I have home grown country eggs. Whenever I boil some for pickled eggs I can't get the shell off without losing a lot of the white with the shell. I have tried cooling them with cold water and letting them cool by themselves. Should I peel them while they are hot? OUCH! I also use a spoon to slip the shell off. Help?

-- Kyle McAfee (kyle10500@webtv.net), June 26, 2001

Answers

I have heard that the fresher the egg the harder it is to peel. Older eggs are better for hard boiling.

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), June 26, 2001.

I consider myself to be a deviled egg expert and I've peeled many a hard boiled egg. I have my best luck if I peel them in the hot to warm range. I start peeling as soon as I can handle them. I also use a small lukewarm water stream from the faucet as a shell rinse as I'm peeling.

Peeling them warm "usually" works for most eggs, though not always. However, I've never, ever had much success peeling cold or cooled eggs. I don't know why eggs vary the way they do.

-- Steve Nelson (alpine1@prodigy.net), June 26, 2001.

The fresher the egg, the harder it is to peel. As the egg ages, the moisture content decreases and the skin pulls slightly away from the egg, making it easier to peel when it's hard boiled. A friend of mine dates the carton indicating when the eggs were gathered and sets them aside for a week or so to use strictly for hard boiling.

I've had fairly good success with fresh eggs by cracking the shells a bit after they are done boiling and setting them aside for a few minutes to cool. The water will seep under the cracks in the shell, making it much easier to pull it off. I also run a thin stream of cold water over the egg while I'm peeling so that it pushes under the skin as I go. That's the best method I've found for fresh eggs, but even then it's not foolproof.

-- Lee (bantlette@yahoo.com), June 26, 2001.

I always peel them as hot as I can handle them under cold running water.

-- Sojourner (notime4@summer.spam), June 26, 2001.

I have found once the egg is cracked, if you roll it a couple of times in all directions, it seems to help separate the shell from the egg. Seems to work with both hot and refrigerated eggs.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), June 26, 2001.

Yup, what Ken said. Peeling hot eggs and not cooling them fast enough is a sure way to make the stinky-est egg salad in the world.

-- William in Wi (gnarledmaw@lycos.com), June 26, 2001.

Cool. And thanks. And that brings up another question I guess I should already know. What is the longest it is safe to keep eggs at both room temp and refrigerated? Wow, I'm new here and this is great. Thanks so much!

-- Kyle McAfee (kyle10500@webtv.net), June 26, 2001.

The best way I've found for getting fresh boiled eggs to peel was in the book "Husbandry," by Nathan Griffin. Bring salted water to a rolling boil. Add refrigerator-cold eggs one at a time, waiting for the boil to recover between eggs. Then proceed normally. I guess the cold shell hitting the hot water expands quickly and the inner part of the egg can't keep up. Voila! Separation followed by easy peeling!

-- Laura Jensen (lrjensen@nwlink.com), June 26, 2001.

Oops! That's Nathan Griffith. Sorry, Nathan. Great book!

-- Laura Jensen (lrjensen@nwlink.com), June 26, 2001.

Kyle, this is no-fail method and cross my heart it works. I peel lots of duck eggs too and it works on both. After bringing the water and eggs to a light boil,turn off the heat, let sit for an hour.Use a straight pin and poke a hole in both ends of the egg. leave in ICE WATER for a full 20 minutes. Works like a charm!

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), June 26, 2001.

Great. Thanks everyone. Got the perfect PE recipe and now I should be able to have perfectly smooth eggs to go with it. :-)

-- Kyle M. Murfreesboro, TN (kyle10500@webtv.net), June 26, 2001.

Kyle, I have found that if I give each egg a hairline crack, the boiling process will introduce air into the membrane to separate the membrane from the shell. Setting your eggs out on the counter or on top of the fridge for a few days will accomplish the same thing. After boiling, I also peel them warm, and I use a spoon, curved against the egg, to help slip those shells off. My sis taught me this trick, when I helped her peel a case of eggs at a time (weekly) for her potato salad business. It really helps tremendously.

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), June 27, 2001.

Wow this is greeat...I thought I was the only person in the world to have this trouble. Thanks to all who shared thier knowledge about this egg peeling problem.

-- Carol Anderson (wande333@earthlink.net), June 27, 2001.

Can I add one last suggestion. When I'm making boiled eggs I put LOTS of salt in the cool water, put in the eggs and bring to a boil. This has worked for me since my sister told me, on day old eggs. I also roll the eggs before I start peeling, however I have also just cracked and the shell will come right off. Try it next time, all your out is 1/2 tsp of salt. Good luck, now I'm hungry for deviled eggs.

-- Betsy (betsyk@pathwaynet.com), June 27, 2001.

I just let them "age" for at least a week or week and a half at room temperature, then they peel easily, cooked and cooled normally. Works every time!

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), June 29, 2001.