Whats up with Hardboiled eggs!

[dmangum]

I need some advice as usual. What is the secret to hard boiling our fresh eggs? I have Large brown eggs I recieved as gifts from my backyard flock. I boil them the same way as store bought eggs, but when I try to peel them the shell is stuck to the white. I have tried boiling them for shorter time periods but the results are the same. The store bought eggs come out perfect every time but I can't seem to find the secret to my fresh eggs. Any suggestions?

 

[jmlorton]

fresh eggs are harder to peel the store bought ones are older by the time you get them so they are easier to peel try letting the fresh ones sit a few days before cooking. i think it has to do with air exchange through the egg shell over time

 

[johnsons-r-us]

I have not tried to boil any of mine yet. But I read somewhere on BYC that the fresher the eggs the more trouble they give you peeling. Something about the air sac being smaller on fresh eggs? I would love to know if there are any tricks to this also!

 

[HEChicken]

I stack my eggs in my fridge in such a way it is easy to tell the oldest eggs from the freshest. I use the oldest carton of eggs for hard boiled (boil up a whole carton at a time) and the freshest eggs for everything else.

 

[LoveMyFeatherBabies]

I would try setting some out on the counter at room temp for a day or two. They will age faster this way and its certainly not going to hurt you. My husband says we need to get those eggies things you see on tv so he can have hard boiled eggs again

 

[Imp]

Yes age the eggs.

I reduced the problem by adding lots of salt to the water.

Imp

 

[chickmashnoon]

I set them in water already boiling and boil them for 7 min ( my husband likes a med boil rather than hard- you could boil yours longer) then I transfer them immedietly to a bowl of icewater (more ice than water) and let them sit overnite. they peel easy!

If you let them sit out a couple days, you kinda lose the point of them being fresh, but it does help. However, the above method works fine with them fresh.

I think that the shock in the temerature change loosens the shell from the interior, kinda like you can loosen a rusty bolt by subjecting it to heat and cold. Good luck!

 

[CupOJoe42]

Salt the water. Easy Peasy.

 

[Carolyn]

This is what I do and it always works.

Gather your eggs (or use what you have on hand). Bring a pan of water to a boil, lower the eggs gently into the boiling water. When it resumes boiling, cover it. You can reduce the heat to simmer or you can turn it off. For large or extra large hard boiled eggs I let them sit 15 min. If you have smaller eggs or want soft boiled the time will be less.
Immediately, drain that water, run cool water over them then dump them into sink or bowl of ice water. It is okay to crack the shells then but I don't find it necessary. When they are chilled in 5 minutes or so, crack and peel starting at the large end.

I used to add 1 tsp salt, some people add vinegar, etc. but this is simple and it works. The key is put the egg in boiling water, reduce heat, do not over cook., cool immediately. This also eliminates the greenish color on the yolk.

I have boiled 100 + this way with the addition of 1 tsp salt and they peeled perfectly 95% of the time regardless of age. Lately I have not been adding salt and so far they are peeling perfectly at the same rate.

I would love to hear how this works for you. Bon Apetite

 

[animalsRawesome]

Quote:
I do the same thing, and it has worked great for me!