Peeling Hard-Boiled Eggs Easily

Perhaps the simplest of ways to provide our bodies with proteins is by hard-boiling eggs and eating them everyday. Besides proteins, hard-boiled eggs are a rich source of vitamins A, B, D, E and K. Eggs provide the body with both saturated as well as unsaturated fats, and a host of essential minerals like iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium, sodium, copper, potassium, phosphorus and selenium. Being such a rich source of all these important nutrients, eggs make an ideal breakfast food.

Most of us, being pressed for time in the morning, rely on boiled eggs for a healthy and quick breakfast. Although it is easy to hard boil them, yet when it comes to peeling off their shell, it can cost us some time, or worse, we might end up with a cracked boiled egg. There is a particular method, which if followed properly, can help in peeling the eggs easily.

Best Way to Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs

Step 1
The first thing that you should do is to drain out all the hot water which was used to boil them, from the pan and replace it with cold water. You may put a few ice cubes in the water to make it icy cold.

Step 2
Let the eggs sit in the water for some time. This will ensure that the papery membrane instead of sticking to the albumen (white part of the egg which surrounds the yolk), sticks to the egg-shell.

Step 3
When you feel that the eggs have completely cooled down, start peeling them. To do that, take the bigger end of the egg and tap it against a hard surface. You may use your kitchen counter top for this purpose. Most probably, when you do this, the shell will come out easily.

Step 4
If the shell has still not come out, then tap the smaller end of the egg as well against your kitchen counter-top, and the shell will definitely come out.

Once the eggs have been peeled, you can enjoy eating them as it is or by making certain delicious egg recipes with them.

Quick Tips

Firstly, when you start out to hard-boil the eggs, add a small amount, i.e. a teaspoon of salt in the water. This will make peeling easier. Another remedy is to add a teaspoon of baking soda, to the cold water, which you put the egg in after boiling. Baking soda too, helps in separating the shell from the egg.

One more thing that you should keep in mind is that never hard boil eggs which are fresh. Always refrigerate them for a few days before boiling, for the simple reason that when the eggs age, the albumin's carbon dioxide content vanishes gradually, minimizing its acidity in the process. When this acidity is reduced, peeling becomes easier.

One last tip before I sign off - hard-boiled eggs, if not peeled, can be refrigerated and are considered safe to eat for up to seven days, however, if they are peeled, they should be consumed the same day.