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Use baking soda for easy-to-peel hard-boiled eggs
Our food blogger couldn't figure out why her hard-boiled eggs, which she's cooked for years, were looking so beat up — until she learned this trick.
Fri, Jun 15 2012 at 2:41 PM
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Photo: Steven Depolo/Flickr
Sometimes, I’m a little slow to pick up on cause and effect. Let me give you an example. My husband’s family loves deviled eggs, and for years, I’ve been making them by the dozens for different events. A few years ago, I noticed that I was having trouble peeling them. The shells were sticking to the insides, ripping the hard-boiled eggs apart and creating a not-so-attractive side dish for parties.
It never occurred to me that the problem was the type of eggs I was buying. The eggs I buy now are from free-range chickens, and they’re much fresher than the eggs I used to buy from the grocery store. It turns out, the fresher the egg, the more difficult it will be to peel when it’s hard-boiled.
Fine Cooking says this is because the albumen, or the egg white, will stick to the shell of a fresher egg, but as the egg ages, it doesn’t stick as much to the shell. When the water with baking soda passes through the eggshell, it helps the albumen to separate from the shell.
I hadn’t heard this until someone mentioned it on Pinterest, but once I read about it, I decided to give it a try. I took two eggs from the same carton, marked one with an “X,” and put them in two separate pans of cold water. In the pan that held the egg with an "X” on it, I put one teaspoon of baking soda. I placed the pans on the stove, turned the flame up to high, and set the timer for 10 minutes. When the timer went off, I let the eggs sit for three more minutes in the water, and then I removed them and allowed them to cool.
When I went to peel them, the one that had been in the water with the baking soda peeled with no problem. The other one was difficult to peel smoothly, and it was missing several chunks before I was done. In the photo above, you can see the results: the one on the left, which was boiled in the baking soda water, will make for a better-looking deviled egg, and none of the egg has been wasted because it stuck to the shell.
I was pleased with the results of my experiment, and I’ll be adding baking soda to the water next time I boil eggs. Hopefully, I’ll get the same result.
Do you add baking soda to the water of boiled eggs to help them peel easily, or do you have another trick to share?
Related on MNN: Try this Avocado Baked Egg video recipe
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Has anybody tried "baking" the whole eggs - cold oven, easy to cook lots of eggs, and they have come out perfect!!!
What works for me (and I have hens, so my eggs are always very fresh) is to use the smallest pot possible so that I can arrange the eggs "standing up," i.e. with the broad end of the egg up. That keeps the air pocket free, and when I peel, I always start from that broad end.
I wish I would have read this before cooking 2 1/2 dozen eggs. I have free range chickens. I think the shells are different in the winter than the summer and they were soooooo hard to peel. I can't wait to try the baking soda. I just wonder how old the eggs are when you buy them in the store. Mine were about 1 1/2 weeks old.
doesn't work made absolutly no difference
Thanks for this tip. I can't wait to try this!
I use an egg piercer and pierce both ends of each egg. Then I place them in saucepan and bring to a boil. Once it is brought to a boil I turn the burner (I'm using a gas stove) off and let sit for 20 minutes. Then drain the water and place eggs in a bowl with ice water for about 5-10 minutes. They peel perfectly. Both fresh and store bought eggs.
I usually hard boil half a dozen eggs to keep in the fridge for the work week, for breakfasts on rushed mornings. I wonder if peeled eggs keep as long as unpeeled eggs in the fridge? Anyone know the answer? I suspect they keep better unpeeled, which eliminates the immediate crack and peel after boiling concept. Just wondering.
I dip the eggs immediately into ice water for a few minutes after cooking. They peel perfectly every time.
The "egg genie" makes perfect eggs every time...no need for boiling water.
I add about a teaspoon of oil, olive or cannola, to the boiling water. I had a bad problem because my eggs are SO fresh because I have pet chickens! But that does the job
My solution is to peel the eggs after they've had cool water poured over them in the pot but not allow them to cool completely. Sitting in the warm-ish water will allow the shells to come off cleanly every time :)
I make deviled eggs most of the time without any problems (never) I boil my water first then add the eggs
Works perfect every time if I'm cooking 1 or dozens, expensive or in expensive. Some people have gas or electric stoves maybe this is the difference, my stove is gas, and I cook my eggs on a med temperature poor the water off and let cool by themselves.
i believe a tablespoon of olive oil is better tasting!!
Free range eggs come from chickens that are allowed to roam free and eat what they were meant to eat verses caged chickens that are fed what is given to them...I prefer the free range which are much more healthier esp. if you have farmer friends who are nice enough to share their eggs.
I am trying this hardboil method right now, thanks for the great info.
People need to be informed, Free Range Chickens only means they are allowed a very small amount of space, which is covered in chicken poop anyway.. they are not kept in a cage that they cant move. look it up. the eggs are no better than standard eggs. it is just a ploy on words to sell you more expensive eggs.
I guess it depends on who's free range eggs you are buying...we lock ours up at night so the owls and other predators dont get them....but they run totally free during the day..every day ..from sun up to sun down.
continued- I also provide nutrient rich feed for them
free range ARE way better.ours had 40 acres plus.but on commercial end of conversation..there better but not much, so i agree with you.
Free range chickens are just what it says.. They are given free range on the farm and are not kept in the coop. They go back to roost and lay but are free to roam the farm all day.
It totally works!!! Just tried it!
This totally works! I buy organic and since then peeling was a nightmare. Even using ice water. I also would hard boil them right after buying them. I poured some baking soda in prior to cooking. And prefectly peeled eggs!!
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