The fresher the eggs, the harder they are to peel. This is because the egg white or “albumen” in a fresh egg has a relatively low pH level, making it acidic. When cooked, these fresh egg whites bond strongly to the inner shell's membrane.
Adding white vinegar or apple cider vinegar to your pot of water allegedly results in softer, easier-to-peel eggshells. That's because the acid in vinegar dissolves some of the calcium carbonate that makes up the egg's hard exterior.
The egg whites from fresh eggs have a lower pH, and this creates a stronger bond between the albumen (or egg white) and the shell. As eggs age, the pH level rises, which means those bonds aren't as strong so they separate easier.
Here's her hack for how to peel hard-boiled eggs in large batches: Put five thoroughly cooled hard-boiled eggs into a small plastic container with some cold water, top with the lid and then gently rock and shake until the shells break and fall away. You'll almost always end up with perfectly peeled eggs.
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.
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.
The age of the egg affects how easily the shell will peel away after cooking. Eggs that are too fresh will have difficult shells to remove without damaging the egg white. It is best to use eggs that are at least 7 to 10 days old, allowing the egg to take in air which helps separate the membrane from shell.
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.
Eggs can legally be sold up to a month after the sell-by date, after which they are indeed illegal but still very much edible for another two weeks or so, longer if they're hard-boiled and kept in the shell.
Add salt to the water? Egg white solidifies more quickly in hot, salty water than it does in fresh. So a little salt in your water can minimize the mess if your egg springs a leak while cooking.
Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to low (so that there's no bubbles) and use skimmer to gently and slowly add the eggs to the water. Then, turn the heat back up to a boil. Set a timer and cook the eggs for 6 to 7 minutes for soft-boiled eggs and 12 to 14 minutes for hard-boiled eggs.
You might have heard that you should drop your eggs into room temperature or cold water and then bring the water to a boil. This is a myth. In our tests, bringing the water to a boil first and then lowering the eggs into the bath made for easy peeling and more accurate timing.
You can eat eggs past their expiration date. Just be sure to keep your eggs egg-cellent by storing them correctly. If you don't know if an egg is good or not, you can try the float test or give it a whiff. If it doesn't pass the test, throw it away.
However, if you cook one egg in a pot of boiling water for 20 minutes, the increased time will cause the moisture in the egg to expel. The egg white will clump together tightly, and the yolk will develop a greenish film over a chalky center. As a result, you'll have a bouncy and tasteless hard-boiled egg.
Ever wonder why store-bought eggs are so easy to peel? Simply put- they're old. Hard cooked, fresh eggs are harder to peel than old eggs, which can be frustrating if you don't know the secret to peeling them easily.
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.
Add salt and vinegar to the water.
The salt permeates the shell a little bit, and the vinegar helps to break down the shells, making them easier to peel.
Why this works: The acidity of the lemon juice helps keep the shells intact as the eggs cook. Bonus--it also makes them easier to peel when you're ready to eat.