One of our least favorite tasks in the kitchen is peeling hard-boiled eggs. Its hard enough to produce a flawless boiled egg — you know, one with perfectly set yolks and without the dreaded green-tinge or overly sulfuric aroma. It adds insult to injury when the egg sticks to the shells, and you end up peeling off half of those precious whites along with them. If youre going through to the process of boiling eggs, you want to make those out of that experience. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to keep your eggs intact and prevent that undesirable, aesthetically unappealing pockmarked exterior.
These tips for peeling hard-boiled eggs involve a few things you can do before the egg even goes into the water and several tricks that make life so much easier after the egg is cooked. Feel free to combine a few egg-peeling hacks to ensure your egg whites turn out smooth and presentation-ready.
The easiest way to make hard-boiled eggs easier to peel starts with the age of the egg itself. The reason some eggs are harder to peel than others has a lot to do with how the egg whites protein bonds to the shells membrane. When that bond is strong, the egg sticks to the shell and flakes off as you peel.
The secret here is to use older eggs. As eggs age, their pH level increases, discouraging the egg proteins from clinging to the shell. Science stuff aside, that means that old eggs are just naturally easier to peel without any other hacks or tricks. If youre a planner, pick up a second carton of eggs and let it sit in the back of the refrigerator for a week or two prior to your hard-boiled egg date. Before you worry about the sell-by date on the carton, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) notes that eggs are good for three to five weeks from the date theyre placed in the refrigerator — even if the sell-by or expiration date expires. You should be fine as long as you purchased them before that date.
Cool Eggs Quickly In An Ice Bath Shocking your recently boiled eggs by submerging them into a bowl of ice water is key. The quick cooling of the hard-boiled eggs causes the egg whites to contract, freeing them from the membrane. If you let them cool for about 15 minutes, the peeling is much easier.
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Shock boiled eggs with an ice bath
Once youve decided on the right egg and the right boiling or steaming technique, its time to actually boil those eggs. After cooking them to the desired temperature (ranging from soft yolks to firmly set yolks), youll want to fill a bowl with ice and cold water.
This ice bath is so important for perfect hard-boiled eggs for two reasons. For starters, it stops the cooking process, ensuring that your yolk doesnt overcook during any carryover cooking. More importantly, the ice bath makes it easier to peel the eggs. Once again, this comes back to shocking the egg so it doesnt adhere to the shell. The cold water forces a rapid cooling process, contracting the egg inside the shell and firming up the egg white. That increases the chance that your egg whites will remain shiny and pockmark-free as you peel. When preparing your ice bath, be sure to add plenty of ice. Youd be surprised how quickly it will melt when it encounters the hot eggs!
Shake cooked eggs in a container with water
Gordon Ramsay isnt the only person to use a water-related egg-peeling tip. Similarly, this one starts by cracking the eggs, but it also involves shaking them in water to remove the shell so you dont have to do it by hand. To use the water glass method of effortless peeling eggs, select a narrow-mouthed water glass (or follow a TikTokers advice and use a sealable container like a mason jar). Then, crack the eggs and place each one individually into a container with water. Cover the glass with your hand or seal the lid and shake the egg vigorously, and the shell will fall right off like its magic.
Another TikToker follows a similar technique but utilizes the pot used to boil the eggs instead of dirtying an extra container. For this hack, crack the eggs by shaking the pot or tapping them with the back of a wooden spoon. Then, submerge all the eggs into the water and shake the pot to allow the water to get underneath the shells.
How To Cook Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs
FAQ
How long to let eggs cool after boiling?
How do you make hard-boiled eggs cool faster?
Do you have to let hard-boiled eggs cool before refrigerating?
How long does it take for an egg to cool off?
How to cool boiled eggs?
Using ice water is by far the easiest and quickest method of cooling down your recently boiled eggs. Get a bowl and fill it with cold water. Put in a couple of cubes of ice. Let it sit for a couple of minutes till it is cool. Enjoy your egg. Another easy method to cool boiled eggs is by placing it under running cold water from the faucet.
What is the best way to cook eggs?
The best way to prepare eggs are shorter and lower-heat cooking methods, as they cause less cholesterol oxidation and help retain most of the egg’s nutrients. For this reason, poached and boiled (either hard or soft) eggs may be the healthiest to eat. Also, these cooking methods, don’t add any unnecessary calories, like oil.
How do you cool boiled eggs in ice water?
One of the most popular methods is to submerge the boiled eggs in an ice water bath. This method involves filling a large bowl with cold water and ice and placing the boiled eggs in it for around 10 minutes. The cold water will stop the eggs from cooking further and help to cool them down quickly.
How do you keep hard boiled eggs from cracking?
Crowding the eggs risks cracking them. Hard-boiled eggs should be stored in the fridge, peeled or unpeeled, and will be good for up to a week. Put cold eggs in boiling water. Gently lower 6 to 12 large eggs, cold from the fridge, into 6 to 8 cups boiling water. Lower heat and simmer 11 minutes, then plunge into an ice bath.