I am the worst at peeling hard-boiled eggs. Look at those poor mutilated things! It’s not for lack of trying every “secret tip” I can find. I was really pleased with myself as I went to peel this sad batch – I thought I had it this time. The eggs weren’t too fresh. I knew they had a nice big air pocket to start peeling with, because they had floated to the top when I put them in water. I’d stirred them around a few times while cooking to center the yolks.
Plus, they’d been soaking in ice water for 20 minutes. The most useful tip for peeling eggs that I’d found – I thought – was to get them very very cold, so the whites would shrink away from the shells a little. (It seemed to work a couple of times before, kind of.)
I cracked the first shell gently and rolled it lightly against the counter to break it up and loosen it. I started a drizzle from the tap to peel the eggs under, so the water could insinuate itself under the shell and help pull it away from the white.
And it immediately became clear that all of this was for naught. The first egg I peeled was the cratered thing in the upper right. I took a deep breath and went for number two. Nothing I did could get that shell to let go of the egg white, to the extent that I couldn’t even keep the yolk covered. The third one isn’t too bad, with only a couple gouges, but really – this is just sad.
I mean, for heaven’s sake, look at this picture from Smitten Kitchen! That’s a soft-boiled egg, folks; gently and artistically smushed as it may be, I can tell that it was never half as ugly as my poor specimens. What on earth am I doing wrong? Does anyone out there know the secret to pearly, perfect, potluck-deviled-egg ready hard-boiled eggs? Help me, friends!
Really? That’s a totally new one to me. I’m going to try it. Thanks, Lizabeta!
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After you soak them in ice water, pop them back into the boiling water for 10 seconds, pull them back out.
Ah, so what you’re saying is they sense and exploit your stress level? :)
If I’m making a hard-boiled egg for something trivial, like a chef salad, they come out perfect, every time. If I’m making a load of them, and they need to be beautiful – for, say, deviled eggs, they look like those pictured. I’ve always heard that the trick is to give a good whack to the top and bottom of the egg first. That often works for me, but is no sure-fire cure. They are fickle and cruel, the eggs.