Skip to Content
Menu
  • Pinterest
  • Save
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Print

You’re Doing This Wrong: How to Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs

By Tablespoon Kitchens
Updated December 11, 2019
how to peel hard boiled eggs
Knowing how to peel hard-boiled eggs the right way saves time and mess—plus you end up with great-looking eggs. Way to go, you.

At Easter time or any time you need hard-boiled eggs to put in a recipe or gobble up plain, knowing these tips can make peeling hard-boiled eggs super easy.

THE BASICS

There are three basic things to know when learning how to peel hard boiled eggs:

  • Technique
  • Age of the eggs
  • Temperature

TECHNIQUE

Our video shows you a couple easy ways to peel hard-boiled eggs:

Like the video shows, after boiling the eggs, start by tapping the big end (bottom) of an egg onto the countertop so it cracks, then flip it and do the same for its more slender opposite end. This releases the pressure for the majority of the shell around the middle of the egg, and peeling the whole shell off will be easier.

hard-boiled-eggs

You can also try peeling eggs under cold running water. It helps to persuade the shell away from the egg, as well as making for a perfect, clean looking egg.

If you have any tips of your own for peeling hard-boiled eggs, we'd love to hear them – so leave them in the comments below!

 

AGE OF THE EGGS

Against everything you've been told about food, fresh is actually not best when selecting the best eggs for hard-boiling.

hard-boiled-eggs

An egg is actually perfectly fine to eat up to three weeks after the hen has laid it. For best peeling results, boil eggs that are over a week old. Freshness doesn't come through in taste when you are hard-boiling anyway, so this is no biggie.

If you don't have a choice, and only have fresh eggs to boil, the tips and techniques above will still help you, but you'll also need to add patience to your list of shell-peeling techniques.

 

TEMPERATURE: COOL IT

After boiling your eggs for 10-12 minutes, put them in cold water to bring the temperature down rapidly and stop the cooking process. You can even use ice cubes in your water, and you can change the water as it warms.

hard-boiled-eggs

Make sure the eggs are as cold as can be before you try to peel them because then the papery membrane is more likely to stick to the shell rather than your egg, so peeling is then much easier.

 

HARD-BOILED EGG RECIPES


MORE INFO ON EGGS