Is there a trick to peeling hard boiled eggs?

[Purple*Lotus]

Last week I could not get my eggs peeled for my salads. I ended up losing most of the egg trying.

I tapped the backside of a knife on the shell to crack it all over, but it didn't work well for me.

Is there a better way to do it?

[mommy2two babes]

Use older eggs to do hard boiled eggs.

[Storm Bride]

I also find that I get better results if I don't crack them all over. That just shreds the shell.

Are you peeling them cold or hot? If cold, I find they peel more easily, in general, if I peel them fairly soon after they chill.

[SeekingJoy]

I second the suggestion to use older eggs. Fresh eggs don't peel as well.

[dogmom327]

Old eggs and I generally put a splash of ACV in the water although I'm not sure if the ACV helps or not.

[chezlyryan]

I third (or fourth) use old eggs, like two weeks old. Just crack it a little and the shell should fall away.

[womenswisdom]

This is the coolest video of how to peel a hard-boiled egg EVER.

[Alyantavid]

Old eggs definitely. Beyond that, I just tap one end and then peel. It always works fine unless the eggs are really fresh.

[MissE]

Another vote for 'older eggs'

[A&A]

Also if you put salt in the water with the boiling eggs, that will make them easier to peel.

[artemis33]

I give them one good whack on the large end and start from there - that is usually where the air pocket is. Then run them under a little cold water to loosen the rest.

[Hokulele]

I can't believe no one posted this - I discovered this a couple months back and figured I was the last person on earth to know.

Ice water. I make my hard boiled eggs, then dunk them in a bowl of ice cubes and water. If they sit in there for maybe five minutes they peel perfectly, no matter how you peel them.

I think the cold must shrink the egg inside just enough to separate it from the shell.

[425lisamarie]

I have one of those electric egg cookers with a pin in the middle and you poke a hole in the bottom of the egg. so i tested it again by pushing an egg on a push pin (like a tack) and boiling in a pot and it still works. Must be something like steam.......we actually get eggs from friends and I have boiled eggs within a few days of picking and they still peel when poked

[mommy212]

when the eggs are done, dunk them in ice water. Then crack and peel. Makes the shell seperate

[Magelet]

I find it helps to peel the egg under water.

[californiajenn]

Steam them. I PROMISE you will never boil your eggs again. It takes about 12 minutes to cook to hard, 5 minutes for soft.

A friend told me this a couple years ago. It doesn't matter how old the eggs are, if you add vinegar, or say a chant; they peel easily every time.

[CorasMama]

Originally Posted by californiajenn

Steam them. I PROMISE you will never boil your eggs again. It takes about 12 minutes to cook to hard, 5 minutes for soft.

A friend told me this a couple years ago. It doesn't matter how old the eggs are, if you add vinegar, or say a chant; they peel easily every time.

like, in a veggie steamer basket?

[fresh_veggie]

Originally Posted by CorasMama

like, in a veggie steamer basket?

Yes, that's how I do mine in my rice cooker. I'll never do them another way, as long as I have my rice cooker. You can do 6 at a time, hardboiled (I actually like mine somewhere between hard and soft, I follow the ricecooker directons).

I use ice water for every batch of eggs I boil to stop them from cooking and turning green, but sometimes they peel easily and sometimes I lose a bit of white.

Another vote for older eggs. Learned this in food science at university.

[~Adorkable~]

i want to second and elaborate on the cold ice water

as soon as you finish cooking the eggs (and that is a whole different talk!)
put them in tons of ice and water. as soon as they are really cold (5 min about ) crack them all really all over and i like to peel them running under a small stream of water.
i find sometimes i really didn't need to crack it all over, but some times i do and better to do it than tear up the egg.

the important thing here is that if you leave them too long in the shell after cooking the membrane will reattach, so peel them all in that 5-15 min timeframe.

[pyxiwulf]

After I ice them to cool them, as I pull each one out to peel, I run it under hot water just long enough to take the chill off. Cold expands, so the egg expands in the shell, warming it up just a bit, causes it to shrink just enough to separate the two.