Peeling Hard Boiled Fresh Eggs
I love fresh eggs…. I know there are a lot of things I love. Every post is full of my love for something but, I mean it when I say, I love fresh eggs. Multi colored shells with rich dark yellow yolks full of flavor in the morning with a side of black coffee gives me all the feels of warm yummy goodness.
Do you know what I hate about farm eggs? Trying to peel them after I hard boil them. Peeling them can be a nightmare. Chunks of egg coming off with the shell leaving me with two-thirds of an egg. This doesn’t make it easy to enjoy a breakfast of hard boiled eggs or allow me to present nice looking deviled eggs for a party. Quickly all of those feelings of warm yummy goodness quickly turn to frustration as I am firmly telling my hard boiled eggs to cooperate and quit falling apart while I am peeling.
My frustrations with peeling eggs eventually sent me on a quest. A quest to find how to obtain a nicely peeled fresh egg more times than not. I’ve tried numerous ways to perfect the peeling process.
I have refrained from using eggs less than three days old, I’ve tried adding baking soda to the water I use to boil the eggs, I’ve tried a longer cook time, using only large or extra large eggs and steaming the eggs. Some worked better than others but, none of these options were as successful as………using a spoon.
Not long ago I had over committed myself with kids events, farm work and meetings…. I know, shocking isn’t it? I had agreed to take scones for a crowd of 40+ and realized at 3:30p, the meeting started at 6:00p and was 30 minutes away, that I did not have enough scones already pre-made and I did not have all the ingredients needed to make scones. What I did have was two dozen fresh eggs.
I had the ‘spoon method’ on my list of ways to try to peel fresh eggs. I’m so glad that this method was the next on my list as I set about peeling.
The Boiling Process:
Disclosure: I forgot to take a couple of pictures.. such as the eggs actually boiling but, I am hoping most of you know what that looks like!
Fill your pot with hot water and a teaspoon or a little more of salt. (the amount of salt is dependent on how much water.) There is not set amount… I eye it and throw it in.
Allow the water to come to a hard boil and then carefully set your eggs into the water.
Turn down the heat and continue to simmer the eggs for 15 minutes. I also lightly cover the pot but, not seal it closed.
Once the 15 minutes has ended move the eggs to a bowl of ice water. This stops the cooking process and allows you to handle the once boiling eggs.
The Peeling Process:
Hold the egg round end up. This is the end that will hold the air sack of the egg. Use the back of your spoon and tap the space as shown in the images above.
Turn your spoon over and use the edge to pull back some of the cracked shell.
Work the end of your spoon into the opening of the egg and follow the contours of the egg between the shell and the white of the egg.
Pull the spoon up against the shell to remove the shell from the egg.
Work your spoon around the entire egg lifting and discarding the shell as you go.
Discard the shell and move on to the remainder eggs….
Enjoy your fresh peeled hard boiled eggs!
I will mention, the first two eggs were ‘practice' eggs. It took me a moment to figure out how to utilize the spoon best and which edges of shell to start with. The spoon didn’t take large chucks of the egg off like other methods I have tried previously had. I have used this method multiple times since and have been pleased with the results and I hope you are too! Let us know how this works for you!
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