Can we talk peeling hard boiled eggs???

R

richard-in-cincy

Well-known member
I cannot peel any egg these days that doesn't look like a nuclear war survivor. The shell membrane clings to the outside of the egg and absolutely refuses to come off with out the surface of the white as well.

It was not always thus.

I used to boil and peel eggs with ease.

I have concluded that I didn't suddenly forget how to boil an egg and peel it, but that the eggs have changed.

Is this the result of the Frankenstein Egg Factories and the junk they feed the chickens?

Also, the shells are so fragile now. The merest touch on the side of the bowl and the whole shell collapses.

Any one else noticing/experience this or is it just the eggs in my area?

 
New eggs, that was my thought too. BTW, I learned a trick for centering the yolks. You lay the

carton (or just the loose eggs) on their sides in the refrigerator overnight then, carefully lay them into your pot for cooking. This guarantees a perfectly centered yolk every time.

 
Very fresh eggs are a problem, but it may also be something to do with modern eggs. This helps:

Prick the large end of each egg with a drafting pin (or an egg pricker, if you have one.) going in about a 1/4 inch, before boiling.

After boiling (or coddling) rinse rapidly in cold water, then put them in a bowl of ice water. Crack them slightly as you do this, and let them sit in the ice water a few minutes before peeling. The egg will contract a little as it cools and water will run underneath the shell.

 
I don't prick them but I crack and cool them rapidly in ice water

The shells of the eggs I use are not fragile like yours, Richard- maybe you are getting eggs that are too fresh or maybe the farm they come from feeds differently. I've been making a lot of pickled eggs and beets in the last several months and have only had trouble peeling eggs a few times- found the eggs were too fresh.

 
It's my understanding that thin shells have to do with the age of the hen and ...

...where she is in her lifetime egg-laying cycle. The diet they feed them is also a factor.

I don't think there's anything wrong with it, and the egg is still just as nutritious.

Michael

 
Yes, I know all about the fresh eggs, etc....

I've been boiling eggs and peeling them for years, no problem. But lately, they are not cooperating. The last batch of eggs were two weeks in the fridge, god knows how old they were before that. I've used every trick and tip in the book.

I seriously think I need to find a new egg source.

I bought a chicken to roast last week and when I unwrapped it it stank to high heaven.

What is safe to eat any more?

 
Thank god!! I thought it was just me that forgot how to cook and peel eggs.

These are eggs that have been in the fridge for at least a week and they looked like the surface of the moon when peeled.

I seem to have solved the issue by letting them soak in ice water for 10 minutes after cooking. I still need to peel under cold running water but the shells come off much easier.

 
add another step for even better results

Remove the eggs from the hot water with a spider and put them into ice water until the shell feels cold. Return the eggs to the pot that contains the still hot water. Heat on high until the water reaches a rolling boil. Put the eggs back into the ice water until cold. Crack them all over and return them to the ice water prior to peeling.

 
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