Boiled Eggs

[GtheCajun]

Does anyone know why back yard chicken eggs are so hard to peel when boiled? Every time I try to peel one, just about all I have left when done is the yolk

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Its because the store bought are older. You can have the same effect if you age your eggs a week or two first. I've also heard about immediately putting your eggs in an ice bath to quickly stop the cooking process... I've tried it once, but it didn't work as well as I hoped. The process is geared to make them cold as fast as possible.

 

[Zoomie]

When eggs are first laid they are filled with liquid, it's almost pushing against the shell. As the egg ages, more liquid has evaporated out through the pores of the egg. The contents then shrink a little bit, the air cell grows bigger. Fresh eggs are not the best for hard boiling because of this; older eggs are better candidates, and are easier to peel to boot.

That said... cooking them in a pressure cooker (which takes like, 8 minutes) makes them VERY easy to peel. That is my favorite way to cook them now.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

When eggs are first laid they are filled with liquid, it's almost pushing against the shell. As the egg ages, more liquid has evaporated out through the pores of the egg. The contents then shrink a little bit, the air cell grows bigger. Fresh eggs are not the best for hard boiling because of this; older eggs are better candidates, and are easier to peel to boot.

That said... cooking them in a pressure cooker (which takes like, 8 minutes) makes them VERY easy to peel. That is my favorite way to cook them now.

I'm still thinking about getting one of those, only because I like hard boiled eggs at work in the morning.

 

[RollTideChicken]

I can give a tiny amount of anecdotal evidence to support the ice bath method...it worked on 1 out of 2 eggs
But yea I'm trying the age thing now.

 

[mertzy1963]

I have boiled fresh eggs the day they are laid with no problems, they peel perfectly, the trick is to use a tiny pin and poke it in the bigger end of the egg, not too far though, then place them in boiling water, slow boil 15 minutes, immediately drain and place in a bowl of ice water about 10 minutes.......

 

[Frazzemrat1]

I have boiled fresh eggs the day they are laid with no problems, they peel perfectly, the trick is to use a tiny pin and poke it in the bigger end of the egg, not too far though, then place them in boiling water, slow boil 15 minutes, immediately drain and place in a bowl of ice water about 10 minutes.......

See, I had one that had cracked halfway through, and the shell came right off... I thought about cracking them half way through after that, just to see if it always helped or if it was a fluke.

 

[Mommygirl1128]

I am new to raising chickens myself, and I had a terrible time peeling eggs too. I tried everything under the sun, until a co-worker, who also has chickens, said he never has a problem peeling eggs, he steams his. So i tried steaming them in a veggie steamer, and they peel perfectly, even fresh eggs. For hard boiled eggs, i steam for 15 minutes on medium heat, covered. I have a smaller steam basket so I do 6 at a time.

 

[lazy gardener]

Fresh eggs are harder to peel, b/c they are fresh!!! They have more moisture inside them.

Go back to chemistry 101. Osmosis is the answer! Create an environment where the egg will loose liquid to the environment around it. I use about a TBSP of salt in the water. Add the eggs, and cook as usual. The salt water will draw moisture out of the egg. Other folks use vinegar with same results.

After the egg is cooked and cooled, I then crack it, and use a teaspoon (which matches the contours of the egg shell) to shuck the egg out of the shell. Introducing a bit of water at this time will also help separate the membrane from the albumen, resulting in an almost perfect egg shucking experience... most of the time.

 

[GtheCajun]

Very good info. Thanks.