Use these tricks, and you can make perfect easy peel hard boiled eggs the best way. Works on farm fresh eggs too!
Why Eggs Can Be So Hard to Peel
Poultry farming accounts for a large part of our farm. In addition to raising chickens and using a chicken tractor for healthy free-range birds, we raise turkeys, emus, ducks, geese, and quail.
To make our flocks sustainable, we have hatched quail, chicken and turkey eggs in an incubator and learned the value of properly sanitizing an incubator.
Our chickens provide plenty of eggs beyond what we need to sustain our flock, so we collect and enjoy their abundance. Making hard-boiled eggs is one of our favorite ways to enjoy this abundance.
Whether the egg is fresh or using older eggs, the albumen (egg white) protein is sticky and therefore adheres to the shell. That can be difficult, frustrating and time-consuming when the peel doesn’t separate easily from the egg white.
This method is the foolproof way I have made easy peel hard boiled eggs for years. It’s so effective that I can use it on eggs freshly collected from the coop, requiring no special ingredients.
Tips for Boiling the Perfect Egg
Perfect hard-boiled eggs are a pretty simple process. However, you should know a few things about eggs that will help guarantee your success.
Preventing Cracking
Always inspect your eggs and separate out any that have cracks or weak-looking shells. Fresh eggs are very fragile, so we gently handle them when collecting them from the coop. One of the best ways to prevent cracking is to keep your eggs in a single layer.
When collecting from the coop, use a basket large enough so that the eggs are not stacked on top of one another. Likewise, use a pot large enough so that the eggs can boil in a single layer and are not crowded as well.
When placing the eggs into the pot, use a slotted spoon to lower the egg into the water.
Preventing the Green Ring
Sulfur and iron naturally occur in eggs and turn the yolk green and chalky when overcooked. I found that cooking eggs for 14 minutes and immediately placing them in an ice bath to stop the cooking process results in perfectly cooked eggs that are not rubbery or have a green ring.
Temperature
It is recommended that you bring your refrigerated eggs to room temperature before boiling them to prevent cracking and sticking. We usually boil our eggs fresh from the coop so they are already at room temperature.
Old Eggs
The egg white’s pH level becomes less acidic as it ages, making it weaker and less likely to bond to the shell. For this reason, it’s often recommended that you use eggs that are at least a week old.
If you raise chickens for eggs, this seems counterintuitive to the benefit of enjoying fresh eggs. With my method, I can use freshly collected eggs without any problems.
Storage
Hard-boiled eggs last in the refrigerator for up to one week. If you have an egg you didn’t peel right away, you can easily figure out if it is boiled or raw by spinning it. If it wobbles when it spins it’s raw, but if it spins evenly, it’s cooked.
How to Make Easy Peel Hard Boiled Eggs
Supplies Needed
- Eggs – Use farm-fresh or store-bought eggs free from cracks and weak shells.
- Saucepan – Depending on the number of eggs you’re hard-boiling, the eggs should sit in a single layer fully immersed in water.
- Water – The water to make hard-boiled eggs can be either tap water or bottled water. It doesn’t matter; just make sure it’s clean water.
- Large Bowl – You will need a bowl large enough to hold your eggs, ice and water.
- Ice – In this hard-boiled egg recipe, an ice bath is used to stop the cooking process.
- Slotted Spoon – A large enough spoon with a long handle to move the eggs without burning yourself works best. This also helps lower them into the water to prevent cracking.
- Timer – Set the timer for 14 minutes for hard-boiled and 6 minutes for soft-boiled.
- Kitchen Towel – Lay clean farm fresh eggs on a large kitchen towel to protect the shells.
Step-by-Step Directions
- Fill your saucepan with hot tap water.
- Carefully place your fresh eggs in the saucepan with a large slotted spoon.
- Bring your saucepan full of eggs to a rolling boil.
- Set your timer and cook the eggs for 14 minutes (6 minutes cooking time for soft-boiled).
- Make your ice water bath using your large bowl, ice, and water, and set it on the counter where you can add your boiled eggs with ease.
- Spread out your kitchen towel near the ice water bath.
- When the timer goes off, turn off the heat or remove the saucepan of eggs from the stove.
- Carefully remove the eggs one at a time with your large slotted spoon into your bowl of ice-cold water.
- Let your eggs sit in the ice water for 10 minutes. (Reset your timer)
- Remove your eggs from the ice bath onto the kitchen towel.
- Turn on the cold water in your kitchen sink.
- Take the hard-boiled egg and tap the larger end several times on the countertop next to the sink.
- Tap the small end of the egg several times on the countertop.
- Lay the egg on its side and tap it all around the middle of the egg.
- Place the egg in your hands and gently roll it back and forth under the running water.
- The shell will easily peel off. Rinse well, and the egg will be ready to use.
- Store peeled eggs in the refrigerator for up to one week.
