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How to Peel Hard Boiled Eggs in Seconds

Many years ago when I was still a young wife, I learned the secret to peeling hardboiled eggs from a young man who had been invited into the news studio to demonstrate his technique during the evening news hour.
I have always peeled eggs this way and thought that everyone had learned to do it the same way, but I find that many women still peel eggs laboriously the hard way.. bit by bit.
In case you have never stumbled across this trick, I thought I would demonstrate it for you in a little home video.

My husband kindly agreed to hold the camera.

so here are the steps....

1. cover eggs in pot with cold water... add salt so that if an egg crackes the egg stays in the shell.

2. turn element on high and timer for 20 minutes -- it takes about 10 minutes for the water to boil and ten minutes for egg yolk to harden.

3. remove from stove , immediately put pot under the cold water tap .

4. as soon as you can handle the eggs break the shells against the side of the pot.

5. leave crushed eggs in cold water for a bit (longer if eggs are very fresh)

6. peel eggs... shells will just about fall off. (make sure you start peeling under the membrane)

ADDED HELPFUL HINT - We like our eggs hard-boiled, but there have been times when I take them off the stove a little sooner .. I do find that they peel better when they are boiled longer. So if you are having some problem with the shells falling off... try boiling them a minute or two longer..

52 comments:

  1. Oh Julie...you are going hightech on us...videos and everything! Grin...I love it. And you are right...a surprising amount of tips that people just haven't been taught or had a chance to find out. This is good. I too do this trick but I wonder if I passed it on to my son yet...hmmm...see?! Thanks for sharing...love the video!

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  2. I must admit that I did not know that trick! Thanks so much for sharing. Will try that next time!

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  3. Thank you! I never put salt in the pot! I'll try this technique!

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  4. I've been using this tip for years. Learned it from my mama :)

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  5. I learned this method years ago, but I can't remember where...perhaps it was a chef on TV or in a food magazine. It's so wonderfully simple! I love the demo video...why aren't you auditioning for one of those TV cooking programs? (grin)

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  6. Thank you so much. I'm one of those women that stand at the counter FOREVER picking off all the little pieces of shell and losing chunks of egg. Result -my husband rarely gets egg sandwiches. I'll have to try this trick soon.

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  7. Perhaps it seems simple to you since you've always known it, but to me - it's revolutionary! :) For once, I have a tip to pass along to my mother (and not the other way around). Thanks for sharing!

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  8. I've been doing this for years with one little exception. I drain the eggs then shake the pan vigorously to crack the shells, then fill the pot with cold water and continue. Bellen

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  9. Great video on 'how to peel eggs'. It's a good tip to pass on.

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  10. Hey thanks for the tip! Videos are awesome by the way...lets see some more!

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  11. That's such a great tutorial on a trick I've never heard of before. I'm trying it out right now! Thanks!....I'm assuming you turn the heat down to a simmer once it comes to a boil, am I right?
    Julie

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  12. Now this tip is new to me...and I like it! Thanks, Julie.

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  13. Can't remember ever doing it any other way but don't recall who taught me this trick!
    So simple yet such a time and egg saver.
    I wonder it I passed this on to my daughter?
    Hmmmm.... will have to ask her! :-)
    Thanks for sharing!

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  14. What a great idea for you to post this video! Love it. I've never done the salt in the water part but I'll try it next time...

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  15. I have NEVER heard of this trick before. My life is forever changed! Thank you, Julie!

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  16. Brilliant! Such a fun video. Salt in the watrer...I must try that. Kathy

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  17. I never knew that an egg could peel so nicely! Thank you! I am so glad to have stumbled across this today.

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  18. I use the same method and it works every time.

    Becky :)

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  19. From the lady who lives on an egg farm . . ..thank you. . .I never knew this. .and I love the video too Julie. .

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  20. Great tip and video Julie!
    I haven't been able to find those bags of pre-peeled eggs in Utah. This tip came just in time.

    Ten minutes to get to a boil...assuming you are at sea level! (smile)

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  21. I thought the salt was to make them peel better. I'm going to use your method next time I need to peel eggs.

    I absolutely love your blog.

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  22. I can't believe how easily you peeled those eggs!! So I had to try it. Did it just the way you described and yet, it didn't work so well for me :-( I think me and hard boiled eggs shall never be friends. Sigh.....
    and what's even worse, I kept picturing in my mind how fast you peeled those eggs and thought...what is WRONG with me, I'm 45 and have cooked since I was SEVEN years old and yet I can't peel a stupid egg, lol!
    But I love this blog and all of the wonderful recipes here!
    Thanks a bunch!

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  23. Thanks for the tip. Most of the time my eggs do peel easily, but there are occasions when I wonder why some come off bit by bit. Now I know the trick for every time.

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  24. A couple of suggestions for Andrea... if your cold tap water is luke warm try adding some ice to the pot of cold water.. and when you start peeling make sure you get under the membrane between the shell and the egg. And if the eggs are very fresh try leaving them longer in the cold water.. but not longer than 10 minutes or so or you will get a dark rim around the yolk.
    I'm sorry you had trouble... this technique works for me every time.. so I'm thinking it must be your cold water isn't cold enough,.

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  25. I tried it out this morning with great success! Thanks for the lesson and you created a nice video!

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  26. I love the video idea! Such a great way to show technique. Can I request a "how to quarter a chicken"??

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  27. I'd love to see MORE video's like this. I've been shelling eggs the hard way for 40 years. I can't believe I didn't know about this. I can't believe you peeled all of those eggs in two minutes!!

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  28. What a neat trick! I sure hope it works on fresh eggs, they are the hardest to peel, at least for me! Thanks a whole bunch! Karen

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  29. Thanks for the tip Julie, I'm sure that my downfall yesterday was that the tap water wasn't cold enough...here in Texas, at this time of year, cool tap water is not to be had, ha! So next time I'll add some ice cubes :-)
    Thanks again!

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  30. Look at you!! That's just too awesome - and it couldn't get any easier! I learned that really fresh eggs are the ones that stick so I'd always keep mine about a week before I'd boil & peel them and that works great, but who has time to figure out how long their eggs have been around?? Can't wait to try this ~ THANKS! ♥

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  31. I also have learned a technique that is really slick: you cool your eggs like you've done, then you take a tea spoon and tap it all around the center of the egg, stick your spoon inside the crack you've made (matching curve of spoon with curve of egg), edge it around the egg, the top shell just pops off, edge around the bottom half, bottom part simply pops off. Beautiful! Hopefully this is clear (a video would be a big help!).

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  32. thanks for the tip.

    and, I love your bright bouquet of cosmos by the sink!

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  33. I enjoyed this tip! I didn't know about adding salt to the water. I'll have to do that from now on. Thank you for this post. It was fun, I learned something! I run into so many young women who do not know the first thing about cooking anything. Posts like this are invaluable.

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  34. I stumbled on this trick when I started buying eggs fresh from the farm. It almost always works for me. As long as the cold water is running under the shell, it will slip off easily.

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  35. great tip, love it...you can also add a bit of cooking oil to the pot, the shells absorb the oil, and they will just slip off...

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  36. How cool is that! We raise chickens as pets and for their eggs and those fresh eggs are a beast to peel. I'm going downstairs right now, put a pot of eggs on for egg salad and try this technique. I'm also giving your buttermilk multi-grain bread a try tomorrow. Your blog is wonderful and I'm going to add it to my blog list so others may enjoy it. Thanks so much for generously sharing these recipes and techniques...

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  37. Julie,

    This is my first time commenting here. I love this blog. I have another tip for peeling eggs easily. I read it on another blog--Gluten Free Girl and the Chef. Add a splash of vinegar to the pot prior to boiling. It really works.

    In addition, thanks to your blog for all the gluten-free recipes.

    Take care,

    Shoshannah

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  38. HI Julie;

    We enjoyed your post...my children watched your video and can't wait for me to boil a pot of eggs for them to peel.
    I had never heard about salt in the pot or about cracking them and letting them sit in the water. Hopefully we don't have any more hacked up hard boiled eggs. ;-)

    thanks
    Kimmie
    mama to 7
    one homemade and 6 adopted

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  39. I live in Saskatchewan, fairly high but not mountains...
    I fill the pot with one layer of eggs, cover the eggs with warm water, bring to a boil - no lid, no salt - turn the heat off and cover with lid. After 10 to 15 min I rinse the eggs in cold water and crack eggshells all around by banging one egg against the next, leave lie in cold water and start shelling after a bit of soaking. Really fresh eggs will not shell well, and the eggs will never have a green ring around the yolk ( a sign of being boiled too long)

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  40. Thank you for this post! I have been having trouble getting the shells off nicely and don't really ever do 'deviled' eggs because I was never good at the shelling part! I tried this tonite and it worked for some eggs, but not for all of them. I might try the vinegar next time, suggested in one of your comments. We get our eggs from a friend's farm and these were fresh - but at least 3 days since gathering. I wonder if it might have something to do with certain breeds and our water quality? We have chlorinated water and I can't help but remember the differences in water in different localities. I love science and wonder if someone like Alton Brown on tv has ever addressed this issue? But let me say thank you again, as this trick worked better then all others I have tried and I did get about 90% decent looking eggs! :)

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  41. May I ask were these fresh eggs? Or were they store purchased eggs? I have been trying to find a way to peel my farm fresh eggs and your page was recommended. Great video!

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  42. Hi Sharon ... yes.. my eggs were store bought eggs. Really fresh farm eggs might be more difficult but you could always set aside some eggs for a few days for your boiled eggs.
    Another important thing is that the water you put your boiled and then shell-cracked eggs in must be cold... if your tap water is not cold then put them in ice water.
    I've also found that they do need to be hard-boiled... the 20 minutes works well for me.
    Hope that helps...

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  43. (gasp) I wish I knew about this years ago!! I dread when I don't have 'old' eggs and want hard boiled ones, I just know it's going to be a maddening, tedious mess. I have to try this!

    Maxine

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  44. I wish I new this tip years ago when I worked in a deli and had to peel tons of eggs for egg salad. I live in NJ and in the summer our "cold" water is not very cold. I added a few ice cubes before adding the cold water and it worked great! Thanks so much for the useful tip.

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  45. What Julie said. I always drain my eggs, add cold water & a couple cups of ice so the eggs get really cold. Then I crack them all over and put them back in the ice water. In about 5 mins, the shells are ready to peel right off. It works every time. It also helps to use eggs that are a little older. Very fresh eggs tend to stick to the shell and are harder to peel.

    Susan xo

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  46. I will often boil a big batch of eggs for quick breakfasts or snacks, after they're cooked I run cold water over them to cool quickly, then stick'em in the fridge. They last at least a week with the shell on. When it comes time to peel, it's super easy.

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  47. I use a slightly different technique that works perfectly too. I do not use salt. I start with cold water, when the eggs boil, I set timer for 10 minutes. Then I drain and crack the eggs but refill the pan with hot water and let the eggs sit a few minutes. Then peel under warm running water. I recently did this in a video for a friend where I peeled 13 eggs in 2 minutes and 30 seconds with out any divots. It seems the common denominator might be leaving the cracked eggs in the water a bit and making sure to puncture the membrane.

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  48. My mom told me to put salt in the water when I was a young child.

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  49. Oops, compost shells, not garbage.

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  50. After completely mutilating 5 out of a dozen hard boiled eggs to be made into deviled eggs, I suddenly remembered this post from years ago and reread your directions. You are a life saver! I reboiled another 5 and it worked like a charm! Thank you so much!!

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    Replies
    1. I'm smiling, Julie (and not just because we share a name!) so happy to have made your day easier!!

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