How does one make a hard boiled egg?

[cynyc]

No matter what I do we wind up peeling the eggs with chunks of white and getting only the yolk. ANd I know about that thin membrane...

Meanwhile at the deli they sell HB eggs at the counter and the shell just peels off and one get to eat the whites too!

I do not live in a high altitude or anything.

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

Here's a nice recipe: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how...d_boiled_eggs/

Basically, use older eggs.

[Inner Stickler]

I've struggled with this as well and the technique that seems to yield the best results is use older eggs, salt the water and roll the boiled egg all over the countertop to get a mess of cracks over the entire shell.

[jz78817]

I steam them for about 13 minutes, then shock in cold water. Come out perfect every time.

[TruCelt]

The membrane between the albumen and the shell has to dehydrate. As was said above: The good news is your supplier is giving you nice fresh eggs.

The best way I've found is to salt the water heavily and leave them with the salt on the shell for a few minutes after removing from the water. When the shell sweats, you're golden.

Of course, this assumes you want cooled eggs for deviling or something. If you want them hot, sit them in heavily salted cool water for a while before boiling.

[King Bobo]

This has been a bug-bear of mine for ages! I have tried all sorts of ways and still have the same problem as the OP.

Old eggs (kept some in the fridge for two or three weeks as a control), boiled in salted and/or vinegar water and dunked/not dunked in ice-water - same problem - chunks of white separated with the shell and I am left with ravaged-looking eggs with little white:yolk ratio.

New eggs (from the local farmer's market), same result.

I even tried lightly cracking the shells before dunking in ice water as I heard that would help - no dice.

I am thinking I am one of the unlucky souls that can never really enjoy an egg salad sandwich as I have to fight so hard (ha!) with the damned eggs.

I am totally ready to try any and all remedies as I LOVE egg salad sammiches.

[colonial]

What works for me is to leave the eggs out until they are room temp, then
put them in already boiling water, and cook for about 10 minutes.

It is OK to hasten warming them to room temp by putting them in warm water,
but hot water may cause them to crack when boiled. It is not a disaster if they
do crack, however-- the white which contacts the boiling water will quickly solidify
and seal the crack, with no harm done.

[needscoffee]

You know about the thin membrane, but you need to know what to do about it. The membrane is stuck pretty tight against the egg white. You have to get water between the membrane and the egg white, which means the membrane has to tear open and loosen up from the egg white. Like Inner Stickler said, roll the egg on the counter A LOT until the shell is really really broken up into tiny bits, which will both help to pierce the membrane and to loosen it from the egg white. Then hold it under running water as you peel, which will allow water to seep in between the membrane and the egg white. I've never not had this work, even with new eggs. If it's not working, you haven't cracked the egg shell enough.

[BillJJ]

What has always worked for me is to take the pot with the hot water and boiled eggs, and run cold water into it until it's cold (I don't have the patience to let it sit and cool). Then crack an egg by simply dropping on the counter top a couple of times to loosen the shell a bit. Open just a bit of the membrane without damaging the egg white. Peel while running cold water over the egg as you peel, letting the water get between the membrane and the egg white. Grind the shell up in the garbage disposal or save for compost. Enjoy your egg.

[carnut]

A chef taught me to add lots of salt to the water before boiling, especially for younger eggs. He swears it makes them easier to peel. Hard-boiled eggs have turned out better for me after following his advice.

An alternative that I have heard about, but not yet tried, is adding baking soda to the water for the same easy peeling effect.

[NGC2024]

Originally Posted by carnut

A chef taught me to add lots of salt to the water before boiling, especially for younger eggs. He swears it makes them easier to peel. Hard-boiled eggs have turned out better for me after following his advice.

An alternative that I have heard about, but not yet tried, is adding baking soda to the water for the same easy peeling effect.

In my experience, it is difficult to salt the water too much. I've told people who have asked me how to hard boil eggs to put so much salt in the water that you're sure you've added too much.

I also second (or third or fourth or fifth) cracking the shell all over and peeling under cold water.

[Yorikke]

If you have access to it (may or may not be online), use the Joy of Cooking recipe, and follow it exactly, IME, it makes perfect hard-boiled eggs.

Joe

[phxjcc]

Originally Posted by cynyc

No matter what I do we wind up peeling the eggs with chunks of white and getting only the yolk. ANd I know about that thin membrane...

Meanwhile at the deli they sell HB eggs at the counter and the shell just peels off and one get to eat the whites too!

I do not live in a high altitude or anything.

1. Drain the hot water from the pot used to cook the eggs.

2. Shake the pot back and forth to crack the shells.

3. Add enough ice water to the pot to cover the eggs and let cool. The water seeps under the broken shells, allowing them to be slipped off without a struggle.

[Novelty Bobble]

Gosh, I'm surprised that this is deemed such a problem.

I hard boil eggs all the time and never have a problem with this, regardless of the age of the eggs and I never use salt. Now it may be that I've struck on a good method but it does seem like simplicity itself.

Bring the eggs to the boil, give 'em seven minutes. transfer pan to sink and run cold water over it for a couple of minutes. Remove eggs, roll and peel (under running water if the membrane is fragile)

[aldiboronti]

Originally Posted by Novelty Bobble

Gosh, I'm surprised that this is deemed such a problem.

I hard boil eggs all the time and never have a problem with this, regardless of the age of the eggs and I never use salt. Now it may be that I've struck on a good method but it does seem like simplicity itself.

Bring the eggs to the boil, give 'em seven minutes. transfer pan to sink and run cold water over it for a couple of minutes. Remove eggs, roll and peel (under running water if the membrane is fragile)

This.

I suck at cooking but hard-boiled eggs have never presented the slightest problem. There is no exact timing problem as with soft-boiled, just put them on the boil and return after 7 or 8 minutes.

I'm baffled by the problems presented here. I'm in England, are our chickens laying different eggs?

[samclem]

Moved from GQ to Cafe Society

[Tapiotar]

This thread inspired me, and I just put eggs on to boil!
The recipe linked by Qadgop is pretty much the way we have always hard-boiled eggs in my family, and it's good. We have probably deviled thousands of eggs over the decades -- I grew up on a chicken farm, and we were always asked to bring deviled eggs to picnics, potlucks, etc over the years, and my father still loves them.
Another thing -- for very fresh eggs, peel them as soon as you've stopped the cooking in the ice water bath. Once they start to warm up to room temperature, the loosened membrane will stick again. As others have said, older eggs are better. Or, if they sit in the fridge for days, the membrane loosens again, but there will be more sulphur. Better to eat right away.

[StuffLikeThatThere]

I use my mom's method and rarely have problems (when I do, it's with super-fresh eggs from our own chickens).

Put eggs in pot and make sure they're covered with water. Cover and bring to a rolling boil. Now turn the burner off, remove the pan from heat, and leave the cover on. Wait half an hour. Take the cover off and run cold water into the pan until you can stand to reach in and get the eggs out. Let dry on a towel on the counter, and then put the eggs into the fridge. Once they're cold, they're easy to peel.

My husband, on the other hand, just leaves them boiling until he thinks they're done. He's a little absentminded, so this can be quite a long time. The yolks get all weird on him.

[kittenblue]

I think the better question is, "How do those delis consistently make batches of eggs that sit around for quite a while before before being peeled and yet never seem to have issues when they are peeled?" They can't be using old eggs that they've stored for a week like we can, are they?

[don't ask]

I keep meaning to try this awesome method from noted nutcase Timothy Ferriss.

Particularly convincing because he doesn't explain it - he does it. Very cool.

[Chefguy]

I do the following, which works more often than not. Week-old eggs. Place in pot, cover with cold water, bring to a boil. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for about 15 minutes. Drain out hot water and shake the pot vigorously to crack the eggs. Fill the pot with cold water and let the eggs cool. Peel under water and rinse them off to remove any remaining shell bits.

[Purd Werfect]

Originally Posted by don't ask

I keep meaning to try this awesome method from noted nutcase Timothy Ferriss.

Particularly convincing because he doesn't explain it - he does it. Very cool.

I tried that method and almost blew my eardrums out.

[Jake]

Originally Posted by needscoffee

You know about the thin membrane, but you need to know what to do about it. The membrane is stuck pretty tight against the egg white. You have to get water between the membrane and the egg white, which means the membrane has to tear open and loosen up from the egg white. Like Inner Stickler said, roll the egg on the counter A LOT until the shell is really really broken up into tiny bits, which will both help to pierce the membrane and to loosen it from the egg white. Then hold it under running water as you peel, which will allow water to seep in between the membrane and the egg white. I've never not had this work, even with new eggs. If it's not working, you haven't cracked the egg shell enough.

Agreed. This almost always works for me. Cold water is best, hold the cracked egg low so the weight of the water will get under the membrane. I've peeled eggs this way and gotten the whole shell off in one piece! Also poke a pin-hole in one end of the egg before cooking. Keeps it from cracking all over.

[cynyc]

I've done it all altho' I haven't visited the links yet. I always start with room temp eggs as well which makes me no genius as you can see. What I haven't done is consider boiling in a LOT of salt (mild dehydration) which makes some sense.

When I was way younger I used to put the cleaned shells in ground coffee before perking. I don't know why--it was just something one might do. Why was that???

[Tapiotar]

Originally Posted by don't ask

I keep meaning to try this awesome method from noted nutcase Timothy Ferriss.

Particularly convincing because he doesn't explain it - he does it. Very cool.

Oh, that looks COOL! I'll try that next time. I only saw this hours after I made, and peeled this morning's batch of eggs. They were perfect by the way, and I ate some of them with a dab of creme fraiche with Maya Kaimal spicy ketchup (kecap) on top.

[Lobohan]

How do you make an egg hard boiled?

First you have it walk the mean streets of the city as a beat cop. It sees the ugly side of civilization, poverty, violence, hopelessness. Day after day of some creep's sobbing wife trying to hide a shiner, begging him to go, pleading that she doesn't want to press charges.

Then, a hard fought transition to detective. Forcing him to get into the mind of the scum he used to just have to clean up after. It's hard.

Then, his marriage falls apart. He doesn't even blame his wife for falling into another man's arms. He'd come home every night haunted by what he'd seen during the day. It's not so much for a woman to want a little sunlight in her life.

The egg leans heavy on a bottle, and finally is drummed from the force. Justified or not, it doesn't matter. The fact is the only thing that gave that egg a moment's peace and some semblance of meaning was the job, and now that's gone. The only thing the egg knows how to do is be a detective, so now he chases philandering husbands, crooked business men and lost little girls. Earning his money once case at a time, watching the clock and drinking the grave ever closer.

That's how an egg becomes hard boiled.

[Jake]

Originally Posted by Lobohan

How do you make an egg hard boiled?

First you have it walk the mean streets of the city as a beat cop. It sees the ugly side of civilization, poverty, violence, hopelessness. Day after day of some creep's sobbing wife trying to hide a shiner, begging him to go, pleading that she doesn't want to press charges.

Then, a hard fought transition to detective. Forcing him to get into the mind of the scum he used to just have to clean up after. It's hard.

Then, his marriage falls apart. He doesn't even blame his wife for falling into another man's arms. He'd come home every night haunted by what he'd seen during the day. It's not so much for a woman to want a little sunlight in her life.

The egg leans heavy on a bottle, and finally is drummed from the force. Justified or not, it doesn't matter. The fact is the only thing that gave that egg a moment's peace and some semblance of meaning was the job, and now that's gone. The only thing the egg knows how to do is be a detective, so now he chases philandering husbands, crooked business men and lost little girls. Earning his money once case at a time, watching the clock and drinking the grave ever closer.

That's how an egg becomes hard boiled.

Damn!...

[Tapiotar]

Originally Posted by Jake

Damn!...

Double damn!

So then he takes up with a peeler named Flossie, who gets him out of his shell...

[runner pat]

Good show, Lobohan, for that bit of Ova Noir.

[Lobohan]

Aw shucks, glad I went through the trouble.

[Tapiotar]

Originally Posted by Lobohan

Aw shucks, glad I went through the trouble.

Sir, or Madam, I salute you. If you can point me to your publications, I would read.

[cynyc]

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...0#post14944930

Happy Easter?

[SciFiSam]

Originally Posted by aldiboronti

This.

I suck at cooking but hard-boiled eggs have never presented the slightest problem. There is no exact timing problem as with soft-boiled, just put them on the boil and return after 7 or 8 minutes.

I'm baffled by the problems presented here. I'm in England, are our chickens laying different eggs?

Same here. Perhaps some breeds of hens make eggs that are harder to peel than others?

[StuffLikeThatThere]

Originally Posted by SciFiSam

Same here. Perhaps some breeds of hens make eggs that are harder to peel than others?

It's possible that the shells are different, even with the same breed of chicken. Commercial egg producers in the US know exactly how to feed a chicken so that the eggs she lays have an intact shell, but a thinner one - feeding them more of whatever else is needed to make a harder/thicker shell would be an inefficiency. I don't know how eggs are produced in the UK and Europe, but I'm guessing it isn't quite the same as in the US.

[needscoffee]

Eggs sold in stores can be up to 45 days old already. It's unlikely that any supermarket selling "Fresh Eggs" has newly-laid eggs in the first place.

[Kimballkid]

Originally Posted by Lobohan

How do you make an egg hard boiled?

First you have it walk the mean streets of the city as a beat cop. It sees the ugly side of civilization, poverty, violence, hopelessness. Day after day of some creep's sobbing wife trying to hide a shiner, begging him to go, pleading that she doesn't want to press charges.

Then, a hard fought transition to detective. Forcing him to get into the mind of the scum he used to just have to clean up after. It's hard.

Then, his marriage falls apart. He doesn't even blame his wife for falling into another man's arms. He'd come home every night haunted by what he'd seen during the day. It's not so much for a woman to want a little sunlight in her life.

The egg leans heavy on a bottle, and finally is drummed from the force. Justified or not, it doesn't matter. The fact is the only thing that gave that egg a moment's peace and some semblance of meaning was the job, and now that's gone. The only thing the egg knows how to do is be a detective, so now he chases philandering husbands, crooked business men and lost little girls. Earning his money once case at a time, watching the clock and drinking the grave ever closer.

That's how an egg becomes hard boiled.

I was planning on having hard boiled eggs for dinner. Will this process take that long?

[purplehorseshoe]

You'll want to double up on the whiskey to speed the process along...

[Maiira]

Originally Posted by kittenblue

I think the better question is, "How do those delis consistently make batches of eggs that sit around for quite a while before before being peeled and yet never seem to have issues when they are peeled?" They can't be using old eggs that they've stored for a week like we can, are they?

Might they be using a steamer? When I was in college I worked at the hub, and they had a gigantic steamer that they used for their eggs. They'd come out, we'd let 'em cool for a few minutes, and then we'd peel them--the shells came off easy as a glove.

I can't speak to their sitting around, though, as we usually peeled ours right away.