This time, I got three out of twelve to peel without the shell and white stuck together so hard that I end up with just the yolk in my hand after picking,digging and holding the darn thing under running water the whole time.
I put my eggs in a pot with enough water to cover them.
Bring to a boil.
Take them off the heat and cover.
Let sit for twenty minutes.
Drain water and fill pan with cold water and ice.
Let sit for a few minuets and TRY to peel.
You want a large pot relative to the number of eggs.
Bring water to boil.
Turn off water.
Place eggs in water and cover with lid. (take out any that crack)
Start timer-20min.
Return water to just starting to boil.
Turn off heat. (residual heat will cook the eggs)
When finished, drain water, keep cover on. Give pot one sharp shake to break the shells and dump in ice water.
Cool at least 10-15 min.
Starting eggs in the pot with water and bringing up to boil is the crux of the matter?
You’ll get a ton of advice, but here’s mine. It works very well for peel-able eggs.
Steam 'em.
Buy a cheap vegetable steamer insert for your pot. Fill with water to bottom of steamer. Put eggs in. Cold, hen temperature, doesn’t matter. Cover with a tight fitting lid.
Bring water to a boil. When steam escapes, reduce heat to maintain the steaming process. Start timer for 12-13 minutes. Be careful not to steam them too long, else they will be overcooked.
When done, drain the pot and fill with cold water and ice. Allow to cool for 15 minutes at least.
They will peel like a dream.
Yep. Starting from cold makes the membrane inside stick to the shell and egg white. Also, the fresher the egg, the more likely it will stick.
Even easier is to get an egg steamer for $16. They are fool proof and can make soft to hard yolks.
That’s a uni-tasker!
runs around in a mindless panic
These little egg timer actually work. Pretty foolproof.
Yes. The slower you hard cook them, to worse it is.
I steam them. Put eggs in a steamer basket; bring 1/2-1” of Ware to a rolling boil in a pot. Drop eggs in and steam for 12-13 minutes. Shock with cold water. Done.
The most important thing in getting a clean peel is using older eggs. I keep eggs at least a week before boiling.
Instant Pot. The pressure forces the small air pocket to spread out and separate the white from the shell.
What temperature where they when you tried to peel them?
The SDMB taught me about these years ago. Seems a pointless gimmick at first, but incredibly useful.
As for the OP, you’re peeling under running water? That sounds like a soggy gross mess. Older eggs help, but you shouldn’t ever dig down to the yolk.
According to this site, the “secret” is putting cold eggs into water that is already boiling, then cooling them quickly with ice at the end. I’ve been doing it this way for a couple of year now, and my eggs always peel easily and cleanly.
That was the site I was looking for!
Seconded, though I still pull one and check it rather than just rely on the egg-like thing. I keep mine at the temperature that I plan to start the eggs from. Given this,
I start with cold eggs.
CMC fnord!
I steam them for four minutes in a pressure cooker. They peel like a dream.
Protip: If you’re making deviled eggs put the egg carton on its side for a couple days before steaming them; it allows the chalazae to bring the yolk to the center of the egg. I hate those off-center yolks; plus, if anyone asks why; you get to use the word chalaza; which has got to be worth something.
Include vinegar in the boiling water. A few tablespoons in … whatever reasonable volume of water you’re using to boil the eggs. The hot vinegar will dissolve some calcium and soften the shell. Also, vinegar (or tons of salt in the water) will penetrate the pores in the shell, and coagulate an outer layer of white, making it tougher. Together, with a softer shell and a tougher white, peeling will be easy.
For me, it seems the quick boil followed by a cold shock that really works to separate that membrane and get the shells to pull off in practically one big piece every time.
Once the shell breaks up & you can get it move, find that air pocket on one end and snag the inner membrane, and your egg should roll right out.
Steaming is the fastest and best way to do it, in my opinion. You don’t need a lot of water, so it boils up fast, and I just use eggs straight from the fridge. For me, it’s 12 minutes for hard boiled, into ice water for ten minutes, peel (I like to do it under running water.) They peel fine. And they’re perfectly done. Solid yolks with no green or gray ring around them (that drives me nuts when I get served something with hard boiled eggs and the yolks are obviously overcooked, especially at a restaurant, who should know better.)
Steaming is much quicker and allows for better control over how done they are. To peel I make a little crack in the egg and then roll them on the sink. When the entire shell is cracked I start at the blunt end and peel in one piece. Still need to wash the egg of but it is quick, easy and works great.