How to easily peel a hard-boiled egg (2024)

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Hard-boiling an egg is one of the simplest cooking techniques you can master. People have been boiling eggs since around 5000 B.C., coinciding with the invention of pottery. They were extremely popular in Ancient Rome, where they were served by the wealthy as an appetizer, and continue to be a go-to snack today. Of course, mastering the perfect hard-boiled egg is only half the battle. Peeling off the shell can be an exercise in patience andfrustration. But it doesn’t have to be, as there are manytips and tricks on how to peel a hard-boiled egg quickly that will save you a lot of hassle. So here's our guide to no-stress egg peeling.

Follow along with the video to learn how to peel your hard-boiled eggs easily.

How to peel a hard-boiled egg easily

  1. Add baking soda to boiling water before adding your eggs. Baking soda changes the alkaline levels in the water, helping the egg white separate from the shell.
  2. Eggs are easier to peel if they’re completely cooled after boiling. Add them to a bowl of iced water for 5 minutes before peeling. This will also result in more tender egg whites and that perfect yolk.
  3. Gently tap each egg on a hard surface to form small cracks all around the egg’s shell before you peel. This will help kickstart the shell’s separation process from the egg white. DO NOT roll the egg on the counter with your palm. This could smash the inside, causing it to fall apart.
  4. If you want to be even more efficient and gently jumpstart the separation process on multiple eggs at one time, add 1-2 inches of water to the bottom of a pot. Set the eggs in the water carefully without overlapping. Place the lid on the pot and give the pot a gentle rattle. This will gently crack the shells of all of your eggs at once without compromising the inside of the egg.
  5. During the peeling process, dipping the eggs in a bowl of water can not only help speed up the peeling process but also rinse shell fragments off of your egg.

How to peel a hard-boiled egg with a spoon

This is a fun trick to peel an egg with ease, but it may take a little practice. To peel an egg with a spoon, follow these easy steps:

  1. After cooling your egg in an ice bath, find the hollow spot at the large end of the egg and gently tap it with the round side of your spoon to form small cracks and begin the separation process.
  2. Peel the large end of the egg under the thing membrane with your fingers just enough to make room for your spoon to get in there and do the rest of the work.
  3. With the concave side of the spoon facing the egg and the rounded side facing your shell, slide the spoon under and around the eggshell, applying a small amount of pressure and separating the shell from the egg.

More problems, solved

How to easily peel a hard-boiled egg (2024)

FAQs

How to easily peel a hard-boiled egg? ›

Set up a large bowl of ice water while the bubbler is bubbling, then transfer the just-cooked eggs as soon as you hear the bee-bee-beep. Let your perfect hard-boiled eggs hang out in the cold water until they're cool enough to handle, 2–3 minutes. 5. Peel the eggs under the water.

How do you get boiled eggs to peel easily? ›

Set up a large bowl of ice water while the bubbler is bubbling, then transfer the just-cooked eggs as soon as you hear the bee-bee-beep. Let your perfect hard-boiled eggs hang out in the cold water until they're cool enough to handle, 2–3 minutes. 5. Peel the eggs under the water.

Is it easier to peel a hard-boiled egg when it's hot or cold? ›

Cool Eggs Quickly In An Ice Bath

Shocking your recently boiled eggs by submerging them into a bowl of ice water is key. The quick cooling of the hard-boiled eggs causes the egg whites to contract, freeing them from the membrane. If you let them cool for about 15 minutes, the peeling is much easier.

How to make hard-boiled eggs easy to peel baking soda? ›

Baking Soda

According to our friends at Delish, adding a teaspoon of baking soda to your boiling pot of water will help the shell peel off seamlessly. Why? The alkaline in the baking soda will help your egg whites loosen up from the shell, making it easier to peel.

Does adding vinegar to boiled eggs make them easier to peel? ›

The vinegar in the water makes the eggs easier to peel. Here's why: The vinegar's acid not only dissolves some of the calcium carbonate in the shell, it also helps the whites set faster. Running the hard-boiled eggs under cold running water as you're peeling, meanwhile, helps the shell separate from the membrane.

Why won't my boiled eggs peel right? ›

Hard-cooked eggs may be difficult to peel if they are very fresh. This is because an egg shrinks inside during storage, which pulls the inner membrane away from the inside of the shell. For this reason, a hard-cooked egg will peel more easily if it has been stored for 1 or 2 weeks before it is cooked.

Does tapping an egg make it easier to peel? ›

Tapping purportedly detaches the membrane (the clear film lining eggshells) from the shell, eliminating the sticking issue from the get-go.

Is there a tool to peel hard-boiled eggs? ›

Egg Stripper offers the most effective, efficient, and mess-free means of shelling your hard boiled eggs, with no lingering bits of shell to ruin your recipes. Other egg peelers will cost you the same amount of money and shell just one egg at a time.

How do you peel a hard boiled egg in a cup trick? ›

You put the egg in the cup, fill it with water, and then place your hand over the opening, shaking vigorously until the shell comes right off. Gold watches the video twice in disbelief and says she "finds it ridiculous," but gives it a shot anyway.

What causes hard-boiled eggs not to peel? ›

Eggs in General

Hard-cooked eggs may be difficult to peel if they are very fresh. This is because an egg shrinks inside during storage, which pulls the inner membrane away from the inside of the shell. For this reason, a hard-cooked egg will peel more easily if it has been stored for 1 or 2 weeks before it is cooked.

Should I peel boiled eggs immediately? ›

For maximum freshness, leave them in their shells until you are ready to eat or prepare. The shell will help to protect the egg from bacteria, and can help prevent them from absorbing odors from other foods in your refrigerator.

Do hard-boiled eggs float when done? ›

Bottom Line

After trying several methods to determine if an egg is cooked or not, there were a few that came out on top. Contrary to what you might have heard, hard-boiled eggs do not float—but they do act differently when you spin them or shine a flashlight through them.

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