Ever struggled with the supposedly simple kitchen task of boiling and peeling an egg?
A few weeks ago I was at my brother’s lovely new house in the country and had been inspired to make a salmon kedgeree for dinner. Which meant boiling up and peeling a few eggs. I didn’t really think much of it, although it had been a very long time since I’d boiled an egg.
But when I came to the peeling part, I found it very perplexing. I banged each egg on the sink to crack the shells and while some peeled effortlessly, almost in one piece, others were seriously stubborn. These ended up pockmarked where some bits of the white had been peeled away with the shell. Poor eggs.
So when my brother asked me the secret to peeling boiled eggs, I had to share my frustration with him. It was time to do some research.
the research results
Ages ago I’d seen a blog post by Tim Ferris where he ‘blew’ the egg out of its shell. So there was one option.
And Harold McGee had some good advice. Apparently super fresh eggs are difficult to peel because the pH of the white is low which causes it to adhere to the shell membrane more tightly. Two solutions here – use older eggs or add a little bicarb soda to the cooking water to increase the pH.
If you’re having a problem with off centre yolks or flat bottom whites (something I saw in my very old eggs) this is just a result of aging – who knew eggs had so much in common with people. The only solution is to use fresh eggs.
Stephanie Alexander’s preference is to place the eggs in cold water then slowly bring to a simmer to prevent cracking. She then boils for 8 minutes, drains and cools under running water. Stephanie recommend tapping the eggs to break the membrane for easy peeling.
my own experimentation results
So I’ve been having egg sandwiches for lunch all this week – the lengths I got to for stonesoup – and I’ve learned a few things about boiling and peeling eggs.
Tim Ferris must have some mighty big lungs. Try as I might, I couldn’t get a single egg to pop cleanly out of the shell like he does. But I did find that the blowing helped separate the membrane from the white and made it a little easier for hand peeling.
I tried eggs of different ages. Unfortunately I couldn’t get my hands on any straight from the chicken coop so didn’t have access to super fresh eggs. I didn’t notice any real difference between fresher and older eggs. The only really challenging egg I came across was very very old – like a few months. So I think there is a limit.
I did find that the bicarb soda made both the younger and older eggs marginally easier to peel so am going to stick with that tip from now on.
I’ve been a convert of the old add-the-eggs-to-cold-water trick for a while. And I can’t remember the last time I had an egg crack and white leak out. Highly recommend this.
how to boil and peel an egg
1. Place eggs in a saucepan large enough so they can be well covered with water.
2. Cover with cold water and add 1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda
3. Bring to a gentle simmer
4. Cook at the gentle simmer for 8 minutes
5. Drain and transfer to a bowl filled with cold water. Allow to cool.
6. Bang each end on a hard surface to crack.
7. Remove a little circle of shell from each end
8. Put your mouth to one hole and blow really hard
9. If the egg hasn’t popped out, use your fingers to gently separate the shell and membrane from the egg itself.
10. Admire your handiwork and possibly give the egg a little rinse if someone else is going to eat it.
simple salmon kedgeree
serves 4
Inspired by the dynamic pioneer of Australian cooking, Margaret Fulton.
Kedgeree is a traditional British dish usually made with smoked haddock and served for breakfast. But I prefer this milder version with canned salmon as a simple dinner.
This is one of those fish dishes that isn’t actually fishy at all. The curry powder seems to almost mask the salmon flavour and leaves you with a lovely gentle spiciness – without being overtly curry-like. We’re talking simple comfort food.
I used brown rice for the photo because I like it’s nuttiness and fiber bonus but any type of rice would work well here.
large knob butter
3T olive oil
2 brown onions, peeled & diced
3 ribs celery, finely diced
3C cooked rice (450g or 1lb)
3-4t mild curry powder (I used Keens)
1 large can salmon (400g or 14oz)
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, leaves picked, optional
4 hard boiled eggs, peeled & halved lengthwise
Melt butter in a large frying pan. Add oil, onion and celery. Cover and cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally until soft but not browned.
Stir though rice, curry powder and salmon. Taste, season and allow to warm through.
Remove from the heat and stir through parley if using. Top with eggs.
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Very excited to announce that I have a guest post on Zen Habits at the moment – How to Master the Art of Mindful Eating – check it out for a killer 5 ingredients | 10 minutes recipe for super simple broccoli with chickpeas & tahini sauce.
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great thread! and can’t wait to boil boil boil some eggs! I found you too from ZH — thanks!
My eggshells have been sticking lately and I’m glad to know why. Now that I think about it, we’ve switched permanently to those Omega eggs, so maybe they’re fresher. I know there’s a scale: grade AA being freshest, then A, then B, but I’ve never really checked mine out. Will try the bicarb as salt doesn’t seem to work either.
I have found that if I add about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to the cold water with the eggs before they come to a boil, they seem to peel cleanly. Also, I peel them under running cold water if they want to be stubborn.
Everyone will know that the egg has something different in it but can’t place it
Note: this tip is only going to be any good to you if you’re going to cut your eggs into halves (or more)…
I was talking about this post with my +60yo Dad, who (as my Mum is totally sick of cooking after 40 years!) has taken over all kitchen duties since retirement. Very romantic!
He told me that he struggles to peel eggs. Both my Dad and my sister keep chooks, so I regularly get free eggs from Dad (super fresh, sometimes same day) and my sister (older, usually a week or three). My sister’s are harder to peel as she doesn’t feed them as much shell grit as my Dad, so the shells are thinner.
Dad confided that he has given up on peeling a whole egg, as he feels he leaves a lot of it behind! His trick is to cut the egg in half with a knife (with a firm whack to make it a clean cut) and then cleanly scoop the egg out of the shell with a pointed teaspoon. Works a treat, and he was so proud to pass on a tip. Not bad for a self-taught man!
PS: Jules, I just love your recipes. Think my favourite (to date) is the red lentil and preserved lemon soup. It is so, so good! I get so many compliments… which of course I duly attribute to your recipe!
“Put your mouth to one hole and blow really hard”? I would have rolled over the floor laughing on this had I just not seen the same thing in the video at
http://www.bitrebels.com/geek/the-fastest-way-to-peel-a-hard-boiled-egg/
where some guy did exactly the same.
I had trouble with peeling eggs and finally found an appliance that takes all the guess work on the time to cook, the water to pour, the temperature to control etc. I liked it so much that I created a website on it called peeleggs.com.
The trick to boiling an egg that is easy to peel is to bring a pot of water to boil before adding the eggs. Gently place the eggs into the boiling water with a large spoon. Bring the water back to a boil. As soon as the water begins to boil again, turn the burner off, cover the eggs with a lid and let them sit for 12-15 min.
Hi there,
I have been eating lots and lots of boiled eggs recently, as an attempt to consume more protein, so I have come across my fair share of “moon” (cos that’s what their surfaces look like after I’m done peeling..) eggs.
If you get the cooking/boiling of the eggs right, it’s very easy to peel them by blowing into them, using no more force than you would starting to blow a balloon; I just cooked and peeled 4 eggs this way:
Put the eggs in warm water (it may not have to be, but that’s what I had just then) on a stove that’s on max, and bring it to a boil. You’ll have to make sure the shells don’t crack, as it depends on your stove/water level etc etc.
Turn it down by half, and let it simmer for a minute or 2.
I believe the trick is to not over cook the eggs, as the whites turn to mush and expand to stick to the membrane/shell; I love my yolks a bit runny anyway (so I can mix it into lentils) so this suits me fine :)
After the eggs have been cooked:
I pour all the water into the sink, then cover the eggs in cold water, letting it soak up the heat, then pour that water out, and cover the eggs again in cold water, making sure the eggs are cool enough to stop warming the water up. My hypothesis is the rapid cooling causes the egg to shrink within the shell, and somehow making it easier to detach from the membrane.
Then it’s just a matter of cracking both ends, peeling off enough of the big end to enable the egg to “punch out” of the shell, and enough on the small end for you to blow air in. Cup the small end of the egg when blowing to direct all the air into the small hole, and voila!
All the best.
hey daniel
thanks for sharing your considerable egg expertise!
I’m going to have to test out your overcooking theory – so far I’ve been convinced that it’s a freshness thing but you might be onto something.
I know this is a really old post, but I only just discovered your site and wanted to share my method for peeling eggs with ease… it’s so simple, it doesn’t matter what you put in the water, or the order of cold water hot water cold water… all you have to do is take the boiled egg, and lightly tap it on the kitchen bench all over, so that the entire shell is cracked in small sections (it should look like crackle glaze), then starting from the end where the gap was between egg and shell, peel the shell off with the membrane – the membrane holds the crackled shell enough that I can usually peel the whole lot in one go :)
There’s an easier way. It works with super fresh eggs, even straight from the henhouse.
Boil the water first, then add the eggs (gently).
That’s all it takes. They peel cleanly and effortlessly. Even my 2-year-old can peel them after that.
I learned a trick when I was in highschool culinary class. If you let the eggs cool after boiling them, crack the shells all around. Then, gently (but quickly) roll the egg around in your hands. This will help separate the membrane, and it will take off nearly the whole shell quickly. I’ve done it this way for years, and while it may look strange, I’ve converted many other people to doing this as well.
thanks for the advice im having trouble with bowld egg
My aunty taught me how to peel eggs years ago and it rarely fails – once the egg is cool, roll it under your hand on a hard surface so it crackles all over and then simply peel the shell off. Works a charm!
Hi, I learnt this from my mother in law a few years back. Regardless of how the egg is boiled, having cooled the egg enough to hold, crack egg and insert a teaspoon under the shell to lift lift it away from the egg white. Sometimes the shell comes off in one piece.
There is a easier way. I was surprised that I did not see it on the site. After the eggs are boiled just right out of the pan just crack the eggs and then put them back in cold water. Wait a minute then peel. So easy and quick!
This blowing out method is all well and good if it’s just for you but I don’t know…I sure as heck wouldn’t want someone serving me something they’ve “spit” on, you know?
I just bring to a boil, turn it off, put a lid on it. Sit for 20 mins (this is for the yolks to be yellow). Then I drain them tap both ends and then roll them on their sides back and forth. You have this web of cracks that will just peel off almost all at once.
*shrug*
I boil my eggs starting with the cold water. When they have boiled, I drain the hot water off of them and fill the pan with very cold water. Crack the eggs and put them back in the pan while still running very cold water over them. Let sit in cold water just a minute and the shells will slide off nearly. Very seldom do I ever have any trouble and I have done this with farm fresh and store bought eggs both as I was raised on a farm. As for the gentleman that cuts them in half, so did my grandmother and they always had a bit of shell in them! Hope this helps!
My mother has always poked a pin whole in the egg before boiling.
I do that for my own eggs, but wouldn’t that be a little unsanitary to blow on other people’s eggs?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007M2BN0?tag=microwcookinforo
This is my secret to peeling eggs perfectly every single time, new or old. Once you figure out the time with your microwave (ours is 6 minutes in the microwave at 15 minutes just sitting afterward), then you’ll always have easy-to-peel eggs. Love it!
After working on this problem for years (Yes cracking eggs is one of my hobbies…) I have discovered the best way to peel an eggs regardless of how it is cooked, age etc.
Ok, first you tap the egg with a spoon all the way around in the middle of the egg breaking up a strip in the center, but leaving the eggshell completely intact on the ends. You gently peel the middle part (below the membrane) which on that small area will come off without damaging the white. when you have fully peeled the entire middle the two end shells will easily slip off as whole pieces leaving your hardboiled egg fully intact. Very fast an efficient.
I found one day by pure accident that when I put the eggs in a measuring cup that had veg. oil in it. I poured cold water over the eggs and cracked them under the oily water they peeled beautifully. My eggs are very fresh because my chickens lay them every morning for me. So peeling was very difficult before I started this.
We used to keep chickens for the fresh eggs and another hint I came across besides using older eggs was to take a needle and poke a hole in the end of the large end of the egg before cooking. It usually worked pretty good for me.
tried using the top of a turkey baster instead of blowing…I think it should work, but I had only one yolk pop out, never the whole egg
I was taught, just like a couple others have mentioned, to poke a hole in the rounded end of the egg before setting it into the water. (I use an ice pick.) You will see bubbles coming out often – that shows that the water is getting in and lining the inside of the shell. I do set them into boiling water, but not religiously. We then cook 10 minutes. Ours always peel great.
I boil them in VERY salty water. The hypertonic solution draws fluid out of the eggs, intensifying the flavor, and drawing the white away from the shell.
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