Thick egg membrane and hard boild eggs?

[David Stratton]

The membrane on our chicken's eggs seems to be extra thick. I did fried eggs this morning and I swear the shell cracked but the inner membrane held on. We also did hard boiled eggs last night for deviled eggs and peeling most of them was a nightmare. The membrane stuck so firmly that it was taking a layer of egg white with it when we attempted to peel off the shell. I know that I have read or heard it said that when doing hard boiled eggs you should use eggs that are at least 10 days old. Does anyone know if this is fact or fiction? I have a gut feeling that the thick rubbery membrane is responsible but I can't imagine what I can do about it. Any ideas?

 

[luvmy33chicks]

same problem here
with hard boiled after cooking i pour out the water and add ice
when it melts i crack the eggs and put them back in the water for a while
if you crack deep enough the water gets in between the egg and membrane and loosens up

 

[scratch'n'peck]

The escaped moisture from older eggs helps because there is a little more air between the membrane and white. Some of my chickens just lay eggs with thicker membranes, too. I crack my hard boiled eggs then peel the part with the air pocket and then run it under water while rolling it between my hands to kind of loosen the membrane. Still there I find there are just some eggs that are harder to peel without removing the white, too.

 

[Chris09]

Quote:

I have read or heard it said that when doing hard boiled eggs you should use eggs that are at least 10 days old.

That is a fact, also if you refrigerate the eggs for the 10 day let them come to room temperature before using them.
If I refrigerate my egg I let them come to room temperature before I use them for anything.

Chris​

 

[LT]

If you do a search on the forum for "hard boiled eggs" you will find lots of advice for cooking fresh eggs. I can't remember which section it was in, but I did find some good advice (salt in the water and reduced cooking time) and had relative success with boiling eggs.

 

[mikecnorthwest]

When our hens first started laying we noticed the thicker membrane. This went away after several weeks so either we got used to it or it was just because the hens were new layers.

 

[hitgsd]

I had the same problem with hard boiled eggs, they where impossible to peel and looked horrible. I googled it and found out older eggs which had time to loose moisture where easier to peel. Less moisture and the membrane pulls away from the shell so peeling is easier. The other alternative is those Eggie things seen on TV. They make a shelless boiled egg but they are a pain to use and clean. If you have the time and want really nice looking boilde eggs they are worth the time, sorta.

 

[OkieCluck]

The best advice I've ever gotten about hard boiling eggs came off of this site! Instead of boiling the eggs, steam them for 15 minutes. I've done this with 1 day old eggs and they are very easy to peel. Told my mom the same thing and she steamed an egg the day it was layed and said she will never boil one again.