Hard boiled egg problem
- Drewski
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Hard boiled egg problem
Hi all, I know that this is a very rookie request but my partner is desperate and I'm not much of a fan of hard boiled eggs. She buys farm fresh eggs from local farmers directly. She puts them in cold water in a pot, covered by about an inch of water. Brings it to a boil. Boils them for around 15 minutes. Then decants the hot water and rinses the eggs with cold water until they are only warm to the touch. Then cracks the egg against the counter on the top and bottom of the egg, then rolls the egg along its side. When she then attempts to Peel the egg, the shell is very stuck to the egg white and she gets angry. She hasn't tested enough to see if old eggs do the same as new eggs. And not sure if store bought eggs will do the same either.
I would love if anyone had a tip or trick. I'm currently forcing her to read The Food Lab and hoping that might help her. Cheers!
I would love if anyone had a tip or trick. I'm currently forcing her to read The Food Lab and hoping that might help her. Cheers!
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Re: Hard boiled egg problem
Try adding a teaspoon of baking soda to the water.
Personally I prefer to add my eggs to boiling water, boil for 10 minutes, then turn off the stove for 10 minutes.
Personally I prefer to add my eggs to boiling water, boil for 10 minutes, then turn off the stove for 10 minutes.
Re: Hard boiled egg problem
Hot start...
have her drop eggs in boiling water for thirteen minutes, then ice chill and peel.
Cook like this...
Peel like this...
have her drop eggs in boiling water for thirteen minutes, then ice chill and peel.
Cook like this...
Peel like this...
Last edited by gladius on Tue May 28, 2019 1:33 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Hard boiled egg problem
It helps to let the eggs age in the frig for a couple weeks before boiling them.They will be much easier to peel.
I'm down to boiling them for only 6 minutes,then ice bath.
I'm down to boiling them for only 6 minutes,then ice bath.
Re: Hard boiled egg problem
ATK says cover with an inch of water, bring to boil, remove from heat and cover for 10 minutes (i usually do 11). This always works great every time for perfect eggs.
As eggs age, the air sac grows in size which can make them easier to peel. I bang mine against the counter in several areas then rip off the top or bottom under running water. If some water gets under the membrane between the egg and the shell the shell usually comes right off but Some eggs just wont give it up though and get cratered.
As eggs age, the air sac grows in size which can make them easier to peel. I bang mine against the counter in several areas then rip off the top or bottom under running water. If some water gets under the membrane between the egg and the shell the shell usually comes right off but Some eggs just wont give it up though and get cratered.
- lsboogy
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Re: Hard boiled egg problem
Get the water boiling, and eggs and a teaspoon of vinegar, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 6-7 minutes and chill immediately in ice bath. They should be easy to peel
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Re: Hard boiled egg problem
I’ve always added eggs to boiling water for 12 Minutes and then cooled them down in cold water. If I peel them right away they peel very easy. A couple things I’ve found, store bought eggs peel better than the eggs from my chickens. That may because I don’t let me my fresh chickens eggs age very long. I’ve also found that if I don’t peel them right away they can become difficult to peel down the road. Just my own experience.
“The goal is to die with memories, not dreams.”
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Re: Hard boiled egg problem
Had varying luck with all these methods. What has worked for me is the instant pot. 6 min pressure, 10 minutes natural release. Then cold water, easiest peeling I have found.
Home cook that enjoys sharp knives.
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Re: Hard boiled egg problem
I've had the best (by far) results from steaming.
In a Dutch oven, bring about two inches of water to a boil. Place eggs in a steamer basket, place in the Dutch oven, cover and cook for 11 minutes. Then transfer eggs to an ice bath. I think I got it from Cook's Illustrated. Works really, really well.
In a Dutch oven, bring about two inches of water to a boil. Place eggs in a steamer basket, place in the Dutch oven, cover and cook for 11 minutes. Then transfer eggs to an ice bath. I think I got it from Cook's Illustrated. Works really, really well.
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Re: Hard boiled egg problem
I’ve had good luck with this method too.Bob Z wrote: ↑Tue May 28, 2019 3:23 am ATK says cover with an inch of water, bring to boil, remove from heat and cover for 10 minutes (i usually do 11). This always works great every time for perfect eggs.
As eggs age, the air sac grows in size which can make them easier to peel. I bang mine against the counter in several areas then rip off the top or bottom under running water. If some water gets under the membrane between the egg and the shell the shell usually comes right off but Some eggs just wont give it up though and get cratered.
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Re: Hard boiled egg problem
I bought a cheap egg cooker off Amazon a couple years back. It only does 7 eggs, but it always works fine and is super easy to pull out and do the eggs. I just take them out of the cooker, and put them in cool water and once cooled peel them easily. One thing she might not be doing right is taking the end and peeling away to get started under the membrane. If you don't do that its always a challenge.
- Drewski
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Re: Hard boiled egg problem
Thanks gladius, I can't see the videos or a link to them on your post, but they show up in this reply. I'll see if I can figure it out.
Edit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV9nz1qlY64
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLjCDNoRC-g
Re: Hard boiled egg problem
I just boil mine for about 5 minutes, turn the burner off let it sit till water has cooled than peal away. Perfect eggs every time. Peace
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Re: Hard boiled egg problem
This topic is ubiquitous. Boiling egg technique is click bait on every home page. Regardless of hot starts, baking soda, ice baths, whatever, if the eggs are less than a week old, you’re going to have a problem separating the membrane from the shell. I’ve seen video of commercial settings, and they employ a blast of compressed air to accomplish this feat. Unless you want to have a compressor in your kitchen, there’s no way to make this happen. If you want boiled eggs, they have to sit and deteriorate to the point where the membrane pulls from the shell to the point where the steam generated by boiling can move the dissolved gasses within the egg completely around the shell in order to facilitate peeling. You can safely keep eggs at 40 degrees for over two weeks. Shit, as a kid growing up on a working farm, we kept our eggs wrapped in a towel in a basket on top of the refrigerator. We never refrigerated them. Sometimes, they sat up there for several days, the only limit was the fact that we ate them faster than they could begin to deteriorate.