What are your best strategies for boiling fresh eggs?

[LWolf]

I haven't tried to do this in several years. After abject failure in past years, poking holes in the shells with a pin, starting them in cold water, not starting them in cold water, cooling them in cold water, not cooling them in cold water, etc., I've yet to get a boiled egg I could peel.

This year my hens are producing an average of 5-6 eggs every day. I'm running out of things to do with them. I want to make egg salad. I want to slice eggs on my green salad.

What's the most important part of the egg? The white, if you're trying to limit cholesterol intake. But when I boil my eggs, by the time I get all the shell off, it's almost all yolk. The white simply won't separate from the shell.

I guess I could let them get old. But what's the point in having fresh eggs, if you can't eat them fresh?

Anybody have any good tips for peeling fresh boiled eggs without destroying them?

[Donnachaidh]

1. rice steamer works really well for hard-cooked eggs

We have a small one, and can only do 6 eggs at a time, but the steamer is perfect for making eggs. No green edges, eggs are cooked thoroughly. If you have a steamer, try it.

[Duer 157099]

2. I wish I could help

but like you, have tried all the tricks and the absolutely only reliable way for certain is to use old eggs, which as you point out, defeats the purpose of having fresh eggs.

Hopefully somebody will come up with an answer, but I think we both know we've already empirically discovered the answer.

Post over in the Cooking/Baking forum?

[Xipe Totec]

3. Microwave them. It's easy!

kidding!

:evilgrin:

[Curmudgeoness]

4. You are right, they should not be too fresh, but try a little vinegar

in the water you boil them in. I hate hard boiled eggs so don't know if it works, but my mother swore by it. And as to having the eggs fresh, and what is the point of leaving them for a while, you want hard boiled eggs. You still didn't have to buy the eggs. Hope you find a way to do this.

[abelenkpe]

5. Have you tried boiling them a bit longer than usual

with a dash of salt?

Sometimes I'll peel them under cold water too. Still the very best solution is to let them get a bit older. We make a batch of boiled eggs every Sunday for the kids lunches during the week and for egg salad sammiches. Yummy!

Good luck!

[One Voice]

6. boil 3 min./ simmer 10 min.

don't remember where I heard that but it works
pretty well for me.
:shrug:

[planetc]

7. All righty

Stick them in a pan with water to cover the eggs. Bring to a boil. As soon as the water has boiled, TURN the flame/heat DOWN until the eggs are boiling gently. Heat reduction should prevent the shells from cracking while the whites are still liquid and leaking out into the water. After the eggs have boiled gently for 15 minutes, take them off the heat, and run a lot of cold water into the pan with the eggs in it. So this for several minutes. You're trying to cool the shells so they will come loose from the membrane that contains the white and the yoke. Crack the shells lightly against any hard surface, and start peeling the shells and the membrane away from the white, which is, we hope, still inside the shell and fully cooked. The yolk will be cooked too. You are now ready to make egg salad and deviled eggs. This method has worked nicely for me for almost 50 years. Best of luck!

[Jamastiene]

8. That is similar to how I do it.

The only difference is that once mine start boiling, I start the timer and let them boil a full 10 minutes from that point on. Then, I run the cold water in the pan and cool them off.

The trick that took me forever to learn was to only crack the center point on one side of the egg only. Instead of cracking the shell up as much as I could, which is what I did for a long time until I leaned this trick, I just crack each egg in one spot right in the middle. Then, I peel it from there. Doing it that way keeps the white from falling apart so bad. I don't know why, but for me, it just works.

[planetc]

11. pt. 2

Sorry, I didn't say part of that right. There's a membrane just inside the shell. Cooling the shell will make the membrane stick to the shell rather than the white, or shrink the white away from the membrane, I'm not sure which. Cooling the shell will separate the white from the membrane, so the white retains its shape, rather than sticking to the membrane in little chunks. (I could show you this easily if you were in my kitchen.) Victory is possible!

[LWolf]

12. Okay!

I will experiment with this tonight and tomorrow morning, and report back in.

[niceypoo]

9. Salt in the water so they dont sink

They crack much less this way

[HysteryDiagnosis]

10. Egg cooker and teaspoon

Teaspoon to peel them

[lizziegrace]

21. I second this!

I had to buy an egg cooker. I couldn't boil eggs to save my life and that little appliance works perfectly.

[izquierdista]

13. It's not the start

But the end of the boil that is important. Scoop them out of the boiling water with a ladle and put them immediately into cold (doesn't have to be ice) water. The temperature drop will leave you with an easily peeled egg. Crack the ends, and start peeling where the airspace is and it should come off cleanly.

[RC]

14. The reason you are have trouble peeling your eggs are because they are fresh.

Let them sit in the refrigerator a couple of weeks, then boil them.

Is everyone so citified they don't know stuff that anymore?

[LWolf]

15. I KNOW that.

It's the whole point. I want FRESH boiled eggs, not old boiled eggs.

[cpompilo]

16. Here's another method:

Place eggs in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and let boil 1 minute. Then, remove pot from heat, cover with a lid and let sit for 15 minutes. Dump out hot water and replace with cool water to cool down eggs.
I have found that eggs peel more easily if they are cold, so I always put my hard boiled eggs in the fridge before attempting to peel.

How wonderful that you have too many (!) fresh eggs!

[txlibdem]

17. Do the spaghetti test

You know how to test spaghetti to see if it's done? Toss it against the cupboard door and if it sticks it's ready.

Just kidding. :woohoo:

[LWolf]

18. Update:

I've tried several strategies so far; no success. I haven't given up, though. The girls are providing me with 5-7 eggs a day, and I have to do something with them.

[uppityperson]

19. leave them out in the warm house for a couple days as this will age them faster

and enough to more easily peel them. Being out in the warmth vs refrigerated they age faster and you can get to peelable eggs faster. It still takes a 2-3 days though. That is still fresh, just not warm-from-the-chicken.

[LWolf]

20. Finally, success!

A combination of several things mentioned on this list:

I brought them to a slow boil, then simmered for 15 minutes. I immediately immersed them in cold water, and then put them in the refrigerator for 2 hours to let them get REALLY cold. Most peeled well, with only a few more resistant.

I haven't made deviled eggs for years, but they are on the menu now. :9

Thanks for all the tips!