Shelling eggs

funkey_monkey

Genuiune question here.

I'm not much of a cook, but I try.

One problem I'm constantly having is that when I hard boil an egg it is a night mare to shell. The seems to be a layer of white (approx 3mm deep) which is stuck to the inner shell so that when I remove the shell it tends to take of a sizable portion of the white.

I've tried boiling in hot and cold water and for various lengths of time.

What am I missing?

Alun

Generally it's because the egg is "too fresh". Eggs that are a bit older tend to peel more easily.

LaChatteGitane

Indeed, what Allun says is true.
Very fresh eggs don't peel well at all when boiled. The albumen sticks firmly to the outer shell, but breaks down after a few days which will make them easier to peel.

What I usually do when I have this problem is crack the shell all over by rolling it onto the counter top. Lift a little piece of the shell and get underneath with a spoon, keep going to peel the rest of the egg.

Alternatively you could use your very fresh eggs for poaching, as the albumen in the eggwhites will stay neatly wrapped around the yolk. Fresh eggs are ideal for poaching.

rubadub

You can blow hard boiled eggs out of the shell too, well some people can.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN2gYHJNT3Y

DoraDelite

I find them easier to shell if they've been in the fridge overnight.

ElleEm

I put a tea towel down, and give the side of the egg a little bang to crack the shell, then roll it on the towel. It usually comes off pretty handily then.

CJhaughey

Peel them under the tap, the water helps separate the shell from the white.
It doesn't have to be a torrent, just a trickle.

YumCha

I know this breaks a lot of rules but this seems to work for me:
- Keep your eggs in the fridge
- Boil the water first
- Slowly lower the eggs (I use a spoon) into the boiling water
- Hard boil for 6 minutes
- Take out and rinse under cold water - till they're not ouchie to touch
- Crack them all over till the shell is in little pieces - it should then all peel off at once almost!

The other benefit of this is you get the nice oozy yolk