problems hard boiling fresh eggs

[steveo]

My chickens just started laying eggs last week. I hard boiled some today to make deviled eggs. Removing the shells was very difficult because the shell was sticking to the egg. Is there something I have to do different? I never had a problem like this with store bought.

 

[SweetLilRachy00]

Not sure. I think DH had some trouble too. I always boil mine and then put them directly into an ice bath. I let them sit long enough to cool off so I don't burn my hands, usually the shell peels right off! I hope someone else has some other suggestions!

 

[Sparkalator]

Try adding some salt to the water as they are boiling.

 

[chickflick]

This has been discussed numerous times..... Fresh eggs are harder to peel than store bought.
Best way is to boil, crack the shell and then put them in very cold water for awhile. I bought a egg steamer which makes things easier. Hope this helps!

 

[Patchofheaven]

There is a fairly current thread on this subject in Chicken & Egg Recipes (I think) - Several people gave great advice on how to deal with this problem. I boiled 8 eggs this morning and added 1/3 cup salt to the water and my eggs peeled easily, no egg stuck to shell at all. Some other methods discussed were adding vinegar to the water and piercing the egg w/a needle before boiling. I haven't tried the other methods, but I plan to in the near future.

 

[steveo]

Thank you for the replies! I will try salt the next time and see what happens.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Eggs that I want to hardboil I always leave out on my counter for a week or more before refrigerating them... seems to help the egg white pull away from the shell.....sitting on the counter ages them alittle more than being put fresh in the frig...

 

[warren]

Chickflick is right. Fresh eggs stick to the shells when boiled. Store bought eggs are often weeks old and can be shelled easily. I pencil in the date of laying on the eggs and save some for a couple of weeks in the fridge for boiling.

 

[nantom670]

I would agree with Warren, really fresh eggs have a higher water content which makes it harder to peel off when boiled. Use your oldest eggs for hardboiling or simply put some back and let them age for 7-10 days. When you break open a very fresh egg you may see what looks like a one inch long 1/8" wide white looking substance, this is simply an indication that the egg is very fresh, some people think this is sperm from the rooster but its purpose is simply to hold the yolk in the center of the egg white and when it start drying up you no longer see it but its still there. I heard tell of one man that said he threw away all his eggs with this in there and he ate the others. All he was doing was throwing away the fresher eggs and eating his older ones. What a waste. Have a great day.

 

[naakte]

The older the egg is the easier it is to peel when boiled. A fresh egg will usually stick to the shell. age your eggs a few weeks then boil them. method of peeling should be start at the big end and work your way down.