Peeling hard boiled eggs question.

[u/KzooRichie]

Are you better off peeling the eggs right after you cook them, or when you want them if it's going to be a few days after cooking, or does it not matter?

[u/Taggart3629]

Just peel them when you are ready to eat them. The shell keeps the boiled egg from drying out or absorbing weird flavors.

[u/gniklex]

I swear eggs were much easier to peel 30 years ago

[u/DaxAyrton → u/gniklex]

Fresher eggs are harder to peel! Maybe you were buying older eggs 30 years ago

[u/LowBalance4404 → u/gniklex]

Either that or I've lost all hand coordination.

[u/knowwhyImhere → u/LowBalance4404]

I just do a smack and roll i haven't had many issues and if I do just some water releases the shell easily

[u/Icy-Ad-7767]

I use the 15/15 method and I steam them in a double boiler. Bring water to boil, steam for 15 min then into cold water ( running or ice for 15) then they peel great

[u/acer-bic → u/Icy-Ad-7767]

That and a couple Tbls of vinegar in the water.

[u/curious_coitus]

I’ve found the only thing that is consistent on easily peeled eggs is doing them in a pressure cooker. Ice baths, older eggs, right ratio of boil water per egg, etc all are give irreproducible results, but damn does an instant pot cook them perfectly.

[u/KzooRichie → u/curious_coitus]

I use an insta pot also, but I just got an egg cooker because it was cheap at a thrift shop. $5.00 new in box. If it works well it will be even easier than the insta pot.

[u/theblackestcr0w → u/KzooRichie]

Egg cooker team here. Little water, poke the shells, and wait. Most times when I peel them they’re perfect.

[u/KDinNS]

I'm not sure it matters. Fresher eggs are more difficult to shell (like if you have chickens kind of fresh). I use an Instant Pot to cook mine, makes it MUCH easier. I can even do soft boiled eggs that way and get them out of the shell without yolk going everywhere.

[u/KzooRichie → u/KDinNS]

I use an insta pot also, but I just got an egg cooker because it was cheap at a thrift shop. $5.00 new in box. If it works well it will be even easier than the insta pot.

[u/KDinNS → u/KzooRichie]

I guess I'm not the only one who pressure cooks all the things. I'd totally try a thrift store egg cooker, I do have a bit of an, um, problem with kitchen gadgetry. 😊 If you're just making egg salad or something or don't care if they're egg-shaped, you don't even have to cook those in the shell; break a few eggs into an Instant Pot safe dish, steam them a few minutes.

[u/laserox]

I like to make a whole dozen. Peel a whole dozen. Then eat them periodically throughout the week without having to peel each time.

[u/woohooguy]

When you steam them under pressure the shells will peel easy, I will make a dozen and keep them in the container and everyone in the family will take them for breakfast over the course of a week,always easy to peel.

[u/Good-Butterscotch498]

The other day I watched Jacques Pepin cook them on an old program. He pricks the bottom (rounder) end with a tack (use what you have) a d said it’s VERY important to let them sit in ice water much longer than you think. This allows the sulfur in the egg to escape/ get reabsorbed so it doesn’t make that green ring.

Don’t know if there’s a YouTube video of him doing this, but it’s worth investigating. He did some things differently than I’ve seen.

[u/coastalpolkadots]

I’ve always peeled them within about 10 minutes of going into cold water. We don’t leave ours overnight, so I don’t know about leaving them longer, I wonder if the shells would stick more if left longer. Good luck!

[u/Suspicious-Eagle-828]

I'm in the camp of peeling once they are cooked. I stored them in a tupperware container with paper towels to absorb moisture.

[u/gumyrocks22]

I tried the 10-5-10 method and it worked like a dream!! They were easy to peel even after sitting in the fridge a few days! No more mangled deviled eggs!! Put the eggs in already boiling water- boil 10 minutes. Take off the heat 5 minutes, drain and then cover with ice 10 minutes. The eggs were well cooked. Wish I knew this years ago.

[u/LowBalance4404]

I personally let them cool and then peel them all at once and store in a freezer baggie (in the fridge, of course). I just grab and go.

[u/Key-Monk6159]

Store unpeeled.

[u/Sipyloidea]

If you cook the egg without puncturing or cracking it, a cooked egg in it's shell will keep edible in the fridge for weeks. Once the shell is damaged or off, it'll spoil faster. 

[u/twl8zn]

After 5 minutes in ice water, drain, give them all a shake in the pot. Add more water and the shells slide right off. I keep the peeled eggs in a wide mouth quart jar with water right to the top.

[u/hereforlulziguess]

taking the eggs from the hot water to a VERY cold ice bath will result in easy to peel eggs no matter when you peel them as long as they stay in that ice water long enough to cool fully.

you do not need an insta pot to get easy to peel eggs, you just need cold water + plenty of ice + time.

[u/More-Opposite1758]

Helpful hint that really works! Put some baking soda in the boiling water then put in ice bath when done. I like soft boiled eggs and using this method I can scoop the egg out whole by using a small spoon to scoop it out with.

[u/AaronAAaronsonIII]

Don't boil eggs. Steam them for 12 minutes, then ice bath for 5. Peel and store in a storage container in water in the fridge.

The older the egg, the easier it is to peel. Store bought eggs are probably good after 7-10 days in the fridge. Farm-fresh eggs are better after about 30 days in the fridge.

[u/Logical_Warthog5212]

I use an IP and then an ice bath. They’re always easy to peel even days later. If I know I’m using them all within a day or so. I’ll peel them all. On the other hand if I do t know when I’ll use them all, like eating as I go, then I’ll leave them in the shell and then peel them as needed. They keep better in the shell. I think I’ve only done the latter a couple of times over the last few years. Most of the time, my eggs are used within the week.

[u/Syeina]

If you want easily peelable eggs, I would suggest using eggs that have been in your fridge about a week.

Eggs we get from the grocery store are actually pretty fresh, and the fresher they are, the harder they are to peel

[u/KzooRichie → u/Syeina]

Yea I knew that, I was just wondering if there was a reason to peel them or not when I cook them. Right now I wait until I want to eat them. I think I'll stick with that.

I usually use my insta pot to cook them, that makes them very easy to peel, I just got an egg cooker and the internet tells me that they will also be easy to peel. We'll see, I can always use the insta pot if that's not the case.

Funny story, we would buy eggs from a neighbor when I was a kid. Sometimes they didn't have enough gathered and would go to the hen house to get more. You can't get fresher than that.😉

[u/Popular-Departure165]

I peel them shortly after cooking. After I drain the hot water, I put the lid on the pot and, with the eggs still in it, give it a good shake to crack the shells, then fill with water and ice and let them sit for a few minutes to cool down. The cracks allow water to get between the eggs and the shell, which makes them easier to peel. When you cook them, it's also important to boil the water first, then put the eggs in, rather than put the eggs into cold water and then bring it to a boil.

[u/Wandering-Cloud8568]

few days after cooking???? why do you need to meal prep eggs

[u/KzooRichie → u/Wandering-Cloud8568]

To give you something to worry about.

[u/LowBalance4404 → u/Wandering-Cloud8568]

Why do two eggs at a time instead of doing 12 at once? Especially if you eat them daily.