Boiled eggs-hard to peel shell

[Lee]

Directions on how to boil a farm fresh egg

Start with eggs that don’t have any visible cracks
Try to use eggs that are a couple of days old, say 2 to 4 days old.
To test the freshness of an egg, place the egg in a bowl of water; an egg that lays on the bottom is fresh, an egg that stands on end is still usable, and an egg that floats should be discarded

Over a high heat, bring water to a rapid boil, use a spoon to place eggs gently in boiling water one at a time – the shock of the hot water on the egg shell helps to jar the membrane from the shell – turn down heat to keep water at gentle boil.
The average size egg requires this much time for doneness:
- Soft-boiled yolk / 4 to 5 minutes
- Medium-boiled yolk / 6 to 7 minutes
- Hard-boiled yolk / 12 to 15 minutes
Remove pot with eggs from stove, pour out hot water and fill with cold water, let eggs cool for at least 10 minutes then drain and peel the eggs for use.
To peel the egg, do the rolling technique between hand and table (counter top) to crack the shell on all sides and gently loosen the layers … now remove the shell and enjoy. Refrigeration is necessary for hard boiled eggs if the eggs are not to be consumed within a few hours. Hard-cooked eggs in the shell can be refrigerated up to one week.

 

[ailurophile23]

Shortly after my chickens started laying last fall, I tried boiling the fresh eggs - same problem - lost much of the white to the shell during peeling. Looked in my favorite REALLY old edition Joy of Cooking cookbook and they said to use eggs that were a few days old in order to prevent this. Since that time, no problems as long as the eggs are a few days old.

 

[PaleMelanesian]

This works like a charm, even with eggs straight from the nest.

Boil the water, then add the eggs to it.

 

[ray2310]

I can tell you I have tried nearly all the suggestions mentioned over the last several years. The only thing I can tell you is that none of them work every time.

My suggestion if you need some nicely peeled eggs is to make extras to make up for the ones that don't peel good.

 

[LT]

Achickenwrangler#1 :

As grandma taught me, when your eggs are cooked, they should be plunged into ice water, this shrinks the membrane around the egg and separates it from the shell, the other thing is -one the eggs are cool, and that should be soon, cause if your ice water gets warm you need to put more ice in(immediately)- tap the shell all over on a counter top to 'spider web fracture' it - like an auto window, any place that was not cracked will stick! I roll it around to make sure the outer shell is all mush but not the egg inside, you can then peel the whole thing off, sometimes in one piece.
I've never put salt in the water, vinegar, may keep the shell from cracking, but not always, so why waste, I add nothing.
That green line around the yoke? Thats from over cooking the egg,
I always use fresh eggs, they always taste better, the whole trick is the ice water and fracturing the shell all the way around, been doing that since I was a little kid, and you want them really really cold, and it always works. Happy shelling!
Ps you dont have to peel them right away either, they keep better in the shell in the fridge without absorbing any other taste.

I was quite pleased with my efforts, but I am definitely going to try this too. My husband LOVES boiled eggs, and he would eat them for breakfast, lunch, snacks, etc. The idea of having them cold in the fridge and ready to peel sounds great. We only have 4 of our 9 girls laying currently, but this week, the "squatting" has increased, so I am guessing we are about to get 6 or 7 a day, and I need to be prepared.​