Here are 7 Ways to Peel those hard boiled eggs
There are many opinions on the best way prepare and peel hard boiled eggs. These 7 are a few I have known to work. My favorite though is the 6th options, needling.
Read to the end of the article for some more important hard boiling tips for your eggs.
Method #1: Blow Out!
Add 1 teaspoon baking soda to pot of water and slow boil eggs for 15 minutes. The baking soda raises the PH and keeps the skin form adhering to the shell. Cool eggs and remove from pot. Crack the top and bottom of each egg. Blow on the large end and watch the egg come out already peeled.
Method #2: Boil and Shake
Boil eggs about 15 minutes. Add cold water to pot. Allow eggs to cool then drain water. Top with a plate, then shake.
Method #3: Mason Jar
Fill a glass cup or a mason jar with about 1/2 inch of water. Then add the egg. If you have a mason jar, screw on the lid.
Turn the cup to the side, pressing one hand over the open end so the water doesn’t pour out.
Start shaking! Don’t let the egg roll around the glass, but rather make sure it’s hitting the sides of the glass. You’ll begin to see the eggshell cracking.
Keep shaking until the shell slips off! Rinse the egg under cold water to remove any small shell shards, then enjoy.
Method #4: Spooning
Boil eggs for 15 minutes. Remove eggs from heat and cool them in cold water. Crack shell all over, insert spoon under shell, then rotate the egg. The shell will fall right off.
Method #5: Submerge
Let the eggs age for two weeks in the refrigerator. Boil water to a soft boil and add eggs. Boil 15 minutes then remove from heat. Pour off the hot water and replace it with cold. Once cool enough to hold, but still warm, crack each egg all over with the rounded surface of a metal spoon and put back into the water. The shells will pull away and peel themselves!
Method #6: Needling
Before you boil your eggs, poke a hole in the large end being careful not to puncture the yolk. More water will be absorbed into the egg making them easier to peel. Gently place them inside your boiling water. Extra water in your eggs helps separate the egg white from the shell membrane.
Method: #7 Fresh Egg Steam
Fill the bottom of a double boiler and heat to boiling. Place a steam basket on top of the boiler. Add your eggs into the upper basket, cover, and steam for 15 minutes. After cooking, immediately put the eggs into ice cold water to cool. The shells will come right off.
Bonus Tips For Preparing Water
Do not add vinegar to boiling eggs. They are already acidic and that causes the membrane to stick to the shells.
Adding baking soda raises the ph and the alkaline keeps the membrane from sticking to the egg.
Piercing with a pin allows more water inside the egg and causes the shell to release from the egg.
Which of these methods have you tried? Do you have a suggestion for another way? Let me know in the comments!
Here are two recipes for using those peeled hard boiled eggs. Egg Salad Sandwich and Oprah Winfrey’s Deviled Eggs.
Most images in my Tip Friday Series use free stock photos.
This article is part of the Tips That Help in the Kitchen Series, Tip Friday.
I never knew about the baking soda tip and I will try blowing!
Good stuff here.
Thank you Nylse. I am glad you found some knew ideas on shelling eggs. Good Luck and let me know how it works for you.
Oh my gosh, Marilyn, thanks for this! I eat hard boiled eggs a lot, and I’m always fighting with the shells! I’ve seen some tips before, but yours are the best. I featured this today at the TFT party. Thanks!
I am so glad you like the tips Pam. I have tried a few and I think the age of the eggs matter. Some work better than others. Thank you for the feature!! I truly appreciate it! Stay safe and healthy.
This is really a great idea! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday,475 your post looks great. Happy St. Patrick’s Day and come back to see us soon!
Miz Helen
Thank you Miz Helen. I had so much fun watching You Tube videos of these egg peeling options. Please stay safe and healthy!
Great tips as always Marilyn, thanks for sharing.
Thank you Chas. I am glad the tips helped! Enjoy your week.
I can’t believe there are so many ways to peel an egg! They can certainly be fiddly things xx
I hear you! I even saw videos on YouTube showing all kinds of ways to peel eggs. They were so fun! Enjoy your day.
Great ideas Marilyn – Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party. Have a great week.
Thank you Helen. Researching these tips has been so much fun! Enjoy your day.
All of these suggestions are wonderful, I think I like the one where you crack the egg after they’re cool put them back in cold water and let them shell them selves thank you for these tips!😉
You are welcome Karren. I am glad you found some tips to try! The shocking of the eggs, hot to cold I think is because the egg expands when hot and does a sudden contract as it cools. I need to research but that makes sense to me. Enjoy!
Well now, with all that is going on I do not think I’ll be trying the blowing method, but I like the spoon method. I currently add salt to the water, bring to a boil and add the eggs. They come out fine except if they are farm fresh from the farmer’s market. My method works find on store-bought ones. I am going to try the baking soda next time. TFS
I totally understand! I am fine if the eggs are older. It seems that the space at the bottom is stronger and the whites don’t stick as much to the shell. And organic are just a different anima altogether. The baking soda works for me. Seems to be a chemical reaction when I add that. Thanks for sharing and enjoy!
Almost ALL of these were new tips to me! Crazy! Thanks for sharing at Homestyle Gathering, Marilyn!
That is funny. When I wrote this I only knew 2. It is amazing that so much of cooking and cleaning is really science. I love these little kitchen minutes. I am happy you do too! Enjoy your week and relax!
I’ve tried the aging method – it usually seems to work! Thanks for sharing with us at The Blogger’s Pit Stop!
I do like the aging the easiest. It seems that the large end has more space and cracks easier. Love Bloggers Pit Stop!!! I hope your Easter was full of fun!
These are great tips for hard boiled eggs, I am just getting ready to boil some more for the Easter Feast. Thanks so much for sharing your post with us this week and hope you have a very special weekend!
Miz Helen
I am glad the hard boiled egg article was timely. This year I am not dying eggs. But I do always have them handy for grabbing in a hurry. Happy Easter!
I’m interested in trying the baking soda! I do a fair amount of hard boiled eggs at my house, and I would love it if they were easier to peel! Thanks for sharing at Sweet Inspiration!
Me too Amy! I find different things work at different times. I am sure it has to do with the age and temperature of the eggs. And I boil the water first and then add the eggs and continue to boil. That and the cold water seems to work as long as the eggs are not super fresh. Good luck and let me know what works! Happy Easter!
I’ve never tried any of these tips! But we cook up a lot of hard boiled eggs so I will be trying a few of them. Pinned.
I hope you find something useful Joanne! Happy Easter.
Thanks for sharing with us at Encouraging Hearts and Home. Pinned.
Thank you for hosting Joanne. Thanks for the pin!
I will definitely be trying some of these techniques. I always have a hard time peeling eggs!
Thank you Val. I hope a few of these make it easier to peel those eggs. I find fresher eggs to always be a problem. I am going to try that steaming idea for sure. Happy Easter!
Great tips here Marilyn, I will have to try some 🙂 Thanks for sharing at #CreativeMondays, hope to see you on Wednesday for our next blog hop 🙂
Thank you Claire! I am glad the post was beneficial. I will be at the party for sure. Happy Easter!
great tips! the baking soda method is a winner xo
Thank you Katherine! I love science. It helps in all kinds of kitchen tasks. Have a great weekend.
My dad just recently taught me this tip! He gave me a jar to use and even marked a line on it so I know how much water to put in. I just used it yesterday to peel the dozen hard boiled eggs we colored to make deviled eggs. It really worked! It made it so much easier and quicker to peel the eggs. I’m here from the Over the Moon Link Party.
That is so cool Brenda! I know thus method is the best for peeling the eggs. I end up losing half the egg with the picking by pieces of the shell. Glad you got a chance to try it! Enjoy your week.
Marilyn that is one clever idea. I always make a mess when I try to peel an egg, bits and pieces everywhere. Thank you for sharing this tip with us.
I have heard from so many people how much they hate peeling eggs. I used to think boiling them a few days before their expiration was the only easy way to do it! Enjoy your week and try to keep cool!
Sometimes I get them peeled cleanly, and sometimes I don’t. I’ll have to try this trick next time. Glad you joined us at #FridayFrivolity again!
Thank you Lisa. I can’t tell you how many Easter egg I bought already hard boiled and peeled when I was working and my kids were little.
I roll mine on the counter first and then peel. But occasionally I roll too hard and the egg breaks. It wouldn’t make for a very pretty deviled eggs. This is perfect!
The trick is COLD water. I have even put them in the fridge for a time. The fresh eggs for me are the worst, but this jar method seems to be ok. About half fell off and I had to pick the rest.
I’m so trying this technique! I can’t tell you how many tips I’ve tried when it comes to peeling hard boiled eggs. We seem to destroy them around here. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Funtastic Friday.
I ended up with cut fingertips and a yolk. This is way better! Thanks Sherry.
Just wanted to stop by and let you know you’re featured on Inspire Me Monday. 🙂 Congrats!
I’m always having trouble peeling eggs, especially fresh ones. Hopefully this tip will help me out a bit. 🙂
Thank you so much CJ. I appreciate your share love. Hope this helps you in the future.
I’ve tried this and it works!!! Makes peeling eggs somuch easier. 🙂
Thanks for hte boost Cindy. I always like to hear from other bakers what works!
Great tip, Marilyn. I’ve been using a similar method for a while. I don’t add water. I just put the egg in a jar and shake it around so that it hits the sides. Works like a charm. Thanks for sharing your recipes and tips with us at Snickerdoodle Sunday. Pinning!
I need to try that! I am one sloppy baker so no water suits me fine!
I always Love your tips and will definitely use this one, thanks for sharing!! Pinned 🙂
Thank you Angela. These tips are a great reminder for me as I cook.
I can’t wait to try this tip. I have heard about it before, but your instructions helped me to understand the technique better. Thank you for sharing on Family Joy Blog Link-Up Party. Hope you are having a great week!
It’s the best thing since sliced bread!
What an excellent way to peel eggs. I wonder if this trick would work on fresh eggs. I always have such a hard time peeling those little boogers. I’m going to give it a try next time. Thanks for sharing with us at #SimplifyWednesdays. Yummed, Pinned, Tweeted, Shared
It does Carla. I almost never use older eggs for boiling as I make them as the urge hits me. The newer eggs take more shaking and the little shards cling a bit more. All in all, this is better than rolling them to crack and peeling with your nails.
This is a new one to me that I look forward to trying. It’s so frustrating when the shell comes off in tiny pieces.
I hope it works for you Sandra. Let me know!
This is a great tip! Perfect when you have a recipe that uses a lot of hard boiled eggs. Plus, I’m a total klutz so I end up getting hurting myself and getting shells shoved under my fingernails (ouch!). Thanks for sharing with us at Merry Monday this week!
I hear you about hating peeling eggs. It is the thing I dislike most about cooking, well, except for dishes! Enjoy your week!
I hate peeling eggs! I will totally try this next time. Thanks so much Marilyn!
You are welcome Laurie. I am happy you found it useful.
I’ve used this tip before; what an awesome time saver! Thanks for sharing with us at #MMBH.
xo
It is a great one Dean! Thanks for commenting. Enjoy your week!
I have never heard this tip! It’s a good one. Hate peeling eggs when the shell won’t come off!
I am glad you found it useful Cathy. Let me know how it works for you!
Hi Marilyn, I’ll have to try this the next time I make Egg Salad! Sounds like a clever way to get rid of those pesky eggshells! Thanks for sharing! Blessings, Janet
Peeling hard boiled eggs has always been my nemesis. I end up with just the yolks! Good luck. Let me know how it works for you.
I’ve soaked cracked eggs in cold water to peel easier before, but this is a fabulous idea. If you don’t get all side of the shell broken it’s still hard to peel. This seems to get it all! (I had to tweet this!) I love it!
Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner linky
I lose more egg whites that way. It doesn’t help I use fresh eggs, either. This was amazing. I saw another one. You use a pop bottle and let the suction grab the shell. I always use extra large eggs so I am not sure it would work. Enjoy your week!
Cool! I’ll have to try this! Thanks for the tip! 🙂
Thanks Ruth. I hope you find it useful. Enjoy your week.