# Deviled egg problem



## MeredithG (Apr 26, 2010)

This weekend I attempted to make deviled eggs for the first time.  I failed miserably.  I couldn't peel the eggs properly; my shells stuck to the egg whites, so that I often had to take off some of the white with the shell pieces, leaving me with smaller, misshapen eggs.  Instead of pretty half-ovals, I had lumpy blobs that in many places were not even strong enough to hold my yoke mixture.  I finally just gave up & chopped the whites & made an egg salad.  What did I do wrong?  Boiled too long?  Not long enough?  I don't remember my mother or grandmothers having this problem when they made these for church picnics!  Add that to the long list of reasons why I'll never be a proper Southern lady.


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## merstar (Apr 26, 2010)

How long did you boil the eggs? Were they nice and cold before you peeled them? The best way to cool them is to put them into ice water after boiling.


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## Uncle Bob (Apr 26, 2010)

MeredithG said:
			
		

> What did I do wrong?



IMO ....Nothing!! Could be you had some very fresh eggs...Sounds crazy, but very fresh eggs can be the devil to peel sometimes....Next time maybe try to anticipate making the deviled eggs...Buy your eggs and hold in them in refrigerator for a week or ten days..Then try again!

Hey! Welcome to DC Miss Meredith...Make yourself at home!!


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## DaveSoMD (Apr 26, 2010)

Uncle Bob said:


> IMO ....Nothing!! Could be you had some very fresh eggs...Sounds crazy, but very fresh eggs can be the devil to peel sometimes....Next time maybe try to anticipate making the deviled eggs...Buy your eggs and hold in them in refrigerator for a week or ten days..Then try again!
> 
> Hey! Welcome to DC Miss Meredith...Make yourself at home!!


 
What Uncle Bob said.... and welcome to DC!!!!!


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## Andy M. (Apr 26, 2010)

Fresher eggs are harder to peel.  If you can plan ahead, buy your eggs a week early and store them in the fridge in the egg carton, laying on its side (helps center the yolks in the whites).

Pierce a pin hole into the blunt end of each egg.  Put the eggs into a panful of hottest tap water and bring to a boil in a covered pan.  Boil gently for only 10 minutes.  Pour off the water, shake the pan back and forth to crack the shells all over.  Put the eggs into an ice water bath until cold.  Peel gently under running water.


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## babetoo (Apr 26, 2010)

merstar said:


> How long did you boil the eggs? Were they nice and cold before you peeled them? The best way to cool them is to put them into ice water after boiling.


 
that is what i do. only once in a great while do i have one that is hard to peel. i just eat that one. lol  however i do not boil them. put in water to cover and bring to a boil. set off burner with lid on pan. let stand for fifteen min. works great and hard to over cook.


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## CharlieD (Apr 26, 2010)

Yeah, what they said. I agree. Old eggs, crack a little in the wide end. Boil long enough. Run under very cold water with ice. Roll between hands gently.


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## spork (Apr 26, 2010)

I love deviled eggs.  And, yes, they are unappetizing if the shells look diseased.  You did your mother and grandmothers proud, MeredithG, to turn the effort into a salad.  The key for me has been:  cooking the egg slowly with its membrane intact, and cooling it rapidly with its membrane broken to allow water to seep in and separate it cleanly.

There is a longer list of people who appreciate an improper Southern Lady.  Welcome to DC!


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## Janet H (Apr 26, 2010)

Yup - you need more "mature" eggs.  One thing that may help in peeling a problem egg is easing a teaspoon under the shell once you have a little bit peeled.

Years ago I was responsible for prepping the salad section of a Sunday brunch buffet and the menu always included deviled eggs for 400 (I still have nightmares about this).  I learned to cook eggs in a pressure steamer that cracked the shells open and practically peeled them all at once, almost blew the shells off the eggs  The steam would get under the membrane and do most of the work. If the starting temp on the eggs was wrong the eggs would cook to fast and disform - pushing the white to the to top the shell leaving a big hollow U shaped void at the big end of the egg.  I always ordered eggs in a week before I needed them.


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## thymetobake (Apr 26, 2010)

I agree about very fresh eggs causing a peeling problem.  

I have another tip and that is to add a few tablespoons of salt to the water that you are boiling the eggs in.  It really helps!  I just recently saw this tip on a cooking show and tried it.  It worked for me.  I make deviled eggs very often as my husband's coworkers request them for all of their functions.  I find that boiled eggs are harder to peel after they have been refrigerated.  I prefer to peel them while they are still a bit warm.  I do as others do and cool them in cold water, then peel.


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## LPBeier (Apr 26, 2010)

I have mentioned this trick before, but if you crack the shell and the skin underneath you can stick a teaspoon between the shell and the white.  Since the spoon is a similar shape to the egg, as you move it around you should be able to easily take the shell off without harming the white.  Works about 99% of the time!  That is if you have cooked and cooled them as mentioned above.

Janet, I too have nightmares about eggs - egg salad for 600 once a week!


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## letscook (Apr 27, 2010)

I was taught put your eggs in the pan cover them with water - bring them to a full boil and then cover them and shut the heat off, when the water is has cooled down they are done, then dump the cooking water and add cold water let set 5-10 min and then peel them,  I think I only had a problem once when like the others said they were very fresh eggs.  

Hint: to fill your white with the yoke mixture, use a pastry bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped. Makes it so much easier - I use the star tip and makes a pretty 
I also buy the disposable pastry bags you can find in most grocery store.


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