hard boiled eggs impossible to peel

[wildflower]

O.K. I am a chef and know how to boil an egg. Why then do my beautiful fresh eggs not cooperate in the peeling arena? I have plunged them in ice water, I have put them in the refer in the water overnight......whats the trick? I just know someone has the answer. Easter is comming and I can't be embarassed by mangled deviled eggs........Help!

 

[CritterHill]

My Mom told me fresh eggs were harder to peel than old ones. A google search gave me this site:

http://www.edinformatics.com/math_science/science_of_cooking/boiled_eggs.htm

With this explanation:

With eggs that are just a day or two old, the membrane beneath the shell sticks tightly to the shell making peeling the egg almost impossible. After a few days in the refrigerator the egg becomes easier to peel. Why is this? In fresh eggs the albumen sticks to the inner shell membrane more strongly than it sticks to itself because of the more acidic environment of the egg. The white of a freshly laid egg has a pH between 7.6 and 7.9 and an opalescent (cloudy) appearance due to the presence of carbon dioxide. After the protective coat is washed off the egg shell the egg becomes porous and begins to absorb air and loose some carbon dioxide contained in the albumen. This reduces the acidity of the egg which causes (after several days in the refrigerator) the pH to increase to around 9.2. At higher pH the inner membrane does not stick as much to the albumen so the shell peels off easier. In addition, as the egg gets older it will shrink and the air space between the egg shell and the membrane will get larger.

Research shows that the reduced acidity helps with peeling. The tradeoff, however, is that in older eggs the yolk tends to move further from being centered. This happens because the white gets thinner and is less able to hold the yolk in place. The best compromise is to use eggs that have been stored on their sides in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days.

 

[Marlinchaser]

add some vinager to the water the will peel easier

 

[patandchickens]

"Excessive freshness" (you wouldn't think there would be such a thing would you <g>) is almost certainly your problem. Use the ones that have been on the counter for a few days or in the fridge for a week, if you want to hard boil them.


Pat

 

[newnanchic]

O.K. I have answered this question alot and this does work...Salt and alot of it!!!! I use 1/3-1/2 cup of salt if I am boiling 5-6 eggs. This secrect came from Ms. Paula Deen herself!!! Since you are a chef You know who she is!!!! It does work and salt is cheap I use it on day old eggs and it still works!!!

 

[chickenlady]

They had this post back in December. Here is the link. There are alot of 'fixes'. Good luck.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=26450

 

[wildflower]

Thank you!!!!! I just knew there was wisdom in this crowd!!