Perfectly Peeled Hard Boiled Eggs...

The hardest part of making hard boiling eggs is the peeling them, would't you agree...???

I used to think all I had to do was heat the eggs to a boil, cover, simmer and peel them when I wanted to eat them, but then I realized that half my egg was peeling off with the shell and all I was left with was a little of the white stuff and all the yolk I started to research and experiment this very frustrating situation, especially if you eat about a dozen weekly...

Does this look familiar to anybody...???

Anyhow, after much experimentation I realized that you have to keep the eggs hot until you are ready to crack them at which point in time you cool them and immediately gently crack them starting from the air cell (fatter side of the egg) going around in a circular  motion until you reach the smaller side. I don't know for certain (since I'm not a food scientist), but it seems to me the shock from hot to cold temperature helps separates the outer membrane from the inner membrane. This separation makes the eggshell much easier to peel... 

Ingredients

- Dozen (free range/organic) eggs

or as many as you like, but I keep them in the fridge all week...they are great source of protein and an easy/convenient snack...

- Salt

Remember, eggshells are permeable so add salt to the water will help flavor the eggs...

Instructions

1. Place the eggs in a pot and pour cold water over them.

2. Add salt, enough to make the water taste like salt water.

3. Bring the water up to a boil, cover with a lid, and bring it down to a simmer (really low heat), for 5 minutes.

4. Turn off the heat and let sit for at least 5-10 minutes. Whatever you do, DON'T LIFT THE LID!

5. The water should be hot when you are ready to peel. If you've let it sit too long, reheat the water, not to boil, just to a warm temp. Taking one egg out of the warm water at a time, place it under cold water to shock it. 

6. Begin gently cracking the egg in a circular motion starting from the biggest part of the egg (aka, air cell) to the smallest.

7. Then starting from the biggest part, begin peeling. The air cell is like a little air pocket which helps when peeling the outer membrane away from the inner membrane. Then I put them back into the water which helps rid the rest of membrane.

Perfect Eggs Every time...

Let me know if yours turn out the same way...

Next, blog post...My Go-To Egg Salad with Pesto Sauce...