Can someone explain peeling eggs?

Morning Glory

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@SatNavSaysStraightOn 's thread re peeling tomatoes reminded me of another peeling issue. Why is it that sometimes when I peel hard-boiled eggs, the shells (and inner membrane) slip satisfyingly off, but other times the membrane sticks to the white and its almost impossible to peel them without ripping out chunks of white?

I've thought it could be to do with the way I dealt with the egg following cooking. But I've tried different methods - plunging them straight in cold water, allowing them to cool naturally, peeling under a running tap...
It doesn't seem to make any difference. Its hit and miss and some eggs peel easily, others don't. Any ideas please?
 
I think it is to do with the freshness of the egg. The fresher the egg the harder they are to peel. The ones my girls lay are murder to peel, but they only laid them within the last week and I think they need to be at least 2 weeks old to peel properly. Right now I only have eggs 3 days old, so can't really test the theory out but I can tell you it had nothing to do with their breed because each and every one of my girls is a different breed!

Use a teaspoon to run around the inside of the shell on the difficult ones.
 
Perhaps it is the freshness. :scratchhead:Trouble is, as I get eggs from the supermarket, I don't know how old they are (except by the best before which doesn't mean much). Its the Black Farmer one's I'm having issues with at the moment. The ones with the legendary bright orange yolks as seen in the Lentil and Sweetcorn Fritters... photos.
 
Why is it that sometimes when I peel hard-boiled eggs, the shells (and inner membrane) slip satisfyingly off, but other times the membrane sticks to the white and its almost impossible to peel them without ripping out chunks of white?

I've thought it could be to do with the way I dealt with the egg following cooking. But I've tried different methods - plunging them straight in cold water, allowing them to cool naturally, peeling under a running tap...
It doesn't seem to make any difference. Its hit and miss and some eggs peel easily, others don't. Any ideas please?

This is an issue that I have had to deal with for years and have not yet found the remedy. Half of the time the shell comes off easily and then the other half of the time I lose a lot of the white part of the egg because it does not peel properly. I usually run mine under the tap to cool it off after it has boiled. I wonder if after doing this, if I should let it continue to cool on its own for a while before attempting to peel it. So I don't have the answer yet either.
 
Try this trick to make your boiled eggs easy to peel: add one tablespoon vinegar to every four cups of water you use to boil the eggs. It works! The shell will come off so easily.
 
Try this trick to make your boiled eggs easy to peel: add one tablespoon vinegar to every four cups of water you use to boil the eggs. It works! The shell will come off so easily.
Wow - if that works I'll be a very happy bunny. I will most definitely try that today! I'll boil some with and some without and compare. Good to see you back @Myrtle ! :D
 
In the meantime, target than riling the ones got can't peel, try the teaspoon method. A nice thing teaspoon works wonders for easing the egg out of the shell once you have enough of it off.
I tried that on the difficult ones the other day as I do know that trick. But it still didn't work. The membrane was so tightly wrapped against the white that it was impossibly to get the teaspoon under it.

There's a U-tube somewhere of someone peeling an egg in seconds with a teaspoon.
 
@Myrtle , there is a great trick with vinegar for peeling quails eggs (which are notoriously difficult). You steep the boiled eggs in vinegar for 15 mins. The shells virtually dissolve away!
 
OK, I have been doing a little bit of reading up on this and it is to do with the age of the egg. it is too do with the acidity of the egg after it is lain and actually adding bicarb of Soda makes them easier to peel because it makes them less acidic, neutralising the excess CO2 inside the egg. This acidify (CO2) is what causes really fresh eggs to have cloudy whites immediately after laying.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat...o_peel_than_others_blame_carbon_dioxide_.html

I tried that on the difficult ones the other day as I do know that trick. But it still didn't work. The membrane was so tightly wrapped against the white that it was impossibly to get the teaspoon under it.

There's a U-tube somewhere of someone peeling an egg in seconds with a teaspoon.


That's where you are going wrong. Run the teaspoon between the membrane and the white.
 
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