Removing the shell from a hard-boiled egg can be grueling precision work, but with this simple procedure it will only take you 5 seconds each time.
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Basic Technique
Step 1. Boil the eggs
The way you cook them will be decisive for peeling them easily. Put them in a saucepan and cover them with cold water. There should be about 5cm of water on top of the eggs. Add a teaspoon of baking soda to the water and simmer for about 12 minutes.
- The bicarbonate raises the pH of the egg white and causes it to detach from the membrane inside the shell.
- Fresh eggs are more difficult to shell because the air bubble at the wider end is smaller than that of older eggs. For this reason, you shouldn't boil fresh eggs from the day. Buy the ones that are already 3-5 days old.
Step 2. Cool the eggs
When they are cooked, drain the water from the saucepan and fill it again with cold water. You can also add some ice. The cold causes the hard egg white to contract and makes removing the shell easier.
Step 3. Break the shell on each end
Once cooled, remove the eggs from the saucepan and pat them dry. Gently tap them on a hard surface and break the shell. Do this on both ends.
- In the widest part of the egg there is an air bubble, when you have broken the shell in that place, it will be easier to remove it.
- You can also crack the shell by tapping it with a spoon. One or two hits will suffice.
Step 4. Shell the egg
Starting at the widest end, remove the shell using your thumb. You should remove both the shell and the thin white membrane that covers the egg white. If the egg has been cooked properly and cooled well, you shouldn't have any problems.
Method 2 of 5: Roll the Egg
Step 1. Cook and cool the eggs
Follow the same instructions as the previous method for these operations.
Step 2. Break the shell on each end
Gently tap the egg on a hard surface.
Step 3. Roll the egg
Lay it on the kitchen table on its side and roll it with the palm of your hand applying some pressure. You should be able to break the shell to form a "web" of fragments.
Step 4. Put the egg in a bowl of hot water
With your thumbs, start peeling the egg from the widest end, the entire shell should come off in less than a second.
Method 3 of 5: Shake the Egg
Step 1. Cook the eggs
When they are ready, drain the hot water and fill the saucepan with the cold one. Wait for the eggs to cool.
Step 2. Cover the saucepan with a lid
After draining the water again, put the lid on, hold it firmly and shake the pan vigorously.
Step 3. Rinse the eggs
When you remove the lid the shells will have broken into a thousand pieces. You just have to rinse the eggs to remove them. This is a very quick and easy method, but it could damage the eggs.
Method 4 of 5: With the Spoon
Step 1. Cook the eggs and wait for them to cool
Follow the instructions of the previous methods for these operations.
Step 2. Break the eggs
With a spoon beat the widest part of the egg right at the air bubble.
Step 3. Insert the spoon between the egg and the shell
At this point you just have to pry with the spoon and get the egg out of the shell.
- It's a very quick technique, but it takes some practice.
- Be careful not to damage the egg white in the process, and make sure the egg doesn't take flight when you force it out with the spoon.
Method 5 of 5: With the Puff
Step 1. Cook the eggs and wait for them to cool
Follow the instructions of the previous methods for these operations.
Step 2. Break the shell on both ends
Wait until the egg is cold, remove it from the water and dry it. Gently tap it on a hard surface.
Step 3. Remove the pieces of broken shell from the tip and base of the egg
Make a sort of circular hole with the help of your thumb.
Step 4. Blow (or push) the egg out of the shell
Grab the egg firmly with one hand and blow hard from the narrowest tip into the hole you made earlier. If you have enough strength in your lungs, the egg should pop out on its own. Make sure you're ready to grab it with your other hand!
This is a very difficult method to master and it takes a lot of practice. But when you are able to do that, you will feel like a boiled egg ninja
Advice
- Hard-boiled, unshelled eggs can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. But when the shells must be consumed as soon as possible.
- Start peeling the egg from one end and not the side.
- Do not overcook the egg, otherwise the shell will break into hundreds of tiny pieces and it will not be easy to remove them all. Worse still, the egg white could stick to the egg and you would end up breaking off pieces of egg along with the shell.
- Put the salt in the water before it comes to a boil. In this way, it is easier to shell the egg, because the salt prevents it from coming out in case the shell breaks during cooking. It also makes the eggs tastier.
