Why Are These Eggs So Easy To Peel?

[robyn]

We eat a lot of egg salad with the fixings. It's a nice easy light meal. And peeling the eggs has always been the bane of my existence. My rule of thumb was the older the eggs - the better in terms of being easy to peel.

I used to use regular white Publix eggs. Right off the shelf - they were impossible to peel. When they reached their expiration date - they were usually somewhat easy to peel. A few months ago - I started to use Harris Teeter "Cage Free" all natural brown nest eggs. They taste somewhat better than the Publix regular eggs. But - more importantly - miracle of miracles - peeling them is a snap - even the day I bring them home. The peel almost falls off the eggs.

I haven't the slightest idea why this happens. Perhaps these eggs are old the day they're sold. But I don't think so. Any theories? I'm curious. Robyn

[chezcherie]

hmmm..well, as a chicken-owner, i can tell you that the fresher the egg, the more impossible to peel when hard-boiled. i have noticed no difference between peeling older hard-boiled eggs, whether white, brown or green-shelled (see avatar.) so my guess is the brown are older than the white.

[SKinCA]

They probably are older than the Publix eggs.

Sadly, I've noticed in my supermarket that any eggs labeled "cage free", "organic" or "free range" are much older than the regular supermarket brands.

I know this because I check the 3 digit date code on the side of the box. I know there is a term for this, but if you count the days of the year, today is something like day 087 (out of 365 natch). If I'm wrong on the day it's because I don't feel like taking off my shoes to confirm the count!

The date the eggs were laid and put in the carton will be noted on the side of the carton in that 3 digit format. Yesterday I checked the cage free eggs and their "laid on" date was 067, making them close to 3 weeks old! The Eggland Best were dated 083 making them considerably fresher.

This is a date distinct from their "use by" or "sell by" date.

The organic eggs just don't move out of the store as fast as the regular ones, hence they probably peel more easily because they are much older.

Easy for you to check - just check the carton. I was astonished when I started doing it.

[snowangel]

Yes, I think they are older. I know that unless I am shopping at a serious coop, organic eggs.

The other thing I just learned. The egg guy was at the market the other day. You know how you open the cartons and check to make sure the eggs are not all cracked? Well, when the egg guy comes back, he takes the eggs (both the organic and regular egg guys) and the eggs in those cartons that have a cracked one or two (or more) get taken back and put into other cartons, and according to the guy I talked to, the date the eggs are put in the carton is the packed by date.

[fiftydollars]

Eggs are required to display the date they are packed as a Julian date, as explained by Fat Guy somewhere in this extensive and enlightening Q&A on the topic of eggs.

I'd really like to hear that somehow there is a good reason that these eggs are easy to peel... other than they are old eggs. I just hate peeling eggs and yesterday as I tried to work through my third dozen, I would have been quite happy to try any eggs that could safely prove to peel easier... brown, cage-free, all-natural, whatever. But I'm not quite willing to eat old eggs just to have an easier go of it.

Here is a direct link to the Julian date converter linked in Fat Guy's article.

Edited March 29, 2005 by fiftydollars (log)

[sparrowgrass]

I have chickens, and have a devil of a time peeling eggs. My mom told me to wash the eggs, put them in the fridge for 2 or 3 weeks, then set the on the counter overnight before boiling them. Since I have done that, my eggs peel just fine.

Of course, I do have to plan ahead, which is why I colored NO eggs last weekend.

[weinoo]

I usually don't have a problem peeling the eggs that I buy at the farmer's market, which are super fresh. I find that if I give the eggs a nice cold bath when they're done cooking (I bring the eggs just up to the b.p., cover them, and let them steep for 13-15 minutes depending on the quantity), crack the shells all over by rolling them around, and peel them under running cool water starting at the end with the air pocket, they will peel nicely - you just gotta get that little skin thing coming off right at the start.

[mharpo]

I usually don't have a problem peeling the eggs that I buy at the farmer's market, which are super fresh.  I find that if I give the eggs a nice cold bath when they're done cooking (I bring the eggs just up to the b.p., cover them, and let them steep for 13-15 minutes depending on the quantity), crack the shells all over by rolling them around, and peel them under running cool water starting at the end with the air pocket, they will peel nicely - you just gotta get that little skin thing coming off right at the start.

←

I too have found that older eggs definitely peel better. With both fresh and older eggs I use a push pin to make a hole in the round end, and with fresher eggs add salt to the water. 10 minutes in an ice bath afterwards and peel under running water. Rarely have a problem.

[fiftydollars]

I received the Eggstractor as a gift and while it is perhaps the single most useless, poorly designed, and just plain stupid device in my kitchen, the instruction manual did give a decent tip: shock the eggs in ice water after cooking. This does, in fact, make them easier to peel and it is pretty much the only way you are going to get the Eggstractor to separate egg from shell.

I do love the Eggstactor, actually. Although, after dozens of attempts, it has only yielded one (1) properly peeled egg, it has provided quite a bit of entertainment along with scores of mangled, abused eggs (and one pretty good tip on egg cookery).

[monavano]

Shocking the eggs in cold water will also help to avoid that green color on the outer yolk.

Older eggs peel easier because the air pocket is larger. To test if an egg is old, submerge it in water. If it stands upright, there is more air in it, and is therefore, older. If it lies on its' side, it's younger.

So boil those eggs that stand up!

[Mistinguett]

Cracking the shell all around and rolling the egg gently will work every time.

[OliT]

I've found that I have the most success with cracking the eggs all over with my knuckle, it takes a little while longer, but even with gentle rolling I've had eggs that broke. I peeled 60 eggs this way the day before yesterday, only one or two were causing me problems, and those were quite fresh. I couldn't feel my hands after all the cold water, but that's not important.

[boulak]

They probably are older than the Publix eggs.

Sadly, I've noticed in my supermarket that any eggs labeled "cage free", "organic" or "free range" are much older than the regular supermarket brands.

I know this because I check the 3 digit date code on the side of the box. I know there is a term for this, but if you count the days of the year, today is something like day 087 (out of 365 natch). If I'm wrong on the day it's because I don't feel like taking off my shoes to confirm the count!

The date the eggs were laid and put in the carton will be noted on the side of the carton in that 3 digit format. Yesterday I checked the cage free eggs and their "laid on" date was 067, making them close to 3 weeks old! The Eggland Best were dated 083 making them considerably fresher.

This is a date distinct from their "use by"  or "sell by" date.

The organic eggs just don't move out of the store as fast as the regular ones, hence they probably peel more easily because they are much older.

Easy for you to check - just check the carton. I was astonished when I started doing it.

←

I believe the three digit format you are referring to is known as the Julian or Julien calendar.

[Rachel Perlow]

Shocking the eggs in cold water will also help to avoid that green color on the outer yolk.

←

I don't think that's true. The green tinge will appear when an egg is overcooked, at too hard a boil, regardless of age or shocking in cold water after cooking.

Here's a link to the eGCI course, Hard Cooked Eggs.

[robyn]

I did an experiment last night. I poached a couple of the eggs (for crab cakes Benedict). The whites for 2 eggs took up all of a large fry pan (filled with water). Wispy plumes in all directions. A definite sign of old eggs. I wish there was a better explanation - but I'm afraid - cage free all natural or not - what I'm buying here is old eggs - really old eggs <sigh>. BTW - I couldn't find anything like a date on the package (there was some red marking on the top of it but it was mostly rubbed off - perhaps that was the date mark). Robyn

[scott123]

I have tried starting eggs in cold water and compared them to the results to adding them to boiling water. Without fail, regardless of how fresh the egg is, the eggs started in cold water are always more difficult to peel. I have a yet-to-be-proven theory on this. I believe that the same peeling advantage achieved by placing the cooked eggs in ice water is achieved by the shock of placing raw eggs in boiling water.

When you place cold eggs in boiling water, the air pocket violently expands. That's common knowledge. My theory relates to where this air expands to. For those eggs that don't break from the stress, I believe the pressurized air pocket drives it's way around the egg forming a momentary barrier between the egg and the membrane.

I have even noticed that the eggs that go in the pot first are the easiest to peel than those that go into the pot after the temp has dropped a bit, due to the decreased thermal shock involved.

The downside to this process is you do get some cracked eggs. I don't know about you, but a couple of nasty stringy cracked eggs are much more preferable to me than 5 minutes spent cursing at an egg that won't peel.

As I said, I have nothing solid to back this up, only observation. From the hard cooked egg experiments I've done, though, it does appear that an initial shocking in boiling water does increase egg peelability.

Edited March 30, 2005 by scott123 (log)

[NulloModo]

I hate trying to peel eggs. The pre-boiled eggs from WaWa are almost gauranteed to have a pocket right at the big end, but they are still very difficult to peel. I would be far more apt to make egg salad more often if I could find a foolproof method, so I will have to give some of these a try.

[jgm]

I'm going to bump up this topic, because I'd like more comments on this issue.

Last spring, we had several picnic-potluck dinners to attend, and I decided to take deviled eggs to all of them. I was using 'regular' extra large eggs from the grocery, and I bought all of them at least three weeks ahead of time. Peeling them certainly was an exercise in frustration; I did shock them in cold water and let them stand for a few minutes, then I drained them and rolled them around in the pan to crack the shells. Then I ran more cold water into the pan, hoping that some would seep between the shells and the egg white, and make the job easier. I also peeled them while holding them under a stream of running cold water.

Every single egg was a mess. Some were an outright disaster.

Last night I hard boiled and peeled some eggs we bought a couple of weeks ago, only these were brown eggs and were the "Eggland's Best Cage-Free" variety. Every single egg peeled beautifully. I haven't yet checked the date on the carton, but I will tonight.

I'm not convinced age is the only factor. I'm beginning to believe that something about what the chickens are fed also makes a difference. I have no idea what it would be. The shells did seem to be a bit thicker, but that could have been my imagination.

[ruthcooks]

Brown eggs have harder shells and so are easier to peel. I read this somewhere and have found it to be true.

I believe another factor is the chicken's diet--nothing you can do about that.

In peeling white eggs, whatever age, I have tried: adding a quarter cup of salt to the water, pricking a hole in the fat end of the egg, and cooling a minute in cold water, then cracking all over and placing back in the cold water. Then I loosen the shell by rolling in my palms.

If I do all of this, the white eggs are still more difficult to peel than the brown.

[tino27]

I didn't believe it before I saw it, but you can actually peel off both ends of the already hard-boiled egg, place the smaller tip of the egg in your mouth with your hand cupped around to seal it and then literally "blow" the egg out the other end into your other hand.

Don't believe me?

Type in "peeling hard boiled eggs" into youtube.com's search engine and click on the first result. I actually tried this and I couldn't believe that it worked. Then again, you had to have a bit of lung power, too.

[helenjp]

I'm with weinoo on this issue - freshness and shell quality make quite a difference, but put the hot boiled eggs in cold water and LEAVE them there for a good while. A good hour is not too long, and change the water until the hot eggs are not heating it up to lukewarm.

Had a regular job making egg sandwiches in my youth, so I peeled dozens of eggs every day for the duration....cooling the eggs thoroughly made a big difference.

[teagal]

For me, it never fails --if I'm making egg salad, the eggs will peel perfectly. However, when I'm making deviled eggs I have a much harder time and end up with the ugliest looking eggs! Go figure!

Edited November 4, 2008 by teagal (log)

[heidih]

I'm with weinoo on this issue - freshness and shell quality make quite a difference, but put the hot boiled eggs in cold water and LEAVE them there for a good while. A good hour is not too long, and change the water until the hot eggs are not heating it up to lukewarm.

Had a regular job making egg sandwiches in my youth, so I peeled dozens of eggs every day for the duration....cooling the eggs thoroughly made a big difference.

←

I have found this to be true as well. I usually tap them to get at least a good crack in the shell, cover with cold water and handful of ice cubes. It seems like the water gets in beneath the shell and then easily peels with the side of my thumb.

[judiu]

I've had best luck using a pushpin to put a hole in the SMALL end of the egg. The air pocket resides in the large end of the egg, so if you poke the small end, the water can get between the "skin" and the eggwhite. HTH!

[robyn]

I've had better luck with eggs with brown shells too. Not sure why.

One suggestion for things like deviled eggs (where the original taste of the yolk isn't super important). Most stores - at least the ones where I live - sell peeled hard cooked eggs for about the same price as fresh eggs. And the whites are always perfect. Robyn