Eggs are delicious and full of protein. Boiled eggs are the at the top when it comes to the healthiest form to eat (along with poached eggs).
They are so easy to make, so long as you can use a timer or a clock, but once they are cooked the real challenge begins – peeling them.
If you somehow manage to get easy-peel eggs every time, lucky you. The vast majority of us are not so fortunate and end up with eggs that look like they come out of a horror movie.
Chunks of white are ripped from the egg, and we are left with a sad excuse of a breakfast.
If you are one of those people without the magic eggs, you’ve come to the right place.
This post will reveal to you the mysteries of the boiled egg, and explain how to get a beautiful, easy-to-peel egg every time. No more frustrating (and embarrassing) catastrophes in the kitchen, only eggselent meals.
Why Are Some Boiled Eggs So Hard to Peel?
Science tells us that eggs become hard to feel after being boiled because of pH levels. The albumen (egg white) that are in fresh eggs has a slightly acidic pH level (or a low pH level).
When the eggs are cooked, the albumen bond to the membrane of the inner shell more than it does to itself, which makes it difficult to peel and chunky.
So, knowing the science, you might be wondering what we could possibly do about the pH level of an egg.
Well, there are actually a few things we can try in order to make eggs easier to peel after being boiled. Interested? Let’s have a look.
How Can You Boil Eggs That Are Easy to Peel?
There are six methods to try when it comes to creating easy-to-peel eggs. For all of these, chances are you have everything you need at home. Except maybe a pressure cooker, but we will get there a little later.
Method 1 – Hot Water And An Ice Bath
This first method is one what is probably tied and tested the most. It is super easy, and you don’t need anything except eggs, a pot of boiling water, and some ice water.
A lot of people have claimed to have excellent success when they boiled their eggs using this simple, traditional method. However, this does not always work for everyone.
Method 2 – Vinegar
You can add some vinegar to the boiling water before adding your eggs. The vinegar should help raise the pH level, so the eggs do not stick to the membrane of their shell.
Method 3 – Baking Soda
Adding baking soda to the boiling water is a popular way to get easy-peel eggs, according to many. This works the same way that vinegar does, but seems to be more effective in getting easy peel-eggs.
You would boil your eggs just like you normally would, but add a teaspoon or two of baking soda. This will make the eggs super easy to peel, maybe even suspiciously easy?
Method 4 – Create A Pinhole In The Eggshell
The traditional egg-boilders of the world are probably very familiar with this one. Poking a pinhole into the shell of the egg before boiling it creates a place where the air in the shell can exit while it boils.
This air would otherwise expand in the egg, which in turn will make the egg white stick to the inside of the shell.
Apparently, doing this to your eggs will also result in the eggs coming out smoother and rounder once they have been (easily) peeled.
Method 5 – Stem The Eggs In A Pressure Cooker
We never said you had to boil the eggs, right? Many people swear by using a pressure cooker to get the perfect eggs that you can peel by just touching them.
Steaming eggs instead of boiling them is thought to make the proteins in the egg white ‘shrink away’ from the membrane of the shell.
Since the egg white binding to the shell is the root of the problem we usually face with eggs, this method seems like an eggselent idea.
Method 6 – Leave The Eggs In The Refrigerator After Boiling
If you are able to think far enough ahead, you can boil your eggs the day before you plan to eat them. Strange? Yes. Does it work? Also yes.
Place your boiled eggs in the refrigerator once they have cooled down enough, and leave them in there overnight or for a few days.
The pH of the egg white will increase as it sits in a cool environment, and when you decide to eat them, they will be super easy to peel.
Method 7 – Peel The Eggs Right After They Have Cooled
If you don’t want to have to wait hours or days to enjoy your boiled eggs, a simple way to help get easy-to-peel eggs is to peel them soon after boiling.
Boil your eggs, let them cool down, and as soon as they are cool enough to handle, start peeling. The longer you leave the eggshells on an egg, the more difficult it will be to peel off.
You can boil your eggs in bulk, peel them and refrigerate them so that you can have healthy snacks throughout the week.
Method 8 – The Most Important Step – Use Boiling Water
The most important part of boiling eggs has been saved until last, so if you managed to get this far, you will be rewarded with this information.
When boiling your eggs, make sure you boil them in boiling water. This might sound obvious, but often we get impatient and throw our eggs into water that is only simmering.
If we do this, the egg white will definitely stick to the membrane inside the shell.
Wait until the water is at a violent boil, and then add the eggs. Chances are, if you have the patience to wait for the water to be bubbling away, you will end up with perfect eggs.
Which Method Works Best?
There are seven apparent methods that work to get easy-to-peel eggs, but which one is best?
It is possible that there might not be a ‘best’ method, but some of them are steps that should be done every time you boil your eggs.
The Most Important Steps To Take When Looking To Make Easy-Peel Eggs Are As Follows:
- Use boiling water
- Use an ice bath
These two steps should result in perfect eggs every time. Even if you add a whole bottle of vinegar (which could make the eggs taste like sulfur) you still might not end up with easy-peel eggs! The fact is,
if you do not take the time to prepare your space (i.e., boil water) and set up the right conditions for the eggs afterwards (an ice bath), it doesn’t matter what else you add to the water.
By the look of what people say about these methods, the boiling waster and ice bath are the two things that will set you up for success when boiling eggs.
You can use a pressure cooker, sure, but not everyone has one of those. If you want to take an extra step to be safe, just in case, the best option seems to be adding some baking soda to the boiling water before adding the eggs.
Final Thoughts On Eggs
And there you have it. Now you know why some eggs are so hard to peel, and you know how to work around it.
A lot of people go through their lives wondering why their eggs look like a sad animal has been gnawing on them and never take action, so well done to you for finding answers!
If you have tried any of these methods, which one worked for you? There could be other factors to consider, like the pH of the water in your area (most drinking water lies in the range of 6.5-8.5).
Similarly, if you boil your eggs while out camping and use other water (natural water can have a lower pH due to rocks and acid rain), this will probably have an effect on the eggs.
Now that you know what steps you can take to make easy-to-peel eggs, go out and try them! I hope these work for you, and yo uneven have to go through the pain of peeling ugly eggs again.
