How does one peel a hard-boiled egg?

[Bertha Venation]

It's got to be easier than this . . .

I peel an egg. I can only get tiny fragments of shell at a time. If I can get a piece where the membrane comes off too, the rest of the shell will come off more easily - maybe. Usually I get a little piece that comes off with the membrane, and it helps some, but then the membrane sticks again.

Anyone know any tricks to peeling a hard-boiled egg?

[Lars39]

1. Crack it a bit with a spoon, run it under water...shell comes off easy.

:hi:

[LNM]

2. Fresh eggs are harder to peel.

Hard-boil your eggs after you've had them awhile.

[newcriminal]

4. I didn't know that.

[supernova]

5. Yes, this is the answer

fresh eggs havea tougher membrane. Older ones, it's more fragile and therefore easier to peel.

[femmocrat]

3. This doesn't always work, but....

If you dunk the egg into cold water after boiling it, sometimes the shell comes off easier. Also, it is more difficult to peel a fresh egg than an older one. I always buy my Easter eggs the week before, so they will be not as fresh.

[Kali]

6. use old eggs - at least 2 weeks is what I do

and I leave them under water to cool

[hippywife]

10. That was going to be my suggestion.

If they're too fresh, that membrane hasn't thickened/dried sufficiently to make them easier to peel.

:hi:

[Tangerine LaBamba]

25. This one is mine, too -

put room temp eggs in salted cold water to cover.

Bring to a boil.

Take off the heat.

Cover.

Leave for twenty minutes.

Run under cold water.

Peel.

Never fails..................

[Moondog]

7. Sure. Instead of hard-boiling, try hard-poaching.

I have one of those goofy egg-cookers with a poacher insert than cooks with steam. One day I wanted egg salad, was feeling lazy, and I hit upon the idea of poaching them hard (using the amount of water that you usually use to hard-boil them). Works great. For everything except deviled eggs when the poached shape would look a little weird.

[plcdude]

8. try this

it works http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN2gYHJNT3Y

[Moondog]

9. Hah! Most excellent!

[theNotoriousP.I.G.]

12. do you put the baking soda in when you are cooking them?

Or after when you put the cold water in with the ice? That part wasn't clear. I'm gonna try this both ways tomorrow morning!

[LNM]

14. Whoa! I gotta try that!

[pokerfan]

15. That makes me want to go and buy a dozen eggs

[GoddessOfGuinness]

27. That is too cool! Except...

I'll peel my own, thank you very much.

[JVS]

31. That is not a sanitary way to make pickled eggs for a picnic!

[flvegan]

11. Rap the rounder end with something, then lightly roll the egg around on the counter

shattering the entire shell. Peel.

[theNotoriousP.I.G.]

13. I've rarely had problems with my method

slap the egg on a hard surface to create cracks, peel them away, making sure that you are dislodging the inner membrane as well and then slide a spoon in under that thin membrane and kind of roll the spoon around the egg until all the shell is off the egg. The sooner you peel the eggs after cooking, the easier this seems to be. I don't let my eggs sit in cold water for more than a minute.

[Bertha Venation]

19. The eggs aren't too hot to handle

after only a minute in cold water?

[theNotoriousP.I.G.]

26. No, I keep them under running cold water

[Obama2012]

16. Don't use fresh eggs and roll it around on the counter

[Inchworm]

17. I run cold water on them when they are done

for 2-3 minutes right in the pot I cooked them in. I'm not sure if that helps but mine peel easy.

I smash the egg onto the table and roll it to make sure it is broken all the way around. Then it usually peels in 2 pieces.

:hi::*

[SacredCow]

18. Like the devil....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxbVEIvKu8A

:rofl:

[commander bunnypants]

20. what was that thing underpants liked

the egganator or something


CB

[Xithras]

21. I give them to my 4 year old and say "Be careful with this"

:)

[supernova]

23. HA HA HA!

:rofl:

[GreenPartyVoter]

34. *snarf*

[ElboRuum]

22. It's easy.

The secret is not to pull the shell off, but to push the shell off with your thumb. Crack the egg, pull a few fragments off, then use a lateral shearing motion at the site of the hole you've created to gently slough off the shell.

[MichiganVote]

24. Easy. Place in cool water following cooking. B patient. Don't peel b/f cool. Run under H20 to peel.

[wickerwoman]

28. Tap and roll only on the fat end

peel off the fat end and get under the membrane, then peel in a spiral around the egg from the bottom to the top.

It's better not to roll the whole thing around on the counter because then you get tons of little clingy fragments instead of nice big bits. Leverage is the key.

And like everyone else said, don't boil very fresh eggs.

[astral]

29. I just slam a knife down the middle and then

scoop out each half with a teaspoon. If you just plan to eat the eggs and don't need to have them be Purty Slices, it works quick.

[Strong Atheist]

30. Vewwy carefully... nt.

[old mark]

32. First, boil it RIGHT!!!!. Place eggs in cold water, heat till rolling boil begins,

and IMMEDIATELY cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes, then run under cold water. Cool eggs, tap on hard surface and peel. should come off more easily than what you describe.

It took me 60 years to find the right way to do this, so I'm trying to help you out a little.


mark

[nuxvomica]

35. That's how I do it. I believe Julia Child called them "HB" eggs

They are cooked rather than actually hard-boiled and they don't have that green layer between the white and the yoke that indicates overcooking (has something to do with copper and iron interaction).

However, to peel them easily I tap them with a spoon till I see a crack while they're cooling off in the cold water and let the water insinuate itself between the shell and the white. Then the shells just slip off.

[old mark]

36. I actually looked up the "recipe" on Google - I have been doing it this way

for about 6 months without problems - they taste much better as well.

I am amazed that it took me almost 62 years of my life to learn how to corectly boil a fucking egg.

Things like this keep me from getting too proud.....




:evilgrin:

mark

[nuxvomica]

39. There's a noticeable difference when using them in egg salad

The yolks are dry but fluffy and golden, and so crumbly that they seem to fuse with the mayonnaise.

[old mark]

40. Just had one for early breakfast at 4 AM. nt

[Sanity Claws]

33. You have to prepare it right

If you don't know the trick about the eggshell, I'm assuming that you don't know the trick about making them. (Please don't take offense -- I make hard boiled several times a week and have it done pat.)

Place egg in small saucepan with enough water to cover egg. When the water comes to a boil, cover it and turn off the heat. Let it sit 20 minutes. Then take egg out of water and place it in COLD water. You could do this by running it under cold tap water and then letting it sit in the cold water a minute or two. Or you could have the cold prepared by placing water in a small bowl with ice cubes. Either way, let the egg sit in the cold water for at least a minute.
Then crack the shell and it should come off very easily.

Yummm!!

[Gidney N Cloyd]

37. Boil all your eggs for the year on the vernal equinox.

The shells come right off.

[Demoiselle]

38. Julia Child says:

Put the eggs in a pot,cover with cold water, bring to a rolling boil and boil for ten minutes.

Have a bowl of iced water ready. When eggs have boiled, PLUNGE them IMMEDIATELY into the ice water.
Let sit in the ice water for ten minutes.
Then take them out of the ice water one at a time,
crack the egg on the side of the sink gently, all over, then peel. The shells should slip right off.
This works for me every time.

[Bertha Venation]

41. Thanks, everyone!

Hard to believe that this thread still has life.