Pinterest Tested: Easy Peel Eggs
THE CLAIM:
Add ½ teaspoon of baking soda when boiling eggs. The shells will slide right off.
Let's give it a go:
I boiled 2 pots of water, and added ½ a teaspoon of baking soda to one of them. I placed an egg in each and boiled them, with the lid on, for 9 minutes. Then I put them in separate bowls of cold water to stop the cooking.
MY FINDINGS:
Here is what the eggs looked like after peeling: the one on the left is with no baking soda, and the one on the right was boiled with baking soda.
As you can see the one boiled normally has a few nicks, whereas the one boiled with baking soda was nearly flawless.
But I needed to investigate further...
I decided to boil up 4 more eggs: 2 for each method. I used super fresh-from-the-farm eggs (which are notorious for being difficult to peel).
Again, the eggs on the left are boiled normally, whereas the eggs on the right were boiled with ½ teaspoon baking soda.
As you can see, both methods yielded an egg with nicks and an egg that's nearly perfect. I have to say that one of the eggs that I peeled that had been boiled with baking soda DID slip right off. It was magical. But the other one was just as difficult as usual, which mystifies me. Why would it work on one but not the other?
Here's another shot so you can see the details better. Normal on the left, baking soda on the right.
Hi Erica!
I hate peeling eggs, too. I put the eggs in a pan of cold water and bring to a slight boil, then cover and TURN OFF THE HEAT. Leave them in the water for 18-20 minutes, depending on the size of the eggs, then remove with a slotted spoon to an ice bath. Leave them in the water until you get around to peeling them or the ice melts. Crack the shell all around with the back of a spoon and peel around in a spiral, starting at the wide end (the membrane should be attached). Put the peeled egg in fresh, cold water. Continue until all eggs are peeled. This usually works perfectly, but naturally there maybe a few stinkers that refuse to give up their shells without a fight.
Happy Easter!
Diane
Thank you for the tip, Diane! I'll have to give this a try. 🙂
Happy Easter to you, too!
Erica,
Our family raises chickens and, as you shared, fresh eggs are often difficult to peel after being boiled. To that end, I save out a few dozen a week to "age" for the next week.
To cook, I fill my stockpot with water and bring to boil. Then, I carefully add two dozen eggs, bring back to a boil, and boil for about 13 to 15 minutes. I drain the hot water and run cold water over eggs...at least two potfulls. I crack each egg in numerous places and leave in pot of cold water for an hour or more. I then peel. More often than not, I have good success.
I truly enjoy your posts and the connection of, also, living in Minnesota.
Pam
I boil my eggs the using the same method as Diane and have very good results. I have heard that very fresh eggs are more difficult to peel, but as mine come from Costco usually, they most likely are not 'right off the farm'.
Interesting post, thanks for putting this together!
Hey, fellow Minnesotan! 😀 Thank you for the tip! I used to use this method a long time ago - not sure why I don't anymore!
The "Remove to Cold Water" method seems to be used quite a bit! I'll have to get back into doing that. And I might have to do another post where I try out many different methods. 🙂
Is it true the older the eggs the easier to peel? Like buy and wait 2 weeks until you boil them? Maybe test to see "when" the best time to boil and peel is.
Great idea for a post, Ashley!