Feathers From My Nest: Boiled Egg Blues

Boiled Egg Blues

Alas, my first 'Not Martha' feather. It comes to you out of pure frustration! (And hopes that someone can comment with a few tried and true tips to help me.)

As you can see, no matter what technique I try, I never seem to get my hard boiled eggs to peel without tearing off large portions of the whites along with the shell.

As I prepared my eggs yesterday, I google yet another tutorial and followed it exactly.

--I let my eggs get room temperature.
--Placed uncracked eggs in cool water.
--Brought them to a rolling boil.
--After 2-3 minutes boiling I took them off the heat and covered them with a lid for 17 minutes.
--I then ran them under cold water and let them soak to cool for 10 minutes.

--The instructions said if we were not eating them right away I should store them un-shelled. I placed them back in the cartons and put them in the fridge.

I was so proud of myself because I was so sure this was going to be the best batch of eggs ever. WRONG! I pulled my eggs out and sat down to peel them only to find that once again...1/2 the whites came off with almost every egg. I tried peeling them cold and I tried letting them get room temperature again. Nothing seemed to make a difference.

Not to worry...we still devoured them. Once they were filled you hardly noticed the massive imperfections.

Am I the only one with boiled egg blues out there?

Is there hope?

Can anyone teach me how to get these eggs to peel without tearing up the whites?

.

Comments (35)

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Ashley · 727 weeks ago

My mom always told me that "fresh" eggs never peel as easy. This always happens to me when I buy eggs and boil them within the next few days.

3 replies · active 726 weeks ago

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Melissa · 727 weeks ago

Hmm... I've always peeled mine while they were still fairly hot. They aren't always smooth, but I would say 8 out of 10 are... I guess I usually don't care how they look since they don't last long enough for anyone to really notice :)

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Laura · 727 weeks ago

I read that you should buy eggs at least 5 days before hard boiling them. I used eggs from my friend's family farm, but I don't know exactly how many days old they were. The worked just fine for me. I used the instructions for hard boiling over at Reluctant Entertainer. Here is a link- http://reluctantentertainer.com/2011/04/boiling-t... She recommends putting the eggs in the water when it is already boiling and then letting them sit in the hot water for 5 minutes to allow the inside of the eggs to shrink away from the shell a bit before cooling them with hot water. I peeled some right away, and some the next day with good results both times. Good luck!

3 replies · active 727 weeks ago

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Audrey · 727 weeks ago

I crack them in the stream of running water and then gently squeeze the shell so the water slips up underneath and then peel - still in the stream of running water. I sometimes still tear one or two but the majority will peel right off. I've done this with cool and with warm, because I'm not that patient, and I find if you do it too soon they tear more but they can still be somewhat warm.

2 replies · active 727 weeks ago

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Laura · 727 weeks ago

k here is what you do i learned this on racheal ray and it works almost every time. You put your eggs in water i like mine just room tempish but it really doesnt matter. place the eggs on the stove and turn on the heat to medium medium high ish and leave the heat on until it boils then cover the pot and turn the heat off. set your timer for 10 mins and leave them. after the ten mins put them in an ice bath and peel. you can leave them in their shells if your not eatyng them right away but its not as easy to peel them. good luck!!!

3 replies · active 726 weeks ago

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Rachel · 727 weeks ago

I have been having this exact same problem - I think it's because we buy eggs from a local farm and not from the store. I saw advice above about keeping them for 5 days first. I'll try that. (We love egg salad with homemade mayo and homemade bread!)

2 replies · active 727 weeks ago

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Cameo · 727 weeks ago

I used to have that problem when I would cook them to long. Boil them for only 10 min. then drain with cold water. good luck.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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Kim_ffmn 43p · 727 weeks ago

I'm sooo blessed with so many suggestions!!! Keep them coming. I am absolutely going to try some of these with my next batch to see what I can get to work with my eggs. :o)

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Lisa-Marie · 727 weeks ago

We have chickens so our eggs are always super fresh and we've always had this same FRUSTRATING problem. THis year I heard to add a couple tablespoons of baking soda to the water while boiling. Apparently, it changes the ph balance (or something!) So we tried it. So far all my eggs have peeled better than ever!

1 reply · active 726 weeks ago

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Diana · 727 weeks ago

My dear friend Julie provided me with this tip and I have used it for the last couple of years with success: add a tsp of so of baking soda to the boiling water. I am not certain of the chemical process, but it makes peeling eggs a breeze.

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Diana · 727 weeks ago

Too funny, I see Lisa-Marie just posted the same tip, although she uses a lot more baking soda than I do.

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Krystal · 727 weeks ago

I tap each end to burst the air bubbles on the ends, then roll them between my hands with gentle pressure (like nail polish) to crack the shells up. Running cold water over them after this, allowing some water to get under the membrane also helps. ;)

1 reply · active 725 weeks ago

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Casey · 727 weeks ago

I use the same method as Laura (place in room temp water, boil, turn off heat and let sit with lid on for 10 minutes, then rinse under cold water). The biggest issue with eggs not peeling well is how fresh they are. I recommend using eggs that are a week or more old. I buy mine fresh from an organic farm and love them, but I always have to boil the eggs that are the oldest. As a tip, my egg supplier assured me that eggs can stay fresh in the fridge for months!

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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Laurie Fesmire · 727 weeks ago

I use older eggs, salt the water, simmer for about 20 min, pour off hot water, add cold water and peel while hot.

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Arlyn · 726 weeks ago

Regarding egg expirations...the FDA has built in a little extra time for us. They say the eggs are still good to eat 3-5 weeks after the expiration stamped on the carton. Even so, I don't think I've ever ended up with a rotten egg from the fridge. Heaven sure got this packaging right! :)

1 reply · active 726 weeks ago

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Dorothy · 726 weeks ago

This method always works for me, even with fresh eggs. Once they are through cooking, I break the shell on each one and let them sit in cold water (sometimes I add ice to the water). Let them cool completely and then peel. The only time it does not work is when I do not crack the shells.

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Stacee · 726 weeks ago

I struggled with this for a long time and have recently figured out the RIGHT way to peel hard boiled eggs. First of all, I no longer boil my eggs, I steam them in a steamer for 25 minutes. They come out perfectly cooked! As soon as they are done steaming I place all of the eggs in a large bowl with LOTS of ice and some water. I let them sit awhile until they are VERY cold. Then, the trick is how you crack the eggs. First, hold your egg upright and crack it on the counter on the top and then flip it over and do the bottom. Then, roll your egg on the counter or plate under your hand and crush the rest of the shell. If your eggs were nice and cold, the shell should come off very easily. No more picking off pieces of shell or mangled eggs for me! Hope it works for you, too!

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