- Jun 28, 2022
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After going nuts reading every easy-peel hard-boiled egg solution ever dreamed up by humankind, I came up with this, and it works every time I have tried it, no matter the source, pedigree, or age of the eggs.
I love hard boiled eggs.
Use a large pot (large because you do not want it to take long for the water to come back up to temperature after you add the eggs) of salted water (I just use a 3-finger pinch) that will generously cover the eggs by an inch at least. Heat the water until "right before the boil" and add your eggs with a spoon so they do not crack when they hit the bottom of the pot. Let the water come back to a boil and cook 9-minutes (cook time will vary depending on your altitude). Then remove the eggs to a bowl of water in the sink with cool tap water running over them for at least 15-minutes and then refrigerate.
You will know that you got things just right when you see small streams of bubbles rising up from your eggs right after you add them to the water. Some of the eggs might crack slightly but that is OK - they may not look perfect when finished but will still be cooked perfect and be easy to peel. Once you get your water temperature technique down, you will get very few cracked eggs.
This is an egg from a batch I cooked yesterday for some red potato salad. I always add a few extra to the pot to eat, and this one cracked, so I used it for this photo - about 10-minutes after placing in the bowl of running water in the sink - still warm and perfectly delicious! I peeled it extra careful to demonstrate how easy they are to peel when using this cooking method.
This is an egg that sat in the fridge for a few hours - peeled perfect.
And this is that same egg cut in half to show the perfectly cooked yolk (no green outside of yolk that is the result of overcooking).
A pinch of salt and down the hatch - delicious.
My theory is that placing the eggs in almost boiling water shocks that membrane between the shell and the egg making them peel clean and easy. Eggs added to full boiling water often crack badly and while they may not look perfect, they still peel easy and taste great.
Give the cook technique a try and let me know your results.
I love hard boiled eggs.
Use a large pot (large because you do not want it to take long for the water to come back up to temperature after you add the eggs) of salted water (I just use a 3-finger pinch) that will generously cover the eggs by an inch at least. Heat the water until "right before the boil" and add your eggs with a spoon so they do not crack when they hit the bottom of the pot. Let the water come back to a boil and cook 9-minutes (cook time will vary depending on your altitude). Then remove the eggs to a bowl of water in the sink with cool tap water running over them for at least 15-minutes and then refrigerate.
You will know that you got things just right when you see small streams of bubbles rising up from your eggs right after you add them to the water. Some of the eggs might crack slightly but that is OK - they may not look perfect when finished but will still be cooked perfect and be easy to peel. Once you get your water temperature technique down, you will get very few cracked eggs.
This is an egg from a batch I cooked yesterday for some red potato salad. I always add a few extra to the pot to eat, and this one cracked, so I used it for this photo - about 10-minutes after placing in the bowl of running water in the sink - still warm and perfectly delicious! I peeled it extra careful to demonstrate how easy they are to peel when using this cooking method.
This is an egg that sat in the fridge for a few hours - peeled perfect.
And this is that same egg cut in half to show the perfectly cooked yolk (no green outside of yolk that is the result of overcooking).
A pinch of salt and down the hatch - delicious.
My theory is that placing the eggs in almost boiling water shocks that membrane between the shell and the egg making them peel clean and easy. Eggs added to full boiling water often crack badly and while they may not look perfect, they still peel easy and taste great.
Give the cook technique a try and let me know your results.
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