Easy-Peel Hard Boiled Eggs

 

Let's face it. Peeling a hard boiled egg sucks. For this reason, I reserved eating hard boiled eggs for Easter or when someone else had prepared some deviled eggs. I had even considered buying the already cooked eggs from the grocery store, but something about that totally grossed me out - not to mention they were VERY expensive. So after several failed attempts I finally found a pretty good system of preparing hard boiled eggs.

The first and probably most important thing to know, is that you do not want to use fresh eggs.  You don't want to use spoiled/expired eggs either, but don't try to boil the eggs you bought today.  Let them sit in the refrigerator for at least a week.  I tend to make hard boiled eggs when I notice my eggs will be expiring in the next couple days and I don't want them to go to waste. Fresh eggs will not peel as easily.

Step 1: Put some eggs in sauce pan.  I usually don't stack the eggs - just make a layer on the bottom.

Step 2: Completely cover eggs with water. Add at least 1" of water above the top of the eggs.  Add some salt to the water (about a tablespoon).  The eggs won' taste salty - it just magically helps in the peeling process.

Step 3: Cook on high until the water comes to a roaring boil and then turn off the heat.

Step 4: Immediately after turning off the heat, put a lid on it. Set your timer to 17 minutes. Don't take the lid off the pot until the 17 minutes is over.  The eggs are still cooking in the hot water.

Step 5: Shock the eggs in freezing cold water.  Some people use an ice bath, but I think the water coming out of my tap during a Detroit winter is cold enough! Keep them in the cold water until the eggs no longer feel warm. This takes about 5 minutes. If you are using an ice bath, you will need to keep adding more ice as the ice melts. If you stick your hand in the water, it should feel VERY cold.

Step 6: Once the eggs are cool, pour the water from the pan.  This is where you would THINK you are finished, but you are not! (Here comes the secret awesome wonderful way I peel them...)

Step 7: Shake them eggs! Hold the handle of the pot and shake the pan back and forth (not up and down because we aren't trying to flip the eggs out of the pan!). You'll want to shake the pan hard enough the eggs bump against each other and the side of the pan and the shells crack, not too hard or you will end up breaking the actual eggs. Trust me, I learned this from experience.

Step 8: Peel off the shell. You should be able to use thumb and just push the shell right off the egg. Turn on the water and rinse off any little shell pieces that are left on the egg. Easy peasy, right?

Store the eggs in an airtight container or zip-top baggy for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.