Farm Fresh Eggs
Edited to add: Yes, I know technically these aren’t hard-boiled eggs, but I titled the post as I did so folks could search on hard boiled eggs and actually find it. Really, my version is easy to peel hard cooked eggs.
Eggs, particularly hard cooked eggs, are an easy and convenient way to get some extra protein in your brown-bag lunches. They’re self contained, travel well, and pack a solid 6 grams of protein in their 70 calorie package. I like to have one after a hard workout (another great post workout snack? Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Carbs, protein, and good fats from the nuts make for a great recovery food. Add in some delicious whole grain bread and you’ve got one of the most complete meals you can pack without refrigeration).
But we were talking about eggs, weren’t we?
The biggest problem I have with hard boiled eggs is that they are darn hard to peel. Inside the shell is a thin membrane that sticks to both the egg white and the shell after the egg is boiled. There are tricks all over the Internet for cooking eggs. Almost all of them recommend old eggs, which I always faithfully used, buying eggs weeks in advance from Skagit River Ranch or Stokesberry. Some have you cook the eggs with a teaspoon of vinegar in the water. Others have you place the cool eggs in cool water and bring the water up to temperature slowly. Still other recipes have you put room temperature eggs into simmering water. Old eggs, shocking boiled eggs in ice water… even cooking them twice (Julia Child’s method). I’ve tried all the tricks. Julia Child’s method came the closest to perfection. Unfortunately, it also took the longest to execute. Boiling, chilling, boiling again, chilling again… I bought new knitting needles in the foolish hope that I’d have time to make socks this year and I haven’t even had time to take the needles out of the package! I don’t have time to cook and chill and cook and chill just for some hard boiled eggs.
I just resigned myself to a life without deviled eggs. After all, a few chunks out of the hard boiled white doesn’t really affect my enjoyment of a hard boiled egg. But still, the egg shells taunted me. Every few months I’d take an egg out of the carton, look at it longingly, dream of the tray of spicy deviled eggs I’d always wanted to bring to a party, and then sigh and crack the egg into a skillet instead. Well, until this weekend when my friend MT casually mentioned the secret to easy to peel hard boiled eggs.
Do you want to know the secret? I’ll tell you.
You don’t boil the eggs. You steam them.
Yep. That’s the entire secret. Take the eggs out of the fridge about 20 minutes before you start to steam them so that they come to room temperature. Plop them in a steamer basket, make sure there’s a good amount of water in the pot (just to the bottom of the steamer basket), and steam the eggs, covered, for 25 minutes or so. Cool and then refrigerate.
So there. That’s the secret. The next party I have to go to, I’m making deviled eggs.
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We have chickens for fresh eggs. But you can’t use them until they’re at least 2 weeks old or they don’t peel. I bring the older eggs to a rolling boil with a tablespoon of lemon juice in the water then turn off the heat and put a lid on them for 15 minutes. Then run them under cold water and they come out perfect every time.
See I’ve tried that method and it never works for me (and I always use old eggs). But I really believe that each method is unique to the individual. This is the only method I’ve found that works for me. But that’s not to say that your method isn’t great, but it just doesn’t work for me.
I’ve also always found that old eggs work best.
I always use old eggs, but unless I also use this method of steaming them, they are never easy to peel.
I make hard-cooked eggs so often. It’s the easiest thing. Put eggs* in enough COLD water in a heavy-bottomed pan that they are not touching. Bring to a boil, and watch it, mister.
As soon as they boil, turn the heat down to a simmer, and set the timer for ten minutes.
After ten minutes, turn them off and set the timer again for ten minutes.
Then drain the pan without damaging the eggs (ah, there’s an easy trick), and run cold water over the eggs until it overflows with cool water.
Let that pan sit somewhere for ten minutes, and drain it again. Soon enough, your beautiful gems are ready for you to wrap them in a kitchen towel, crack them on a countertop, and roll their shells all over, until they’re broken. GENTLY, you don’t want to break the eggs.
Remove the towel, and peel with ease.
Stay tuned for my classic deviled eggs recipe! That favorite of MILLIONS!
*If you have farm-fresh eggs, you are hosed. Give them at least four days.
I just tried steaming them, and they were the easiest to peel eggs I’ve ever seen
Now it’s just a matter of playing with the steaming time, till I can get the yolks not to be cooked throughout.
Thank you thank you thank you!!!!! I have been struggling SO long to get easy to peel eggs. I added a splash of white vinegar. 20 mins seemed a BIT too long since I like a yolk slightly undercooked. I’ll try 15 minutes next time. But thank you SOOOO much. They (like Lu said) were the EASIEST peeling eggs I’ve ever seen.
Wow! I tried this tonight and it worked. I steamed some eggs from the same carton that I had boiled this morning.
The boiled batch from this morning was extremely hard to peel. The steamed batch was so easy I steamed some more.
Great tip!
Btw the eggs were brand new.
Excellent! I’m so glad this worked so well for you.
I think the best way is to cook as usual in boiling water then before putting them in ice water take the handle of a knife and slightly crack each egg, put the eggs in the ice water for 10 minutes or so and you will have very easy to peal eggs! everytime!
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