Thursday, March 29, 2012

Peeling Hard Boiled Eggs made from FRESH Eggs



I am determined to figure out if it is possible to peel and egg that is made from a freshly-laid egg.  So far I have done some research and now need to set up my experiments to test out the various ideas I have found.  There are lots and lots of ideas on the web about this subject.  I've linked to a few of them.

Here are the possible methods I have found:

Shell:
1 - Poke a hole in the shell before cooking
2 - Crack the shell after cooking but before cooling in cold water

Egg/Water temperature:

1 - Let eggs sit in cold water before you start so the eggs and the water are the same temperature
2 - Bring water to the boil and gently add the cold eggs straight from the frig
3 - Cover eggs with cold water.  Bring rapidly to a boil and then either A - gently simmer or B - boil moderately or C - let sit in hot water for 10 - 14 minutes.
4 - Shock the eggs by plunging cooked eggs into A - very cold or B - ICED water
5 - Re-boil eggs after cooling
6 - Peel shortly after cooling.  Do not refrigerate unpeeled eggs for long or they become hard to peel.

Adding things to the water:

1 - Vinegar
2 - Salt
3 - Baking soda

Cooking methods:

1 - See above
2 - Bake the eggs.
3 - Steam the eggs.

Clearly this is a goal of many an egg eating cook.  I like to make deviled eggs for pot lucks since they are such a hit and because I usually have plenty of eggs on hand.



Of everything I have read so far, I like steaming the eggs as a method.  According to Fresh Eggs Daily, this is a fool-proof and easy way to make hard boiled eggs that are easy to peel using honest-to-goodness fresh eggs.  I'll think I'll be trying that one first.

I'll let you know what I find out...