but that's how I do it.
Somebody once told me that it's easier if you bring the water to a boil first before you put the eggs in to cook, as well as putting them in cold water afterwards. It seems to work for me.
Use a thumbtack to make a tiny hole in the wider part of the egg so it doesn't crack while cooking.
I think You meant 16 - 17 minutes. Ain't no way the eggs will fully cook in 6 minutes. That's how I do it as per Chef John's instructions.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/235595/how-to-make-perfect-hard-boiled-eggs/
If I wanted to be mean I'd ask "How did you get to boil the water in the first place"
With a spoon under a running faucet. It's the perfect tool for peeling an egg.
Do you really need instructions for this? Just crack the shell and take it off. For an easier time, drop the eggs directly in ice water immediately after taking out of the boiling water to shock the egg and make it pull away from the shell.
I put the egg in warm water and crank the heat. Bring to boil for 8 min. Immediately into ice bath to stop further cooking. Peel carefully. You get a cooked white, with a mostly cooked, slightly translucent yolk.