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Easy-Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs

By Andrea Geary

Published on January 22, 2016

Time

40 minutes

Yield

Makes 6 eggs

Easy-Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs

Ingredients

6 large eggs

Before You Begin

Be sure to use large eggs that have no cracks and are cold from the refrigerator. If you don’t have a steamer basket, use a spoon or tongs to gently place the eggs in the water. It does not matter if the eggs are above the water or partially submerged. You can use this method for fewer than six eggs without altering the timing. You can also double this recipe as long as you use a pot and steamer basket large enough to hold the eggs in a single layer. There’s no need to peel the eggs right away. They can be stored in their shells and peeled when needed.

Instructions

  1. Bring 1 inch water to rolling boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Place eggs in steamer basket. Transfer basket to saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to medium (small wisps of steam should escape from beneath lid), and cook eggs for 13 minutes.
  2. When eggs are almost finished cooking, combine 2 cups ice cubes and 2 cups cold water in medium bowl. Using tongs or spoon, transfer eggs to ice bath; let sit for 15 minutes. Peel before using.

Easy-Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs

Save

Time

40 minutes

Yield

Makes 6 eggs

Ingredients

6 large eggs

Ingredients

6 large eggs

Ingredients

6 large eggs

Why This Recipe Works

Boiled eggs that start in cold water are hard to peel because the proteins in the egg white set slowly, which gives them time to fuse to the surrounding membrane. When you try to remove the shell, parts of the white cling to the membrane, and the surface of the egg is unattractively pockmarked. Instead of a cold-water start, we place cold eggs directly into hot steam, which rapidly denatures the outermost egg white proteins, causing them to form a solid gel that shrinks and pulls away from the membrane. The shell slips off easily to reveal smooth, unblemished hard-cooked eggs.

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Before You Begin

Be sure to use large eggs that have no cracks and are cold from the refrigerator. If you don’t have a steamer basket, use a spoon or tongs to gently place the eggs in the water. It does not matter if the eggs are above the water or partially submerged. You can use this method for fewer than six eggs without altering the timing. You can also double this recipe as long as you use a pot and steamer basket large enough to hold the eggs in a single layer. There’s no need to peel the eggs right away. They can be stored in their shells and peeled when needed.

Instructions

  1. Bring 1 inch water to rolling boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Place eggs in steamer basket. Transfer basket to saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to medium (small wisps of steam should escape from beneath lid), and cook eggs for 13 minutes.
  2. When eggs are almost finished cooking, combine 2 cups ice cubes and 2 cups cold water in medium bowl. Using tongs or spoon, transfer eggs to ice bath; let sit for 15 minutes. Peel before using.

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