# Having a hard time peeling a boiled egg?



## BettyR (Jun 27, 2008)

Read this tip on the net…..leave your eggs sitting out at room temp 24 hours before you boil them and they peel like magic. 

  I tried it….it works. 

For those of you who have chickens; I used some eggs that had been in the frig for a few days, not ones right out of the nest and it worked very well.


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## jkath (Jun 27, 2008)

I miss having chickens!

So, the eggs are still okay, even though they've been out on the counter?

I have always found that the closer to the expiration date, the easier it is to peel.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Jun 27, 2008)

To plan ahead like that, and prepare the eggs for boiling is a wonderful thing.  But for those who can't seem to remember to plan (like me), or who on a whim decide to cook up a couple of boiled eggs, hard or soft, a never-fail method for me is to boil to the desired degree, and then immedieatly drain and crak the eggshells by bouncing them around in the pan for a couple of seconds, and then filling the pan with cold water.  The shells come off flawlessly.  This is a great when you are making deviled eggs, where the white needs to be intact.

Another tip for boiling eggs, when you want uncracked shells (as for Easter Eggs and such) is to not allow the water to actually boil.  Heat it to about 200' using a thermometer and let the eggs sit in the hot water for about ten minutes.  The eggs won't be jostled around and will come out perfectly cooked and uncracked every time.

This works because the egg whites start setting at between 160 and 170 degrees.  This knowledge also allows you to pasteurize your own eggs by leaving them in 145 degree water for 15 to twenty minutes.  All the nasties are killed by the heat, but the eggs remain in their uncooked state, ready to be used in any recipe that calls for uncooked eggs (such as marangues, or in egg nog, etc.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## pacanis (Jun 27, 2008)

When I gather my eggs I have the carton I am putting them in on a shelf (not refrigerated). When the carton is full (about 3 days) I refrigerate it for storage. The eggs I am using at at any given time get taken out of the fridge and set back on the shelf, so they are always room temp. I've seen this in cooking shows and have read about lots of folks who don't refrigerate "fresh" eggs. I have never had a problem, but don't know that I would trust doing this to storebought eggs. They need all the help staying fresh they can get.

The only time I have had somewhat of a difficult time peeling hard cooked eggs is after they have been taken out of the refrigerator and are cold. If you take the time to make sure you are peeling that membrane part between the shell and the egg and not just pelling shell, it isn't so bad. It seems like one you get under that membrane the shell comes off easy.


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## DramaQueen (Jun 27, 2008)

*Fresh eggs are harder to peel than eggs that are about 10 days to 2 weeks old.  I buy a couple dozen eggs and put them in my extra fridge with the date.  I keep them for about 10 days then hard boil them.   The peel falls off very easily.   If I use fresh eggs like I had to a couple of days ago they peel is just too tight and the dang things just won't peel cleanly.  The white tends to "chop" under my fingers.   When the eggs start to get a little old the albumin begins to pull away from the shell thus making it easy to peel.*


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## BettyR (Jun 27, 2008)

DramaQueen said:


> *Fresh eggs are harder to peel than eggs that are about 10 days to 2 weeks old.  I buy a couple dozen eggs and put them in my extra fridge with the date.  I keep them for about 10 days then hard boil them.   The peel falls off very easily.   If I use fresh eggs like I had to a couple of days ago they peel is just too tight and the dang things just won't peel cleanly.  The white tends to "chop" under my fingers.   When the eggs start to get a little old the albumin begins to pull away from the shell thus making it easy to peel.*



 This is exactly right and the reason that leaving the eggs out on the counter for a day will make them easier to peel. An egg kept at room temperature will age the same in one day as an egg that is stored in the refrigerator for one week.


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## lifesaver (Nov 14, 2008)

when the eggs are done boiling i immediately pour the hot water off the eggs and add cold water to give a quick cool and immediately start peeling off the shell, starting at the large end of the egg.


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