When boiling eggs,what causes the shell to be hard to peel off?

Question

Most of the time they peel easily,but once in a while I come across one that you just can`t peel,the shell sticks to the egg,is it because its over or under cooked?

Answer 1

I get that happening also, I try to cool them by shock cold water, not too long so as to keep them warm for eating..I think you are leaving them cook too long, as you mentioned, I'd say about 11 minutes for hard boiled, and 4-6 for soft, if you let them reach room temperature before cooking, they crack less.

Answer 2

Foolproof Boiled Eggs for Egg Salad [You may double or triple this recipe, as long as you use a pot large enough to hold the eggs in a single layer, covered by an inch of water.] 6 large eggs Place eggs in medium sucepan, cover with 1 inch of water, and bring to boil over high heat. Remove pan from heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes (SOMEWHERE BESIDES THE HOT BURNER YOU JUST HEATED). Meanwhile, fill a medium bowl with 1 quart of water and 1 tray of ice cubes. Transfer eggs to ice bath with slotted spoon. Let sit 5 minutes. Tap eggs all over against the counter surface to crack surface, then roll it gently back and forth a few times. Begin peeling from the air pocket end. The shell should come off in strips, attached to the thin membrane. Other hard-boiled egg hints If you don't want to peel them right away, you can put them in the fridge. When you do want to peel them, running them under warm water helps, probably because it makes the air in the egg expand, loosening the membrane's grip on the egg proper. By the same logic, very cold tap water might be great for crisping up vegetables, but it makes the membrane of an egg hang on tighter, so that you end up with peeled eggs that are covered in in scars and pock marks. This hint seems to work less well, the more days or weeks that the eggs have been in the fridge. My guess is that this has to do with the porosity of the shell, which is the underlying principle behind many hints for guessing how fresh an egg is, etc. The deal is, air can actually get through the shell; the reason a fresher egg sinks and an old one floats is because more air has seeped into the air pocket on the round end. By the same token, whatever air was still trapped under the membrane soon after you boiled the eggs has probably all departed after several weeks in the fridge, so warm water expansion won't work any more.

Answer 3

Hi,
First, your eggs need to be a week old.
Second, put the eggs in a pot with cold water, bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes.
Third, drain hot water and fill pot with crushed ice and cold water for at least 10 minutes.
Fourth, peel eggs and enjoy.

Answer 4

The fresher the egg the harder it is to peel. It doesn't have anything to do with the temp of water you start with, and whether or not you put salt in the water, or being over or under cooked.

Answer 5

For one, boil them in salt water. Afterwards, shock them in cold water, and let them sit in the cold water for a couple of minutes. When peeling, peel under cold running water.

Answer 6

They aren't cooled properly. Immediately after removing from heat, submerge eggs in cold running water. If you aren't eating them right way, put the pot, with eggs and cold water in the fridge overnight. They will peel really easily.

Answer 7

The fresher the egg is the harder it is to peel after it's been hard boiled. I like to keep them for at least 5 days before I boil them.

Answer 8

Put it under running cold water while peeling that tough one,comes right off.

Answer 9

Fresh eggs are very difficult to peel. They should be at least 5 days old.

Answer 10

One thing you can do is add a splash if vinegar to the water. Then, follow the other information given.. rinse in cold water.

Pete