'Hard' Cooked Eggs.

[tim]

Seeing Lady Cosmos's wonderful eggs prompts me ask about peeling.

All our eggs are local, 'grown' by one of daughter's art pupils. We know that fresh 'hard' eggs are more difficult to peel than older ones, but why is it that, when you 'coddle' them - ie (sorry, 'by that I mean'!) cook at 185F for 10-12min - the nicest way), peeling is almost impossible without removing a layer or pieces of the white? They have been cooled immediately after cooking.

I know that peeling under running water into a colander can help, but we pay for our water!!

[tim]

[NattyEm]

I have just that problem, peeling them without loosing a layer of white.  I'd love to know the answer!

It does seem to depend how fresh the eggs are, but I usually get ours from various local 'growers' so they're pretty fresh (they never last long enough to get old!)

[Debs]

Peeling hard boiled eggs infuriates me - as I always end up losing a large chunk of the egg white.

Any helpful tips would be appreciated.

Debs

[aquilegia]

had one for my lunch last week as we'd run out of cheese. After cooking, I fill the pan with cold water, lightly tap the egg on the base of the pan all over to crack the shell everywhere and then it came off easily underwater. Fresh eggs too.

(must admit I had to ring mum to ask how long to cook it for - haven't had a hard egg for years!)

[tim]

Depends on the size of the egg & its freshness. And the cooking temperature. Anything fron 4min to 12min.

[Svea]

tim,

very cold water is the very best way to shock the eggs into giving up their sheel easily.
good for you for not wanting to waste running water - but what about a small bowl of cold water with a few ice cubes dissolved as well - then drop the eggs in (not the hot water) and leave for 15 to 20 secs?

usually does the trick for me.
they are still hot then, inside.

svea

[tim]

Yes, I always do the cold water trick, Svea - the running water bit is just to help get underthe shell, & stop it sticking to your fingers.

As I say, it's the slow cooked ones that are the worst offenders. One seems to get an 1/8th of white clinging to the shell & a perfectly smooth white egg inside that!

[MissBaritone]

I also find that if you cook too many eggs together the white sticks. Thay need room to roll about the pan

[Ceri]

lots of salt in the cooking water, and when egg is cold rather than tapping it and peeling it, roll the egg around the surface under the palm of your hand until the shell is really crazed.  The air will be trapped at one end and once you've crazed the shell this will be the easiest end to start from.

[tim]

Salt? Anything's worth a try!

[Arumlily]

How does one stop a hard boiled egg from having a greyish or blackish tint around the yolk? is it in the boiling process or the quality of the eggs?

[tim]

That's how all this started!!

By boiling cooking very gently.

[Doris_Pinks]

Tim if you didn't get your answer, you could post the question here! ;D

http://www.ochef.com/

I  was always taught to prevent getting a black edge on a hard boiled egg you had to get them cold as quickly as possible.  (keep changing the water they are cooling off in!

[Svea]

i thought the black edge appearsa if you overcook the egg. seriously

my cousin once boiled her egg for almost 15 minutes. the yolk was greenish through and through by then. yuck
still totally edible though ???

[tim]

DP - thanks.

Svea - you've said it!! Hence the trick of not boiling them. And my cooked egg title. I do them at 185F.

Yes, indeed, I have always cooled them thoroughly.

This is what McGee says about it. But he doesn't answer my question exactly.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/photo04/McGee.jpg

[moinouvelle]

I was always told to cook with a bit of white vinegar and I do not remember as child they being difficult to peel.  But I am not a huge egg fan.  Would make it for my neice...little hard boiled egg fanatic she was. 

[Svea]

funny you should say that really - i loved hard boiled egges when littler ;D

now, i love a runny yolk and a just set white - hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[tim]

Difficult in a salad or curry??