How to Peel a Hard Boiled Egg the Fast and Easy Way

Hard boiled eggs become easier to peel with practice.

Hard boiled eggs make a quick, light and nutritious breakfast, but peeling them can be messy and tedious. An efficient method involves quickly cooling the eggs when they're done to stop the cooking process; this also creates a layer of steam that helps separate the egg white from the shell. Does this Spark an idea?

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Hard boiled egg
Your hands
cool running water

Instructions

- 1
  
  After hard boiling your egg, cool it under cold running water.
- 2
  
  Crack the shell on a hard surface on several spots around the egg, preferably at the top and at the bottom.
- 3
  
  Gently roll the egg between both hands.This effectively loosens the membrane of the egg, allowing you to remove the shell, often in one or two pieces.

Tips & Warnings

Make sure the egg is cooled off a bit before picking it up. Don't rub too agressively unless you want a smashed egg hehe.

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Help With Cooking: Hard-Boiled Eggs

Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images

Comments

View all 14 Comments

dditkosky May 27, 2011
I have found the fastest and easiest way to peel a hard boiled egg is to place them in cold water after you have cracked the shell. Let them sit for a couple minutes. Looks like the water gets in the cracks and under the membrane, loosening the sheel.
saltyfrog Feb 17, 2009
Helpful, thanks!
derbyka Oct 14, 2008
I'll have to try this!
derbyka Oct 14, 2008
I'll have to try this!
StacyP Oct 03, 2008
I'm going to try your technique next time; thanks. It's so frustrating to destroy good eggs because of a peeling problem.

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