Les Jones: How Do You Make Boiled Eggs?

April 03, 2004

Food & Drink > How Do You Make Boiled Eggs?

I'm serious. I read somewhere that there's a trick so that the shell is easier to peel. Maybe bring the water to a boil before dropping the eggs in the pot, or putting the eggs in the pot with cold water before bringing the water to a boil.

Posted by lesjones

Comments

Salt in the water helps. After you boil them, dump them right into cold water for a few minutes. It should help.

Posted by: Chris Wage at April 03, 2004

The Martha Stewart method:

1. place 4 large eggs in a saucepan, and add enough water to cover them by an inch (no cheating).

2. bring water to a simmer (not boil) over high heat. remove from heat, cover and let stand 12 minutes.

3. drain and rinse under cold running water. unpeeled eggs can be kept refringerated for one week.

Posted by: Mike at April 03, 2004

I should have known Martha would have had it covered. (My wife is a big fan, and the recipes she's made from the Martha Stewart cookbook are delicious.)

So I did an experiment after I posted this, using both methods. Conclusion? I couldn't tell the difference. Both of them were easy to peel. I did run cold water over them when I was done, so I could eat them right away. So the cold water may be the secret.

Posted by: Les Jones at April 04, 2004

The real trick is to not boil extremely fresh eggs. Buy your eggs and let them sit in the refrigerator for a week or so, then boil them and run them under cold water immediately. The shells peel off much easier when the eggs aren't at their freshest.

Posted by: Tina Kopp at June 29, 2004