Peeling Eggs
 

I have made deviled eggs for years and until the last couple of years, I've had no problem peeling the eggs. Does anyone have a great way to to peel the shell easily?

First, don't use fresh eggs from chickens in your yard, use only store bought eggs (they are marked "fresh" even if they are 3 months old).
Second, there are lots of "tricks" to get the eggs to cool and shrink away from the shell, but if you've been making eggs for years, I assume you know those.
Lastly, I use a teaspoon to scoot under the shell, and around the egg to get the shell off nicely.

Jane is right about using older eggs. I bring the eggs to a boil and turn off the heat, leaving the pot still on the burner. I wait about 30 minutes but they may be done sooner. Drain and cover with cold water and some ice. Works for me!

I've always had great success bringing the eggs to a boil, then draining under cold water, then rolling the eggs over a towel before peeling.

Not hard to tell it's potato salad season! LOL!

I owned chickens for several years and experimented with proper age for boiling eggs. Came up with 10 days or older for easy peeling. Any fresher than that don't peel easily. Learned to date my eggs with a pencil and save some out for boiling. It has to do with a small amount of the moisture evaporating out through the shell.

I always have better luck when I peel them in a bowl of cold water while the eggs are still warm.

I add table salt to the water, put in eggs, bring to a boil. Turn off the stove and set the timer for 25 minutes. After the timer does its job, drain off the hot water and then fill the pan with cold water and let set for about 10 minutes. Peel and enjoy.

Perfect. I also put 6 or so ice cubes in.

I have an egg cooker - it only makes 7 eggs at a time, and you have to puncture each egg before you put it in the little machine but I never have trouble peeling them. My mother would say it is because you are making them for company. Her eggs came out perfect when she made them for the family or putting the eggs in a salad so it didn't matter what they look like. But make them to take somewhere or having company come over - then the little buggers hold on to those shells like crazy.

I'm not a kitchen gadget girl, but got an egg cooker like quiltingcandy uses as a gift and I LOVE that thing! Perfectly peeled eggs every time!

My mother always cooked the eggs as others have described, with good results: bring the water to a boil, turn off the heat but keep a lid on the pan, let eggs and water cool, then rinse in cold water, roll the eggs on the counter to crack the shells all over, and peel.

A friend told me she bakes the whole egg in a muffin tin and they peel the easiest she's ever tried. I haven't done it yet--still using the boiling water and quick cool method.

Try shaking egg(s) in small covered container that has some water in it.

I peel the boiled eggs under water, so much easier!

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try watching the age of the eggs and maybe peeling them when they're still warm. Hopefully better results :-)

Buy an egg cooker. I have one that a friend bought me for my birthday about 4 years ago. I have never had an egg stick again. It will boil 7 at a time and no matter how fresh or not they are, they never stick.

Farm fresh eggs have larger yolks and sometimes not enough white to stay intact when you use them as devilled eggs. Or at least that has been my experience. Somewhere DH heard to take the hot eggs put them in a tuperware like container and put them in the fridge to cool. They sweat making the shells easier to come off. Or at least that's the theory. Works for him. Whenever he finds out a trick to use in the kitchen, that becomes his job. Sp far he's the dish washer loader and the grocery putter upper.

I have used the same method to boil, set timer for 25 minutes, drain off hot water. THEN with lid ON, SHAKE the eggs to crack the shells, fill pan with cold water and then peel.
I have the Instant Pot pressure cooker now, put in 1 cup water and layer eggs on bottom rack in silicone baking cups, to fill pot, cook for about 5 minutes. I peel while rather hot so I can pickle them and have them seal to store in the spare fridge.

Cuisinart Egg Central. I love this thing. Oh how I hated boiling eggs and peeling before. I had my method, but this is so much better hands down. Wish they had been available 50 years ago!

I put a little oil in the water, when done boiling cool quickly with cold water Shell will come off easily.

I think the cooling quickly is very important. If eggs cook too long or are not cooled quickly, the yolks turn dark around the outside. I don't think it really hurts the egg, it's just unsightly.

The trick I have tried lately for potato salad or egg salad is to poach the eggs. I can put up to seven eggs in a flat pan with a few inches of boiling water. When eggs are cooked, pour everything into a strainer. Then you have yolks that are a little oval shaped instead of round, but that's a "design choice".

I recently read that peeling a boiled egg from the "pointy" end is more effective than peeling from the "round" end. I had always peeled from the "round" end. I thought it sounded foolish until I tried it. Dang if it doesn't work better!

I have my egg cooker on my kitchen counter covered by a toaster cover I made that does not cover our toaster now. I keep hard boiled eggs in the refrigerator (carton marked "hard") as we like them for breakfast, and I have "instant" egg salad makings, deviled eggs, for potato salad, etc. And we really like the soft boiled eggs for breakfast! My husband even likes them refrigerated if I make an extra or 2. I am always careful to punch the end of the egg that was up in the carton as that is where the air bubble is. The secret is to get under the membrain between the egg and the shell when peeling! As she said "get an egg cooker!"

I read this on Pinterest and have tried it 2 or 3 times. We buy eggs from some Amish friends so they are VERY fresh. I read to bring the water to a boil with some vinegar in it. (I just pour some in....less than 1/4 cup in a 6 qt pan.) After the water comes to boil add the eggs. Cook for 14 minutes then put into ice water. I just put a bunch of ice in a large pan and add water then the eggs. I haven't had any trouble peeling the eggs since I've used this method. This is one of the FEW things I've read on Pinterest that actually worked! LOL

Cooks Illustrated magazine says to use this method. I don't think they mentioned the vinegar, though. My trouble doing this is that the eggs tend to crack when you put them in the water. I started using a spoon to lower them so they land more gently!

The ladies here are right about not using fresh eggs. I ruined two dozen eggs that wouldn't peel for deviled eggs at Thanksgiving one year.

Yeah, my mothers eggs for company were perfect too. That's because she would double the amount she needed and then just put out the perfect ones. We ate imperfect eggs for days after.

I have chickens so I just age a dozen or so when I want boiled eggs. Put number desired in cold water, bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and time for 20 minutes. Immediately drain and fill pan with cold water, add ice cubes to get really cold water. let sit a few minutes until eggs are cold. Peel immediately or refrigerate until needed. I like a boiled egg in my salad and this is the method I use. I also peel from the round end where the air pocket is. 99% of the time this works. but once in a while you get an egg that just won't peel nicely.
I have never tried them, but I have seen already boiled, peeled, and packaged eggs in the deli section of my grocery store. Pretty pricey but I guess some people like the convenience of not having to deal with boiling and peeling.

This is what I do.

This is exactly what I do (in a glass container with water)and have shared this method and everyone is amazed at how easy this is and really works extremely well! and I love my egg cooker that my sister raved about. So glad I bought one when it went on sale. best gadget I have purchased in a quite awhile.

Cook them in an Instant Pot. They peel like a dream, and it only takes 5/6/7 minutes to cook, depending on how hard-boiled you want them. :thumbup:

I like mine HARD-boiled, so I cook them for 7 minutes, let the pressure release naturally for 7 minutes (then quick-release any remaining pressure), and soak them in ice water for 7 minutes. Perfect eggs every time, and you don't have to baby-sit a pot of boiling water! :)

surely agree with this - I do mine 4 minutes with 4 minutes natural release and then ice bath. Also perfect and no green rings!