Why do my egg shells stick to the egg when I hard boil them?

Question

I don't know if I'm cooking them too long or what but, when I try to peel a hard boiled egg, the shell sticks and is very difficult to get off.

Answer 1

break shell and soak in cold water, shell should come of clean

Answer 2

This is how I hard boil eggs.... I find that 98% of the time I don't have the shell sticking problem.
Start them in cold water. After all the eggs are in the pot sprinkle salt over them. Once they're finished boiling put them immediately in cold water, then the refrigerator. The cold water start, the salt, and the cold finish all seem to work together to keep the shells from sticking. When you do have the 2% that still stick....try peeling them under gently running cool water. The shells will come off easier.

Answer 3

Hard boil the eggs with plenty of water to cover on high for 15 minutes. Then immediately drain the water from the pan. Place cold water over the eggs and let cool for 1 minute. Crack the shell on the counter like you would as if cracking the shell to fry. Immediately take the shell off assuring the thin membrane encasing the egg is broken when you initially crack it. If you have problems getting the shell off the egg is too hot. Wait another few seconds and peel another egg. If you wait to long they can be to cool. Is a matter of temperature and timing. Sometimes you may have to change the cold water again. Practice makes perfect.

Answer 4

The simple way is to add some salt to the water while boiling the egg. Thus, it will not stick and peel off easily.

Answer 5

Do you use vinegar in the water? If not it will be hard to get the shells off. You can run cold water when you are peeling and have the egg under it, it makes it easier to come off as well.
The thing about a hard boiled egg is, you can spin it and it will spin fast. Eggs that aren't done yet, wont spin fast.

Answer 6

either boil them with a little vinegar in the water or after they are hard boiled then drain hot water and replace with cold tap water and let sit in cold water til they are cooled then peel, cracking top and bottom of egg first to release the air pocket. Fresh eggs are the hardest to peel due to the fact they do not have an air pocket due to their freshness. Any eggs from the store should not pose a problem due to the fact they are stored for several months.

Answer 7

Several things! Put salt in the water before you cook them. The best way to cook them is to bring the pot to a boil and then shut it off and let the eggs stand for 10 to 15v minutes. (15 Minutes if you are only cooking a couple of eggs in a small pot. Then rinse them with cold water to stop them from cooking more. Store them in water in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them and they should peal just fine! It also depends on how fresh the eggs are.

Answer 8

Rinse the eggs in cold water, that will help the peeling process. Also, it depends on the age of the egg.... if it's an older egg, it will peel easier than a fresh egg.

Answer 9

all great suggestions, how i peel them, after cooking with a little salt and or vineagar, after they are cooked, keep them in the pan, run cold water over them until the pan is cool. drain the water, put the top back on the pan and shake the heck out of them, really shake em up good. that will crack all of the shells, and they will come right off
sounds weird, yes, works...yes
good luck

Answer 10

How long does it take to boil an egg?

Answer 11

Old eggs, add a Tbs vinegar to the water next time