I steam eggs in my rice steamer for 20 minutes. Run under cold water and peel. The shells slip right off.

My experience is that if you are just going to chop them up for egg salad or something they peel beautifully, but if you want flawless deviled eggs they won't. Just sayin'.

Ok...here you go...forget everything you have learned or heard.

Start eggs straight from the fridge into cold water. Bring water to a slow boil stage. Turn heat off and cover pan. Let sit for 17 minutes off heat for large size eggs.

Plunge into ice water. Remove and crack eggs on both ends and then crack all over. Start to peel where you meet little resistance and then come back to the hard spots. You should almost be able to rub the eggs in your hands and remove all of the shell at the same time. I generally go at the shell one place at a time.

This works for me. I don't bother with all the other stuff.

I cook mine the way Paul said. Bring eggs to a boil then remove from heat and let sit for 12 minutes.

There have been threads about this topic more than once, and steaming seems to be a common solution.

Steaming works best for me...15 to 20 minutes and then immediately plunged into ice water. I'll never go back to boiling.

I think a cold plunge will definitely help, physics-wise. Seems like that would make the egg rapidly contract, leaving a possible air space between the cooked egg and shell. I know I have better success when I do a cold plunge, and by that I mean using ice water. But you still have to be careful. I don't think eggs are all that easy to peel, no matter what. But at least if the shells don't stick to the eggs it is possible to get a smoother egg surface.

I'm w/ rita. If using for egg salad, they peel beautifully but if deviled eggs they don't peel off like I want.

There are so many different species of egg laying chickens.

Each specie has old chickens and young chickens.

They all have different diets, and possibly summer eggs are different than winter eggs, morning eggs may be different than evening eggs --------.old eggs, fresh eggs, white eggs, brown eggs --------small eggs, jumble eggs -------

I am not sure there is a single effective way to peel hard boiled eggs. You can't assume that all eggs behave the same way.

dcarch

This post was edited by dcarch on Thu, Dec 25, 14 at 12:56

"My experience is that if you are just going to chop them up for egg salad or something they peel beautifully, but if you want flawless deviled eggs they won't. Just sayin'."

Similarly, If you want scrambled eggs or baking a cake, the yolks don't break but if you want but should you want sunny side up....

Yep, lol

"Steaming works best for me...15 to 20 minutes and then immediately plunged into ice water. I'll never go back to boiling."

I wonder what the physical difference is.

I've made deviled eggs twice this holiday season, trying out the steaming. I think it works. The first time all 12 eggs peeled just fine. The second time two of the eggs broke cooking for some reason and the other 10 peeled fine. Steam in a basket over water for 20 minutes, then put in cold water.

"If I boil fresh eggs and two week old ones too, the older ones definitely peel easier than the newer ones. "

I thought about this too and tested it. I found no difference.
It may have something to do with an article I recent read. It pointed out that eggs take at least a month to get to market, typically two.

My guess now is that the age doesn't really make a difference unless you can get them locally produced.

plunge eggs in ice water for a couple of minutes then into boiling water for just a few seconds, shell expands away from the meat and comes right off.

I presume you mean to cook, plunge into ice water, and then back into boiling water. Interesting...

I am surprised that Kenji López-Alt's site, which is supposed all about food science, couldn't really explain some of the science about peeling hard boiled eggs.

Also, I found that id you dump cold eggs into boiling water always result in cracked eggs.

[""Steaming works best for me...15 to 20 minutes and then immediately plunged into ice water. I'll never go back to boiling."
I wonder what the physical difference is.]

If you watch closely, you will see tiny bubbles coming out from the egg shell when you boil an egg. Egg shell is permeable with tiny holes. air expands and escapes. When you dump the egg into cold water, water enters the egg and releases the shell.

dcarch

well, lets put physics, and my limited knowledge thereof, to work.

You boil an egg. The inside expands in heat. Plunging the egg in cool water afterwards should shrink the shell, making it easier to peel.

Or, cool your eggs in the fridge after boiling. Then plunge your eggs briefly back in hot water for a few seconds. The inside has had not enough time to warm substantially, but the shell has, making it easier to peel.

I usually just let them set in cool water after boiling, changing the water several times, and peel them. Usually no probs. Older eggs tend to peel better. My friend, who gets brown eggs from his girls, swears by the salted water thing.

I also like to shake the boiling pan of water as they cook, to get the yolks in the center of the egg. Especially if you are doing deviled eggs.

next time: building a better mousetrap.

dave

I've tried it all and post in the "how to boil an egg" threads each time. Of course someone will say that they have never had an issue and just do the regular boil method and peel under running water and everything is Leave It To Beaver perfect. This isn't happening in the world of eggs in my neck of the woods. Once I moved to Ohio, it's was a mess trying to peel these eggs. Nothing worked until I started to steam them. If steaming them is cracking the eggs, you are heating the water too quickly to boiling. Allow the water to boil a little slower and leave the lid off until the water begins to boil. Then you will not crack the shells again. I cook mine for 15 minutes. Remove them from the heat and allow to cool for a while. I crack the fat end on the counter and peel under running water. I have only had a couple eggs that didn't peel perfectly since I began this several years ago. I do not use ice cold water at any point, in fact when I tried this, the peels stuck. It's best to just let them cool enough to where you can handle the egg. Don't wait very long to peel them either. I then put them in a plastic food container and refrigerate them.

I'm sure that like all of our foods we buy these days, they are just not the same as they used to be. When I first started cooking, I had no issue peeling eggs. I was talking to a guy the other day that said he bought yard eggs and that you cannot boil those yard eggs because they are impossible to peel. I did NOT get into the whole steaming idea, it would have gone way over his head. HA! I'm not sure what the answer is to what's going on with chickens/eggs these days?

Use a spoon to get under the shell of the egg - just work your way around the egg - it will just fall off and there is no gouging of the white on the egg.

I love the "and everything is Leave It To Beaver perfect." reference (:

It is good to hear about so many techniques in one place.

In the next few days, I plan to experiment with steaming and/or dunking cooled cooked eggs into boiling water for a few seconds.

I shall report my findings...
Thanks for all the feedback.

Here is a link to how Julia Childs tells is the perfect way to boil eggs. This did not work for me either but try it for yourself. That's the only way you can know for sure if it is true or not. I still say that unless you've had these weird eggs that the membrane sticks to the whites once boiled, then you just don't understand and probably assume we are doing something wrong. A spoon isn't going to help remove a membrane that's fused to the shell and to the white of the egg. Imagine it would be like scraping paint with a spoon, it's just not going to work. HA!

Here is a link that might be useful: Julie Childs' method

Just soak the eggs in cold water for 10min or so, after they've already been chilled in a fridge.

Here's another tip:

if the eggs have been sitting for a long time, or the soaking doesn't quite do it: cracked the eggs gently, after they've been soaking. Then roll the eggs in the hands to get a lot more cracking around the eggs. Soak for another 10min or so, then try and peel the eggs.

There are several videos on youtube.com on this subject. This one seems the easiest.

Here is a link that might be useful: How to peel a hard boiled egg

It is interesting that there are so many studies on this topic, yet I am amaze that there are some basic details I have not seen discussed by the "scientists".

For instance, egg shells never stick to egg whites. Egg shell sticks to the membrane and the membrane is really what sticks to the egg white,

dcarch

This post was edited by dcarch on Thu, Jan 8, 15 at 8:01

I use Jacques Pepin's(& others', I'm sure) method of simmering eggs 10 minutes, then pouring out the boiling water (often onto stubborn weeds near my back door), then shaking the pan firmly & gently until the shells are cracked all over & covering w/ cold water until I'm ready to use.

I still get the occasional sticky shells(& I use a spoon to remove as well), but I attribute that to the level of moisture in the eggs. Fresher 1s do contain more water, as stated above & plastic egg cartons may make a difference there as well; thinking cardboard cartons allow for more evaporation...?

Seriously, just try steaming them. I did several years ago based on a recommendation I read here, and I'll never go back to boiling eggs again.

I used to believe that fresh eggs were harder to peel than the older ones, because eggs do dehydrate as they age, leaving more air space in the shell. However, I've also boiled eggs fresh out from under the hen, and they peeled fine too.

I start mine in cold water, bring to a boil, turn off the heat and let it set for 15 minutes. Dump out the hot water and run cold water over the eggs to cool quickly, then roll the eggs on the counter until the peels are cracked all over. Peel comes right off. Well, about 98% of the time. The other 2% is egg salad.

Annie

No no no! You're all wrong, of course!!!ðÂÂÂðÂÂÂðÂÂÂ
I just find that if you peel while they're still warm, the shells pop off!

WTH, Everyone is wrong here.
You peel them BEFORE boiling......
(:

Wow! I just made 8 hard boiled eggs using the steam method, following Annie1992's directions except that I cracked and peeled them under running water.

They peeled beautifully!

Smiles,
Sooz

I did them in the pressure cooker on low pressure for about 5 minutes, natural release, and they peeled perfectly!

So steam, slow or fast, is awesome.

I'm so glad because I've been eating eggs regularly for a snack. It's so nice when half of it doesn't end up in the trash attached to the shell!

I vote for the steaming method. Ever since I've started steaming, they peel so much nicer than boiled eggs.
I also have a tendency to make my eggs the day before I need them and after their shocking, let them chill in the fridge overnight.

Although I like Carol's idea of peeling them before cooking them, I am not ready to try that one yet however, what is the latest and greatest recipe for steaming?

Is this simply suspending them above boiling water?
Do I bring the water to a boil and then suspend them?
How long?
Ice plunge after?
Back into hot water after ice plunge?
Refrigerate after cooking?

Life is tough then you eat chocolate...

OK, another recipe..

Place eggs in cool heavily salted water, bring to boil, set aside 13 minutes covered. Cool in tap warm water, peel.

4 perfectly peeled eggs... I placed two in the refrigerator for tomorrow to see if they are still easy to peel.

Two cooked earlier, cooled in ice water did not peel well,

Yeah, I've never gotten the whole ice water thing, it has not helped me any.

OK so for the steam method, you will need a steam basket of some sort. I have one that sits in the rim of my pot but you can use one of those fold out basket things for vegetables. Yes you put the water in the bottom, I have a large pot so it's about 2 inches of water. Put the steam basket in there and start with cold water, put the eggs into the steam basket and then turn on the heat but not all the way up to high because if the water boils too quickly, it will cause ice cold eggs to crack. Once the water is boiling, cover the pot and then turn down the heat and have the water at a very low boil and steam for 15 minutes is what time I use. Then I take the eggs off the heat and allow to cool and peel them as soon as they are cool enough to peel.

I'm with alex9179 !!!!!

I've been using my pressure cooker to boil them for many years and it works better than anything I've tried!

I needed to boil and peel 4 dozen for our Christmas lunch at work.

I had 4 dozen perfect easy peeling eggs!

I have an automatic egg steamer. We had one when I was growing up (wedding present to my parents from uncle who was into gadgets). I can boil or steam them on stove, or steam in steam oven, but the egg steamer is the one single use appliance I've always liked. :)

I find that they are easier to peel when still warm. I PC'd several yesterday and peeled a couple today with slightly more effort to keep the white intact. When still warm, the membrane between the shell and the white has more space between it and the egg so the shell lifts off easily. When cold, everything contracts. Still didn't lose any white, though!

Emerogork...
"Is this simply suspending them above boiling water?
Do I bring the water to a boil and then suspend them?
How long?
Ice plunge after?
Back into hot water after ice plunge?
Refrigerate after cooking? "

I can't speak for others, but what I do...

I own a pot that has a steamer insert, so yes, suspend the eggs over the water.
I let the eggs come up to room temp or run some warm water over them for a few minutes so I'm not tempting fate by putting fridge cold eggs over hot stuff like steam. I let the water come to a boil before putting the egg basket in. A gentle boil, not a hard boil. Since I use an electric stove, that's bringing up to a boil on high, then turning it back to between 8 and 9 for the cooking time.
12 minutes is what I use for large eggs. Then I let the basket sit with the heat off for another minute. Just to make sure they are cooked well.
Then into an ice bath. Since the steamer basket is big, I just use my sink instead of trying a bowl or something. Stop it up, dump in a bunch of ice and cold water. You want ice water, not just ice. Let sit for a goodly 10-15 minutes.
I don't put it into hot water again after that. I drain the eggs, then pop them back into their original egg crate, marked with a big X to indicate it's a hard boiled carton and not raw.
The reason I fridge them overnight is more a matter of prep time than anything else. I find it's easier for me time wise to just prep them the day before instead of trying to make sure they are cooked and cooled nicely in the same day. Usually when I'm making deviled eggs, I am doing a bunch of other cooking too, so it's nice to get this part out of the way earlier if I can. Or if it's in the summer and I know I will be wanting to make a batch of egg salad, I usually don't want to eat that nice chilled salad the same day I filled my kitchen with steam, so the eggs are already done and ready for me to whip up when I want them.

In the center of the egg is the yolk, surrounded by the white (albumen), then a membrane that is attached to the shell. It's really the adherence of the membrane to the cooked albumen that makes eggs hard to peel. Sometimes that membrane is so firmly attached to the cooked egg that it pulls away from the shell and remains stuck to the white part. Figure out how to guarantee the membrane won't stick to the cooked white part and millions will worship at your feet.

I do the bring to a boil thing and let rest, covered, for 12 minutes, then the plunge. 2 out of 3 times the eggs peel easily, but the 2 dozen deviled eggs I boiled for our extended family Christmas a couple of weeks back were the pits. In fact, no matter how I make them, it always seems like fate deals me 2 out of 3 reprieves - or maybe 3 out of 4, at best.

Al

I have not seen this aspect discussed, but I think you can see it is worth considering.

Fact #1 - Atmospheric pressure is 14.7 lbs per sq. in.

Fact #2 - When two surface are pushed together, to pull apart, you will need to work against the 14.7 lbs/sq. in. force. That's how a suction cup works. You can use suction cups to lift very heavy loads or to climb a building.

Fact #3 - to make a suction cup work better, you wet the cups a little. The water film prevents air from getting in between the two surface to equalize the atmospheric pressure.

Fact #4 - If water between the two surfaces gets thicker, then the water becomes a lubricant and helps to release the two surfaces from air pressure.
--------------------------------------
When you boil an egg, you can see tiny bubbles coming out from the egg shell, because the shell have many microscopic holes. Air expands and escape from these holes.

When the air is cooled, air shrinks and draws water inside the egg thru the holes. The water will create the suction cup effect and atmospheric pressure of 14.7 lbs will push the membrane against the egg white.

If enough water gets in between the membrane and egg white, then the water will help to counter act the air pressure and the membrane can slide off the white easier.

That's how I can easily peel eggs and quail eggs to make deviled quail eggs, by using the laws of physics.

dcarch

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Maybe we simply have too much time on our hands but here I go with this one....

Atmospheric pressure, huh?
Maybe we should consider the gravitational pull on hot objects VS, cold ones... (:

I would think that the bubbles you see are just tiny ones formed from the boiling water accumulating on the cool/warming surface.

As for water being pushed in, are not water molecules much larger then air molecules? I would doubt that it would find its way in through the shell. If in fact that this did happen, would this not show up in measuring the weight of the eggs hot then cold. Simply go to your local university chemistry lab for that test. (:

A larger hole could send out a stream of bubbles but this is not usually the case. This may revert this discussion back to that idea of poking a tiny hole in the large end of the egg.

These are the things that keep me awake at night.

OTOH, This does spark a thought though. What if the eggs, hot from the boiling water, were to be rolled to crumble the shells then placed into the ice water? Any takers for that test? As cooks, we no longer have any sensation our finger tips anyway so this would not be a problem.

This post was edited by Emerogork2 on Thu, Jan 8, 15 at 21:22

Egg salad sandwich filling prep.
Put four extra large eggs in a two quart pot and fill it with cold water to somewhere between two inches and one inch of the rim.

Apply heat. Monitor temp with a digital thermometer.
As water temperature approaches 190, start an eleven minute count and keep reducing power to keep at 205 or so thus minimizing any large steam bubbles at the egg pan interface.
At eleven minutes, shut off power and extract the eggs with a dinner spoon to a shallow plastic bowl. Place bowl under running cold water.
One minute later, pick up first egg from bowl. Hold it in your fingers so the big end is on top. Sharply strike the egg top with the outer bowl of the spoon so that the shell crushes down into the vacancy there. Now rap the shell again this time more gently completing two vertical orbits that begin and end at the crushed top. Use thumb and forefinger to twist off the broken portion of shell so the egg's flat spot is now shell and membrane free. Return egg to cooling water bath and deal with the rest.
When that is all done start over with a similar thumb and forefinger motion at the flat spot. The shell and membrane will often roll off together, similar to a tangerine being peeled, even in one piece.

This post was edited by laat2 on Thu, Jan 8, 15 at 21:31

You know, I really should be spending this time preparing the lesson plans for the computer science courses I will start teaching at the University next week. Some how though, this seems to be more important right now. (:

Two more trials. 6 eggs each. One batch with heavily salted water, the other no salt. Fill a sauce pan to about 1/2" above the eggs. Cover and bring to boil. At this point, turn off the heat and leave covered for 13 minutes.

Run tap water on the eggs until they are easy to handle. Remove shells right away by rolling on a counter to crush the shell.

Result? Both batched shelled properly.
Conclusion? Salt does not matter.
Reason? I was not planning to make deviled eggs and that is why the shells came off so easily.
Had I was...???

OK, last post for the night...

One step to add to the deviled egg recipe:
Craggily peeled eggs go into the egg salad side dish.
That will take care of the problem.

Side note: I cleaned out a bell tower many years ago. A chef friend of mine suggested that I should have kept the pigeon eggs for his next party. Thoughts?

Posted by Emerogork2:

â Maybe we simply have too much time on our hands but here I go with this one....âÂÂ

I canâÂÂt come up with a response to this comment of yours. It is true. Many people have told me that. :-)

âÂÂAtmospheric pressure, huh?
Maybe we should consider the gravitational pull on hot objects VS, cold ones... (:âÂÂ

Not sure what your are trying to prove/disprove. Are you saying that there is no such thing as atmospheric pressure?

âÂÂI would think that the bubbles you see are just tiny ones formed from the boiling water accumulating on the cool/warming surface.âÂÂ

No. Absolutely not. Water does not need to boil before the bubbles start to come out. Try it and see for yourself. Are you denying that egg shells are perforated? Google tea eggs, salted eggs.

âÂÂAs for water being pushed in, are not water molecules much larger then air molecules? âÂÂ

Haha! I think you are a very funny guy/gal. Trying to trick me? There is no such thing as air molecule. Air is composed of many gases. But do let me answer part of your question, take Nitrogen, lots of nitrogen in air, The molecule of nitrogen is bigger than water, about 3 Angstroms for the nitrogen molecule, and water molecule is approximately 2.8 angstroms. I was surprised when I was trying to understand osmosis.

Have fun, you egghead. :-)

dcarch

This post was edited by dcarch on Fri, Jan 9, 15 at 0:13

I always steam eggs. My own experience is that older eggs are easier to peel, and thick shelled eggs are easiest to peel. Very little water gets in my eggs (perhaps a little condensing from the steam). I like to keep them in the shells, so put them in the fridge. I think it's easier to peel them cold than warm (which I've done to use them right away). I've occasionally had suction cuppers, where the white pulled away with the membrane, but what most of you are describing, with all the little pieces is my idea of hard to peel!

Easy to peel eggs, in my lexicon, are the ones with the thick white shells where you give them one sharp crack and can just pull the two halves away. :) For what it's worth, the peeled egg feels damper when that happens than when it's all little pieces.

I agree that a foolproof method would a most welcome better mousetrap!

Dcarch, your deviled quail eggs with the deviled mommy hen eggs are flat out adorable! What's the green stuff on the no paprika side?

I didn't read all the replies, so don't know if anyone mentioned it, but I add salt to the water. They are easy to peel then. Never a problem.

OTOH, if you do peel them warm you can make them cute. :)

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