# Sometimes hard, sometimes easy, to shell a hard boiled egg.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-hard-sometimes-easy-to-shell-a-hard-boiled-egg/197559
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 25, 2003, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-hard-sometimes-easy-to-shell-a-hard-boiled-egg/197559 "2003-08-25T18:24:25Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Brad\_Amundsen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brad_Amundsen)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2003, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-hard-sometimes-easy-to-shell-a-hard-boiled-egg/197559/1 "2003-08-25T18:24:25Z")
Why is it sometimes really easy to shell a hardboiled egg sometimes and very hard others?
Sometimes it is so hard that part of the Egg white comes with the shell.Others it is so easy you can get the shell off in two halves almost.
This doesn’t seem to be related to shelling them hot or cold.
I want only easy eggs to shell, what’s up?
😕
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### Author:  [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2003, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-hard-sometimes-easy-to-shell-a-hard-boiled-egg/197559/2 "2003-08-25T18:29:35Z")
Older eggs are harder to shell than fresh eggs.
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### Author:  [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-hard-sometimes-easy-to-shell-a-hard-boiled-egg/197559/3 "2003-08-25T18:36:41Z")
One tip is to run them under the cold tap as soon as they’re cooked. That seems to help.
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### Author:  [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2003, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-hard-sometimes-easy-to-shell-a-hard-boiled-egg/197559/4 "2003-08-25T18:46:59Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Extremely fresh eggs will not peel easily. In fact, an egg that is just a day or two old is almost impossible to peel. As eggs age, the shells will peel more easily. It is advisable that eggs used for hard cooking (including Easter Eggs) be at least 2 weeks old before cooking for easiest peeling. Hard cooked eggs that are cooked slowly over low heat (and not ‘boiled’) will be more difficult to peel.
[http://www.goodegg.com/boiledegg.html](http://www.goodegg.com/boiledegg.html)
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### Author:  [@Brad\_Amundsen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brad_Amundsen)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2003, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-hard-sometimes-easy-to-shell-a-hard-boiled-egg/197559/5 "2003-08-25T18:50:06Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Walloon \*
> \*\*Older eggs are harder to shell than fresh eggs. \*\*
Do you mean older as in days from chicken or older as in days formm boiling?
It has been my expirience that the longer time from boiling the easier to shell!
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2003, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-hard-sometimes-easy-to-shell-a-hard-boiled-egg/197559/6 "2003-08-25T19:10:24Z")
My sister swears that adding salt to the water makes eggs easier to peel.
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2003, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-hard-sometimes-easy-to-shell-a-hard-boiled-egg/197559/7 "2003-08-25T19:39:39Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Walloon \*
> \*\*Older eggs are harder to shell than fresh eggs. \*\*
It’s the exact opposite, in fact. Fresh eggs are generally much more difficult to peel than eggs that have been allowed to sit in your refrigerator _uncooked_ for one to two weeks.
**Q.E.D** ’s Perfect Hard-cooked Eggs:
Fill a pot with sufficient water to completely cover the eggs and bring them to a boil on high heat. Once boiling, immediately cover the pot and remove from heat. Allow the eggs to sit for 15-20 minutes, then dump out the hot water and fill the pot with cold water. Allow the eggs to sit in the cold water for about five minutes, before draining.
Cooking them this way rather than boiling them makes the whites softer and less rubbery, and prevents the surface of the yolk from turning that unappetizing greenish grey color.
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### Author:  [@RufusLeaking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RufusLeaking)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2003, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-hard-sometimes-easy-to-shell-a-hard-boiled-egg/197559/8 "2003-08-25T20:35:50Z")
I’ve found that using an upside-down spoon to lift the shell off a hard boiled egg works really well.
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### Author:  [@Kempis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kempis)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2003, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sometimes-hard-sometimes-easy-to-shell-a-hard-boiled-egg/197559/9 "2003-08-25T21:41:14Z")
I concurr with QED. The fresher the egg, the harder to peel.
-k