I follow the [rolling technique](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLjCDNoRC-g) to crack all my eggs. Most of the time the shell splits into 2 easily separable pieces. Every so often the technique fails and rolling the egg results in very small cracks making it very difficult to peel. Is it the way I’m boiling/storing/cracking the eggs? Please ELI5.
In: Biology
Really fresh eggs are hard to peel. I don’t know why. The store bought eggs are week old and probably has something to do with it.
As time goes by the dissolved CO2 in the keratin (the substance that binds the shell to the albumin) inside the egg is released from the egg which loosens the keratin’s hold on the shell up a good bit. Try boiling your eggs about five days after you buy them.
I’d like to know as well.
I have tried:
– use older eggs
– use fresh eggs
– put salt in the water
– put vinegar in the water
– drop into already boiling water
– start in cold water and let it boil
– shock with cold water
And probably several other techniques.
It seems random to me. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
Murphy’s Law clearly applies here as well. If I need eggs for something where the appearance doesn’t matter (egg salad), they generally peel nicely. If I need them to look nice (deviled eggs) then it’s a struggle to peel them and they look terrible 😂
Can’t explain the reason why, yet here’s a very workable solution…
After the eggs are done boiling, take them out of the pot and crack each one just a bit on both ends. Then set them in a pot of cold water to cool off.
To peel, do this in a bowl of water also. Just crack all around the shells as usual and roll them them back and forth in your hands. Start the peeling, and keep dunking them in the water, that’s the key.
The shells will then peel off so easily… even like paring an orange all in one piece!
The unused ones, just refrigerate as usual, and then use the water bowl thing again when ready to peel them.
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