How to perfectly peel hard boiled eggs

By Layla Khoury-Hanold for Food Network Kitchen

Layla Khoury-Hanold is a contributor at Food Network.

Hard boiled eggs are essential for making deviled eggs and egg salad sandwiches, plus they make for a satisfying portable snack. But boiling eggs is the easy part. Peeling hard boiled eggs can be frustrating, especially when it takes a long time, or you find yourself removing large pieces of cooked egg white as you go. Here’s how to perfectly peel hard boiled eggs, plus get our top hacks for getting boiled eggs to peel easily.

Once your eggs have boiled to desired doneness, use a slotted spoon or a strainer to transfer the eggs to a prepared ice bath. Leave them submerged for about until they’re cool enough to handle but still warm, 2 to 3 minutes.

Tap the egg gently on the counter, creating a mosaic like pattern all over the shell.

Carefully and gently roll the egg between your hands to help loosen the shell. Note that if you’re peeling softer boiled eggs, you’ll want to skip this step because the eggs are more fragile and could tear.

Start peeling at the egg’s largest end—there’s an air pocket here that will make it easier to start the process. Make sure to gently lift and peel away the thin membrane beneath the shell that surrounds the egg white.

If you’re still having trouble removing the shell, hold the egg under cold running water while peeling or submerge it in a bowl of water to help loosen the shell.

To make hard boiled eggs that are easy to peel, use store-bought eggs, which are slightly older than farm fresh eggs. Farm fresh eggs have a lower pH level that makes them harder to peel. The older the egg, the easier it is to peel (but you should always use up eggs by their sell-by date).

Baking soda is said to raise the pH level of eggs and therefore make them easier to peel. Add 1 teaspoon baking soda to a pot of eggs, as in our Perfect Boiled Eggs recipe.

Eggs that are added to a pot of boiling water and cooked will be easier to peel (rather than starting them in cold water and then bringing them to a boil). Gently lower eggs into boiling water in a single layer so they don’t risk bumping into each other and cracking shells.

Prepare a bowl of cold water with ice and transfer boiled eggs to the ice bath as soon as they’re done cooking. Leave them until they’re cool enough to handle but still warm, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Related Links:

All-Star Deviled Eggs

Our Best Egg Recipes

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