I always poke a hole in the fat end of the egg! They peel great! I can go out and gather eggs, 30 minutes later have beautiful deviled eggs! It really does work. You just get a pin and poke a hole in the fat end, then drop them right into the boiling water! As soon as I have them all added, I turn off the burner and let them sit covered for 10 minutes and Viola! Deviled eggs!