Hard Boiled Eggs
Who's got the unfailing secret to peeling hard boiled eggs? It's always a crapshoot with me ... either the egg peels seemlessly without any problem or I can get the shell off to save my life (or the egg). I cook them the same every time: eggs in water, heat to boil, set timer for 12 minutes. Drain. Run cold water over eggs to stop cooking process. I'm tired of throwing eggs down the drain because I can't get the shell off of them without destroying them in the process.
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23 Comments:
Your eggs are too fresh - seriously! Leave them out a day, and turn the box sideways. You'll have yolks centered, and easy to peel eggs. I also add a little white vinegar to the water.
PerkyMac at 7:48AM on 12/31/08
Oh, and......I tap the large end to access the air bubble, then roll the egg under my hand until the shell is cracked into little pieces, which should then come off in one piece if I'm lucky.
PerkyMac at 7:51AM on 12/31/08
Yeah dont use those EB eggs I just bring them to a boil and turn off leave the pan sit with a lid on for 30 min or more then run under cold water.
joanpieroni2 at 8:16AM on 12/31/08
Peel them under running lukewarm water. The water is lubricant to the shell and it gets under the shell and on the skin and no more shell.
JerzeeTomato at 8:41AM on 12/31/08
PerkyMac hit it right on the head.... bring your eggs home from the store and let them sit (refrigerated) for 5-7 days. Difficult peeling is characteristic of fresh eggs with a relatively low Albumen pH, which somehow causes the albumen to adhere to the the inner shell membrane more strongly than it coheres to itself. At the pH typical after several days of refrigeration, around 9.2, the shell will peel more easily. A hint for keeping eggs from cracking and leaking albumen into the water. Cook them gently... at between 180-190 F or 80-85 C (bubble-less simmer) for 10- 15 minutes then dunk them in cold water immediately and peel as soon as you are able to touch them. Crack them as per PerkyMacs instructions and get them out of the shell ASAP. Cooking the eggs at a lower temperature will not only ensure non-cracking but also produce a softer less rubbery egg white and minimize "greening" of the yolk. And shocking them in ice water or cold water will minimize yolk "greening" as well. Hope this helps......
Pavlov at 9:25AM on 12/31/08
P.S. Like JerzeeTomato, I always peel mine under running water.
Pavlov at 9:27AM on 12/31/08
Thank you everybody. All this time I thought my eggs might have been past their due date, not too fresh. Good to know.
smallkitchen at 9:35AM on 12/31/08
Julia Child's method of boiling eggs. Start eggs in enough cold water to cover them, bring to boil with the lid on and turn the heat off, let stand for thirty minutes remove eggs, run under cold water and start peeling the eggs on the top (or bottom)where the air bubble is. Works every time
nelson5757 at 10:09AM on 12/31/08
I agree with the age of the eggs suggestions, but I'm a lot closer to your method, I do Cooks Illustrated's 10 minute sit, or 12 minutes for brown eggs. Never have green rings, I just don't think I could do a 30 minute sit. I shake the pan after emptying out the cold water to crack the shells a bit, then roll them on the counter before peeling. Sometimes I try them under warm water if I'm really having trouble.
I did just learn that brown eggs are supposedly better for hard boiling because their shells are thicker (they say that's the only difference). But with me it's usually a crapshoot, some peel like a dream, others not so much. I am always sure to boil more than I need though in case of disaster. And I have 2 dogs who love hard boiled eggs, and who probably will me to screw up the peeling!
bobcatsteph3 at 11:17AM on 12/31/08
@Pavlov--you've got the Alton going on. Good info. Science + food = seriously good eats!
dhorst at 11:27AM on 12/31/08
FYI: The only difference between brown and white eggs is the color of the parents. White chickens with white ear lobes lay white eggs, and red chickens with red ear lobes lay brown eggs.... The chickens that lay brown eggs actually eat more because of their larger size and are therefore more expensive.
"Greening of the yolk" is caused by a couple of factors... Excessive heat, prolonged cooking, using old eggs. The green coating on the surface of the yolk is a harmless combo of sulfur and iron... or ferrous sulfide. Greening can be minimized by using fresher eggs, cooking as briefly as possible and cooling them rapidly after cooking. That's just hard science...
Pavlov at 11:42AM on 12/31/08
@dhorst.... I owe it all to Harold McGee..... and Thanks for noticing!
Pavlov at 11:43AM on 12/31/08
Have read that after the eggs are boiled, shock them in ice water. The cold causes the egg to retract a bit from the shell, making them easier to peel.
TikiPundit at 12:44PM on 12/31/08
I make my eggs somewhat similar in method to the Julia Child technique mentioned above - bring eggs to a boil in a saucepan, turn off heat, and let sit in a covered pan for 17 minutes, then rinse under cold water.
LadyMarmalade at 2:18PM on 12/31/08
I wasn't going to make any New Year's resolutions, but after reading this thread I think I may make one: to make perfect hard boiled eggs, or at least a whole batch with no shredders! These are great tips and suggestions.
HeartofGlass at 3:11PM on 12/31/08
I don't like to call them hard boiled eggs; rather, I prefer to say "hard cooked eggs." Boiling is a major factor in creating the green rims. The methods mentioned above whereby you slowly simmer or barely bring the eggs to a boil and turn off the heat is what I do. Peeling them under cold running water helps to ease the shells off. And I guess I'm somewhat of a snob when it comes to seeing green. I consider people who serve hard cooked egges with green rimed yolks to be inferior cooks (as happens most often).
SavtaShayna at 5:30PM on 12/31/08
I take the eggs off the stove and dump the hot water out and shke the hell out of the pan to crack the eggs, run cold water on them for about 5 minutes and then peel them under running water (cold).
pjracz10 at 12:25AM on 01/01/09
my method is bring cold water and eggs to boil. forget to watch them. they boil 2-3 minutes or so before i notice they are boiling. i shut stove and remove from heat. then set timer for 5 minutes. replace hot water with ice and cold water. leave another 10 minutes. roll on hard surface to fully crack the shell. my husband likes to run them under cold water while removing the shell at this point, but if im careful i dont need to.
blizcheetah at 12:45AM on 01/01/09
I usually make the eggs the night before and when I try to peel..chunks of white used to come off. Now, peeling them under warm water seems to really work.
Alternatively, peeling right away after running the pan through cold water works well. Hail to the almighty deviled egg.
lamora at 5:28AM on 01/01/09
I use the same peeling method as pjracz10.
Maryland Crab
Maryland Crab at 11:55AM on 01/01/09
The secret is: throw a couple of teaspoons of salt in when you add the eggs, and let it boil. It shrinks the skin away from the shell. Almost every one will peel easily.
jaygee6246 at 10:07PM on 01/03/09
Just finished a Julia Child (older) book at the library. Here's her idea:
The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg
Recipe By : Julia Child, “The Way to Cook”
Preparation Time :0:40
For 1-4 Eggs:
1 to 4 Eggs
2 quarts water -- * see note
For 12 Eggs:
12 Eggs
3 1/2 quarts water -- * see note
For 24 Eggs:
24 Eggs
6 quarts water -- * see note
Special Equipment
High (not wide) Saucepan with cover
Bowl w/ice cubes & water (large enough to completely cover eggs)
*note: water should cover the eggs by 1 inch, so use a tall pan, and limit
cooking to 2 dozen eggs at a time.
1. Lay the eggs in the pan and add the amount of cold water specified. Set
over high heat and bring just to the boil; remove from heat, cover the pan,
and let sit exactly 17 minutes.
2. When the time is up, transfer the eggs to the bowl of ice cubes and
water. Chill for 2 minutes while bringing the cooking water to the boil
again. (This 2 minute chilling shrinks the body of the egg from the shell.)
3. Transfer the eggs (6 at a time only) to the boiling water, bring to the
boil again, and let boil for 10 seconds - this expands the shell from the
egg. Remove eggs, and place back into the ice water.
Chilling the eggs promptly after each step prevents that dark line from
forming, and if time allows, leave the eggs in the ice water after the last
step for 15 to 20 minutes. Chilled eggs are easier to peel, as well.
The peeled eggs will keep perfectly in the refrigerator, submerged in water
in an uncovered container, for 2 to 3 days.
jackiejackiejackie at 6:24PM on 01/05/09
pavlov hit the key point: ice water. Getting the eggs out of the boiling water and into the ice water right away is the key that I've found.
Also, no need to toss the egg, use the destroyed eggs for egg salad! It takes a bit of effort to get the little bits of shell out, but I hate tossing perfectly tasty eggs because they didn't hold together. Even one or two eggs worth of egg salad will make a decent sandwich or topping for some crackers. It helps if you love egg salad, of course.
ccbweb at 6:39PM on 01/05/09