Egg rage

[FedUpWithItAllWeep]

I never seem to be able to peel a hard boiled egg without losing half the egg white these days. The skin bit between the shell and egg won't come away without taking a layer of white. I'm finding it sooo frustrating!

Always free range, tried different brands and peeling freshly boiled or cold but nothing seems to work!

Is it something I'm doing wrong or have they changed eggs?

Hmmm. Annoying.

I cook them then blast with cold water straight away. Tap them to break the shell and leave sitting in the cold water.

Roll them under my hand breaking the shell and then it peels off.

Never had a problem that way.

I thought this was due to either old or fresher eggs? (cant recall which?) Try using a spoon to peel the shell off. I use a teaspoon on quails eggs, because they are even harder to peel than chicken eggs.

It happens when the eggs are too fresh

They need to be at least 1-2 weeks old, and after boiling they need an immediate cold water bath

Always does the trick

Yes it's to do with eggs being very fresh
If you add some salt to the water when you boil them this helps... Then leave them in the pan of cold water after running under the tap for a while.

The fresher the egg, the harder to peel. Like others said, leaving them in cold water might help.

I am obviously not suggesting that you buy a pressure cooker specifically for this purpose but I do batches of boiled eggs in my instant pot and they peel really easily. Something about being cooked under pressure makes the white shrink slightly away from the shell. Just in case you happen to have one!

I never have a problem- gently crack different parts of the egg on a hard surface, then roll the egg in your hands. The shell comes off then with the white film and leaves the egg intact.

@Zhampagne how long do you cook in the instant pot - I might try this for when I want to do a few?

[quote MadauntofA]**@Zhampagne how long do you cook in the instant pot - I might try this for when I want to do a few?[/quote]
Put the eggs on the trivet and add 1 cup of cold water. I try to make sure that they aren't touching as this seems to help avoid the shells cracking. 3 mins on manual for soft yolks, 4 mins for set. Quick release pressure and immediately transfer to iced water or they will continue cooking in their shells.

Thanks! Do you think it matters what size of egg, and do you pierce them?

I have always used large eggs but I don't think it would matter too much if they were smaller as they would just reach pressure a bit quicker. Don't pierce the shells.

Great, thanks!

It's just me then 😂 I always drain straight away, run cold water over them then leave in cold water for a little bit. I don't think it's a fresh egg problem as today's egg was bought last week and it seemed worse than the ones earlier in the week!

Will try the salt idea. Unfortunately I don't have a pressure cooker! How long do you keep the eggs for after they are cooked @Zhampagne?

They keep for about a week as long as I don't peel them, OP.

I instant pot them too - we have chickens so super fresh eggs impossible to peel otherwise

Your eggs are too fresh. A slightly older (but perfectly fine) egg will be easier to peel, something to do with the ph of the albumen increasing with age.

While this all makes perfect sense...I have the same problem as the OP and can assure you my eggs are rarely fresh! A box of eggs lasts me literally weeks and I have been having the same problem every time. Will try some of the alternative peeling tips.