Me! That sounds interesting, but with my luck Id crack the egg. The steaming method worked beautifully.

bpath, I’ve heard about the tapping but never tried it. Like ded, I could see myself cracking the eggs. I’m guessing the tapping might do something similar to the membrane as pricking the larger end of the egg…? I think pricking is supposed to let water in to help break or loosen the membrane for easy peeling. But who am I to say since I’ve never pricked an egg, either!

Posting since this was just emailed to me for egg salad. Hmmm, not sure…boiling eggs never fails me. Hope the link works!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CrqPG8Tgqs0/?hl=en

I've heard of putting pin pricks in the large end of eggs before boiling them, but I haven't tried that yet. I do not boil enough eggs for me to try all the tips I've read about.

If the cooking of the eggs begins either with their immersion into rapidly boiling water or onto a rack in a steamy pot with a cover, they will almost peel themselves.

This "trick" is not just for eggs that you hard boil. It's also supposed to be better for eggs that you need to crack open to cook (e.g., sunny side up or over easy), or to use in a recipe. This is only 25 seconds long - https://www.facebook.com/reel/766578598106295

I don't know if what I do is a trick or is or isn't widely done but it seems to work for me. I strike the egg on the flat surface of the counter (never on the edge or the edge of a bowl), stick my thumbs into the cracked depression and then pull the two pieces apart. Doing it this way seems to always keep the yolk intact and prevents small pieces of shell from dropping into the bowl. .

Chloebud, so funny that when went to the link, it had been ”liked” by an actual personal friend, whom I follow on insta for her cooking and book reviews. And, I saw a similar technique on America’s Test Kitchen today, but they beat the eggs first. Then they cut it into squares for an egg, kimchi, avocado sandwich. I guess I could use the technique using my smallest Corning, for just us two.

Lindsey, I’ll try that!

Elmer, I usually use the edge of the bowl. I think I will try the flat surface. I keep thinking I’d like to try breaking eggs with one hand. Showmanship!

I buy country eggs, and if they're fresh (as I would hope) they're never easy to peel

I break eggs on the flat if they're going on the flat. Like in a frying pan or plate for breading. Probably 50/50 if going into a bowl. I've not been convinced any way works better for avoiding shell. Most of the time I do well, once in a while I mess up. It happens! And bpath, except for poaching or separating eggs, it's a one handed operation. 🙂🥇🏆

“And, I saw a similar technique on America’s Test Kitchen today, but they beat the eggs first.”

bpath, that makes sense!

The process to peel perfect hard boiled eggs is the temperature it is peeled at and the peeling method, nothing else. The perfect internal and external temperature of an egg for peeling is 51 to 52 degrees and is governed by the thermal expansion of liquids and solids. The higher or lower the temperature from 51.8 degrees makes the egg harder to peel. Eggs are 75% water and considered a liquid while The shell is a solid made mostly of calcium carbonate and they have entirely different thermal expansion coefficients. The egg inside the shell will expand 3 times that of the shell so during the cooling process 51.8 degrees creates the perfect condition for ease of separation.

The perfect peeling method involves completely crushing the shell by rolling it on the counter and then using the hands and gently squeezing the egg. the shell and membrane will come off as a single unit with ease giving a perfect peeled egg. It's been entertaining reading all the myths presented on this and the last thread about hard boiled eggs and how to peel them.

Concerning cracking an egg to fry, the preferred location is the larger side of the egg with a sharp crack using a table knife or pan edge and must pierce the membrane perpendicular to the length of the egg, and the crack must be about an inch long. I've crack 60+ eggs in one sitting and never had shells drop into the mix. If done right the need to use thumbs and force to pry the shell apart is not required and should easily separate with little force, and can be done with one hand.

As a teen working as a fry cook I could hold, crack and separate two eggs at once holding one egg between the lower part of the index and middle fingers and the other egg by the ring and small finger. The large ends are held by the IP and MP joints of the thumb, and with a sharp crack on an edge the eggs open right up bending the fingers back, with no shell fragments if you cracked them right as described above. Big hands with long fingers can do it better.

Kevin, that last sentence was unnecessary. Thanks a lot.

It's your thread bpath so I did conform and delete the last sentence per your recommendations.

Thank you.

The showmanship you want is unbroken yolks in poached or fried eggs.

I tried that when I saw it on TikTok. It didn't work.

Well, I guess it just shows to go ya (as my dad used to say), different strokes for different folks. And remember, if you’re gonna make an omelette, ya gotta crack a few eggs!

I just tried it. I put a tiny crack in it. I cooked another egg along with it that I did not treat that way at all. The tapped egg may be defunct or it was an artifact of tapping it... but it stood on the pointed end while cooking?! It didn't peel easier, and it (the shell contents) was all in one end. Weird! It was so flat on the big end, you could set it down and it wouldn't roll.

The untapped egg peeled easily and kept its correct shape.

I used to have the worst time peeling hard boiled eggs--by the time I'd finished they looked like a rabid animal had been chewing on them! BUT--now I cook them in my small InstaPot, using the egg setting--the "5-5-5" method. 5 min to come up to pressure, 5 minutes on low pressure, and 5 minute cool down, then release pressure. I cool them off in ice water, sometimes I peel them right away, sometimes I use them a few days later. Either way, they practically peel themsleves every time!

“Well, I guess it just shows to go ya (as my dad used to say)…”

bpath, your dad and my mom!😉