Peeling Very Fresh Eggs Easier

by Texas Homesteader~ 

I’m preserving or using up my fresh eggs from our pastured flock as quickly as I can.  ‘ve made breakfast burritos using eggs and cooked sausage wrapped in a tortilla & frozen for quick grab-n-go convenience.

But I still want to make sure none of our fresh eggs go to waste.

I recently made egg salad with several of them but as many of you know, boiling & peeling very fresh eggs is a challenge indeed. I was surprised that I had no trouble at all with them. Here’s how I did it: 

Trying to peel boiled eggs? Wanna know the secret of peeling VERY fresh eggs easier?? No more mangled mess! #TexasHomesteader

 

Shelling very fresh boiled eggs is a challenge because the shell holds so tightly to the membranes when they are fresh.

I’ve had maddening episodes of peeling a fresh boiled egg until only mangled pieces remained in my hands. But using this method I had no trouble at all.

Tips I’ve Read

First off, I don’t put the eggs into cold water and then bring the water to a boil. Instead I first boil enough water to completely cover the eggs. Then when the water is boiling I use a slotted spoon to gently lower the eggs into the boiling water.

I’ve read that the boiling water on the cold eggs will shock them making them easier to peel.  (not sure if it’s an old wives tale or not, but it certainly worked for me!) Then I cover the pot and allow the water to return to boiling and set the timer for 3 minutes.

When the eggs have boiled 3 minutes I turn off the heat. I allow them to sit in that hot water another 10 minutes before I drain the water.

The boiled eggs are then placed into an ice-water bath to force them to cool quickly.Then I drain the ice water & place the boiled eggs in a colander. To catch any drips I slide a plate underneath and set them in the fridge overnight.

Trying to peel boiled eggs? Wanna know the secret of peeling VERY fresh eggs easier?? No more mangled mess! #TexasHomesteader

Cracking The Shell

When I am ready to peel the eggs the next morning I bring them out of the fridge. With firm pressure I  roll them on the counter to crack the shell all the way around.

There’s usually a small air pocket on the large end of the egg. So I start there & I begin peeling the egg.

There were some minor areas where a tiny amount of egg white pulled off along with the shell. But for the most part the shell was easy to remove and all the eggs came out whole.

Trying to peel boiled eggs? Wanna know the secret of peeling VERY fresh eggs easier?? No more mangled mess! #TexasHomesteader

Now I don’t know to what I can attribute this easier peeling of fresh boiled eggs. Maybe dropping them into boiling water really does shock the eggs & help the membrane detach. Or maybe placing freshly-boiled eggs into an ice bath does the same thing.

Maybe placing cooled eggs into the fridge overnight and peeling the eggs when they’re cold the next morning helps hold everything together.

I’m not sure, but what I do know is it all worked great for me and that makes me very happy!

~TxH~

Other Kitchen Hacks

See All Homestead Hacks

C’mon by & sit a spell!  Come hang out at our Facebook Page. It’s like sitting in a front porch rocker with a glass of cold iced tea.  There are lots of good folks sharing! 

And you can also follow along on  Pinterest,  Twitter,  Instagram

If you’d like to receive an email when a new blog post goes live,
subscribe to our Blog!

Save

Save

Save

42 thoughts on “Peeling Very Fresh Eggs Easier

  1. Lisa Lee

    Saw you on Simply Natural Saturdays! Thank you!! I sooo needed this!!! The struggle is REAL!! LOL

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Yes it is LisaLee! I don’t like being that frustrated trying to do a simple task like peeling eggs. Thank you so much for stopping by this morning.

      Reply
  2. Charlotte Burkholder

    Yup, that egg peeling session where they come off in frustrating chunks. Thanks for the tips!

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      GRRRRRRR…. Maddening isn’t it Charlotte? Some people steam their eggs instead, some add baking soda or vinegar – there are lots of different ways people try to keep the egg-peeling process from reaching critical frustration. I’ve certainly been pleased with these results.

      Reply
  3. Helen at the Lazy Gastronome

    Thanks for sharing on the Whats for Dinner link up!

    Reply
  4. John White

    I’ve been using a similar method as the eggs I get from my “egg lady” may be mixed as far as age. I steam them in a double boiler 20 minutes (digital timer), let them set under cold running water 20 minutes, and then peel like you do. Have come out perfect every time…

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Gotta love it, John!

      Reply
  5. Terri Presser

    This is great, we have heaps of eggs at the moment too and I have preserved some in salt and made heaps of quiches but I love the idea of the breakfast burritos. Thanks for sharing this at good morning mondays. blessings

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Those breakfast burritos sure are a quick convenient breakfast on those hurry-hurry-hurry mornings. I love it when we can make our own convenience foods. \

      Reply
  6. JES

    Thank you for this tip! One can go crazy trying to peel a fresh egg!!! I am going to try it this week! I also wanted to invite you to our weekly link up sharing homesteading, homeschooling and homemaking posts (The Art of Home-Making Mondays) if you would like to stop by 🙂 It looks like your posts would make a lovely match!

    Happy December to you!

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Ooohh – thanks for the invite Jes – think I’ll ‘hop’ on over!

      Reply
  7. Janet Pesaturo

    Great suggestion to bring the water to a boil before putting eggs in. I haven’t tried that, but now I will!. Found this on Motivation Monday. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  8. Charlene

    I don’t have chickens but always plan to by any eggs I plan to make deviled eggs with at least 4-5 days before I need them. If not, the peeling isn’t fun to say the least 🙂 It must be the first step of putting into boiling water because I always use ice water to cool and refrigerate before peeling so I will definitely try this next time !!

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Give it a try Charlene – sure works great for us!

      Reply
  9. Nicole @Little Blog on the Homestead

    My brother-in-law loves deviled eggs but I hate when I can’t get the shells off the eggs! Definitely will try this technique next time. Thanks for sharing at the Homestead Blog Hop, hope we see you there again next week.

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      I’ve certainly been successful using that procedure Nicole. Give it a try.

      Reply
  10. Sarah

    I will definitely give this a go the next time I get fresh eggs from my neighbour’s chickens!
    Linked over from the weekend blog party at Sincerely, Paula’s blog & am so glad I found your blog!

    Reply
  11. Rhonda Crank

    Great idea. If I boil mine and set the in frig overnight, they are easy to peel. Just not always able to have the overnight chill time because I am not always planning ahead 🙂 I will certainly try this method. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  12. Ashley @ PioneerMomma.com

    Oh wow, they really are peeled perfectly! I am horrible at that. Thanks for the tip! Pinned and shared 🙂 Hope you and Rancher Man have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow!

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Thanks for the pin Ashley – and a wonderful Thanksgiving to you & yours as well!

      Reply
  13. lisa lynn

    Thanks for the suggestions! I’ve got some older eggs to use up…but it is good to know that I could boil some fresh eggs too!

    Reply
  14. Nancy W

    Pinned this so I can refer to it later. Very helpful hints!

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Thanks Nancy. I was peeling our hen’s very fresh eggs just this morning & thinking how good it is to know this secret. (Yes I’ve had maddening episodes in the past where nothing but a mangled egg remained in my hands when trying to peel it, why do you ask?? LOL) Thank goodness I don’t have that frustration anymore!

      Reply
  15. Kristin

    Great post. Congrats on being chosen as a featured post on this week’s Wildcrafting Wednesdays! I hope you’ll join us again and share more of your awesome posts.

    Reply
  16. Summers Acres

    I will need to try this method. I’ve never boiled the water and then added the eggs. Thanks for sharing with us at The Thankful HomeAcre Hop!

    ~Ann

    Reply
  17. Steph @ From the Burbs to the Boonies

    My hubby loves hard boiled pickled eggs, so I will make a dozen or more at a time. I am going to try it this way next time. Thanks! Stopping by from Thriving Thursdays!

    Reply
  18. Judith C

    I’ll have to try this. I’ve tried several methods that involve cold water and cold eggs, adding vinegar to the water or baking soda to the water, timing the boiling time for 8 mins only and then setting the pot off the burner and covering it for a time. We’ll do whatever it takes to have a perfect boiled egg won’t we? And if not, we’ll make egg salad 🙂

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Judith, whatever I can do to keep the ole blood pressure from rising higher & higher as I gingerly work on an egg only to end up with several small parts of egg in my hands. LOL

      Reply
  19. The Rural Economist

    Very timely. My daughter ask for boiled eggs this morning. I told her just a minute there is an article I must read. Oh and it works straight out of the cold water, did not refrigerate overnight. Thanks for sharing on Rural Wisdom and Know How #3

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Well perfect timing! Good to know about the refrigeration part – that helps if I’m in a hurry. Thanks for commenting.

      Reply
  20. Emily @ Simple Life Of A Fire Wife

    I would love to have fresh eggs! I keep trying to talk the hubby into some chickens! Thanks for sharing at Share Your Stuff Tuesdays!

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Emily, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy & enjoyable it was to raise them and how beneficial they were to our operation – eating the larvae that never grew into flies to torment our cattle, scratching the manure piles down to allow them to fertilize the grass more quickly, eating the pests around the house such as grasshoppers & scorpions – and VERY fresh eggs to boot!

      Reply
  21. Gin

    This is how we peel ours, and even my 5year old can do it (with a little practice!). Love that you get all those fresh eggs–what a blessing!

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      It’s certainly been fun going to the coop & collect the fresh eggs every day.

      Reply
  22. micupoftea

    Visiting from My Turn For Us Freedom Fridays- wow, great tip! Thanks for sharing. My hubby loves egg salad.

    Reply
  23. Jen

    Thank you for this tip!! Our girls have only been laying a couple of months and I boiled my first batch of eggs a couple of weeks ago. Totally mangled them trying to get the shells off ’em! I’m going to try your method this weekend. The kids will be so happy!!

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      I’ve also heard that using your older eggs for boiled eggs helps too – the fresher they are the tighter the membrane clings. In any event, hope this works as well for you as it did for me. ~TxH~

      Reply
  24. Texas Homesteader Post author

    I was pretty surprised myself Janet. I’ve never raised my own chickens and had eggs so fresh before, and some of my attempts in the previous days were maddening! I was pleasantly surprised that this method worked so well for me. ~TxH~

    Reply
  25. janet pesaturo

    Wow, if your pic had 3 or 4 eggs in it, I would just think it was luck, but you have a lot of them that peeled perfectly. I will have to try your method. Thanks for sharing on Tuesday with a Twist!

    Reply
  26. Candy C.

    Good to know! I will definitely be trying this method next time! 🙂

    Reply
  27. Janet Kiessling

    Wow, I am really going to try this! Our eggs looks horrible after we hard boil them & shell them! We feel like we are tossing so much in the composte, too…:(.
    Thanks! The Kiessling Family! Have a Blessed day!

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      I know Janet! There’s nothing more frustrating than carefully peeling the egg and having it all come off in chunks. AAARRRRRRRRGH! This procedure worked well for me. ~TxH~

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

* Please enter the Biggest Number

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.