# How To Hard Boil An Egg?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-hard-boil-an-egg/557633
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [October 19, 2010, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-hard-boil-an-egg/557633 "2010-10-19T04:44:20Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-hard-boil-an-egg/557633/1 "2010-10-19T04:44:20Z")
I’ve never had this problem before, but I bought a bunch of eggs, they’ve been cheap lately, and hard boiled them.
I’ve been doing it like this my whole life.
Put eggs in pan and cover them with water. Bring eggs to boil. As soon as it stops to boil, remove from heat and cover pan. Let sit for 15 minutes for large eggs, 18 minutes for jumbo.
Then I remove the eggs with a slotted spoon empty pan. Fill pan back up with water and put eggs in to cool the. After a minute I remove eggs again and empty water and fill pan with cold water and put eggs in and repeat till eggs are cool.
Well I’ve never had problems but now this whole set of eggs, it’s like next to impossible to peel the eggs off the shell.
Is this a sign of bad eggs? I mean they taste just fine, but I’m wasting a third of my egg 'cause I can’t get the shell off without removing most of the white too.
So any tips on hard (or soft) boiling eggs? What causes a sticky shell like that? I’ve never had problems before.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-hard-boil-an-egg/557633/2 "2010-10-19T04:57:10Z")
> [@Markxxx](#):
>
> Is this a sign of bad eggs?
Actually, it’s really _fresh_ eggs that are difficult to peel.
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### Author:  [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-hard-boil-an-egg/557633/3 "2010-10-19T04:58:39Z")
Your technique is pretty much the same as mine, but if your eggs are fresh it’ll be almost impossible to cleanly peel the shells. For best results use eggs about a week old or so.
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-hard-boil-an-egg/557633/4 "2010-10-19T05:04:11Z")
Add salt to the water. Makes them easier to peel.
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### Author:  [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-hard-boil-an-egg/557633/5 "2010-10-19T05:05:22Z")
Also peel under running water.
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### Author:  [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-hard-boil-an-egg/557633/6 "2010-10-19T05:12:24Z")
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> Actually, it’s really _fresh_ eggs that are difficult to peel.
Fourth’d? Fifth’d. Wait a week or so and those bad boys would be perfect.
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### Author:  [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-hard-boil-an-egg/557633/7 "2010-10-19T05:27:56Z")
Yep, sounds like the eggs are too fresh. Older eggs, with salted water, and peeled under running water, and those babies will peel perfectly.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-hard-boil-an-egg/557633/8 "2010-10-19T05:37:44Z")
> [@Kolga](#):
>
> Yep, sounds like the eggs are too fresh. Older eggs, with salted water, and peeled under running water, and those babies will peel perfectly.
I’ve actually heard _not_ to use salted water, because it supposedly makes the whites rubbery. At any rate, I’ve only used unsalted water for boiling eggs, and it seems to work fine.
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### Author:  [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-hard-boil-an-egg/557633/9 "2010-10-19T08:13:03Z")
You add a bit of baking soda to the water and [blow the shell off](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN2gYHJNT3Y). (I’ve never tried it, but it looks pretty cool).
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### Author:  [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-hard-boil-an-egg/557633/10 "2010-10-19T08:17:46Z")
I recall an old Ann Landers column where she said to boil them, then run the whole bunch of them (in a colander) under running water for an hour. Hard-boiled is my least favorite egg, so I’ll never know whether this works or not.
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### Author:  [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-hard-boil-an-egg/557633/11 "2010-10-19T08:26:44Z")
> [@Krokodil](#):
>
> I recall an old Ann Landers column where she said to boil them, then run the whole bunch of them (in a colander) under running water for an hour. Hard-boiled is my least favorite egg, so I’ll never know whether this works or not.
Running water\* for an hour\*?
I fill a large bowl with ice and water, bring the eggs to a boil for ten minutes and dump the eggs into the ice water to cool.
No salt and I use old eggs.
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### Author:  [@vifslan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vifslan)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-hard-boil-an-egg/557633/12 "2010-10-19T13:47:10Z")
My technique with hard-to-peel eggs is to cool them off under running cold water, then crack them rounded end forward against the kitchen counter, making sure that the slimy inner membrane breaks as well. After this, they go back into the cold water for five to ten minutes (or until I need them. Storing eggs underwater is supposed to prevent the nasty black ring as well). My hypothesis is that a little water gets in under the shell and makes them easier to peel. If this isn’t enough, I pop them into the freezer for a couple of minutes. If even that doesn’t help the shells come off, I shrug and tell myself I’ve done all in my power.
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### Author:  [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-hard-boil-an-egg/557633/13 "2010-10-19T13:49:49Z")
If you’re looking for a diffeent type of hard bioled egg, try making [tea eggs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_egg). Yummy!
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### Author:  [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-hard-boil-an-egg/557633/14 "2010-10-19T14:29:44Z")
> [@runner pat](#):
>
> Running water\* for an hour\*?
>
> I fill a large bowl with ice and water, bring the eggs to a boil for ten minutes and dump the eggs into the ice water to cool.
Yumpin’ yimmeny! I thought an hour seemed nuts too. I got my egg boiling advice from the Mr. Breakfast website. He just says to let it sit in cold water for 2-5 _minutes_. I use running water to make sure they cool down, otherwise they keep cooking in their shells.
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### Author:  [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-hard-boil-an-egg/557633/15 "2010-10-19T14:29:53Z")
I peel mine under running water, so that the trickle of water can get under the shell and help lift it. But your problem is the fresh eggs. Never boil eggs you just bought. That way leads to tears.
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### Author:  [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-hard-boil-an-egg/557633/16 "2010-10-19T14:32:14Z")
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> I’ve actually heard _not_ to use salted water, because it supposedly makes the whites rubbery. At any rate, I’ve only used unsalted water for boiling eggs, and it seems to work fine.
Actually, I’ve used both (sometimes just forget the salt), and I haven’t noticed any appreciable difference in the results. So, I think the salt thing might not be as important as the “no fresh eggs” and “peel under running water” parts.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-hard-boil-an-egg/557633/17 "2010-10-19T14:40:12Z")
> [@vifslan](#):
>
> Storing eggs underwater is supposed to prevent the nasty black ring as well.
The black/green ring is from overcooking, so yes, cooling them off properly will prevent this, but it’s not specifically storing them underwater that prevents the ring.
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### Author:  [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-hard-boil-an-egg/557633/18 "2010-10-19T14:40:50Z")
> [@Markxxx](#):
>
> Bring eggs to boil. As soon as it stops to boil, remove from heat and cover pan.
The water won’t stop boiling until it’s all evaporated.
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### Author:  [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-hard-boil-an-egg/557633/19 "2010-10-19T14:52:05Z")
How to boil the perfect egg from my favorite food blog:
> **[How to Make Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs | The Food Lab](https://www.seriouseats.com/the-secrets-to-peeling-hard-boiled-eggs)**
>
> The secret to peeling hard-boiled eggs? Well, secret might be a bit of an exaggeration. Here's the truth: There is no 100% foolproof method for peeling hard-boiled eggs, and anybody who tells you different is selling something. Still, our method will...
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### Author:  [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-hard-boil-an-egg/557633/20 "2010-10-19T16:56:07Z")
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> I’ve actually heard _not_ to use salted water, because it supposedly makes the whites rubbery. At any rate, I’ve only used unsalted water for boiling eggs, and it seems to work fine.
I heard this too as it raises the boiling temp and it makes them cook too long.
I didn’t realize eggs I bought could be TOO fresh. Makes sense though, as it does seem the shell is stuck to the membrane between the white and the shell.
Any other cool things besides the hard boiled method? Like soft boiled. I never made them before. Any hints for those. I’ll have to try the tea eggs.
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