If you’ve ever boiled eggs, then you’ve had the pleasure of peeling them. Sometimes the process goes well, but other times the shell feels like it’s superglued to the egg. It can be a frustrating experience, which is why many cooking and peeling methods exist that proclaim they’re the best. But which one actually works? We chose three popular methods and found a clear winner.
My Boiled Egg Backstory
My experience with boiling and peeling eggs is extensive, likely more than most people. That’s because during my culinary internship, which lasted nearly a year, it was one of my daily tasks. It was one of the worst jobs, which was why I’m sure it was mine. I’d spend hours peeling boiled eggs, praying that the shell would slip off seamlessly, leaving an unscarred egg. These were going on salads, so they had to look perfect. But was it my fault that I couldn’t cleanly remove the shell on every egg?
Not entirely. Yes, the method of cooking mattered, but science and technique explained why some eggs were harder to peel than others. Scientifically speaking, fresh eggs are harder to peel because of their lower, slightly acidic pH. As eggs age, they lose moisture through their porous shells, but also CO2. They become more basic and less acidic, which weakens the bond of the membrane to the egg, making it easier to peel.
Another factor was how the eggs are peeled. I learned that cracking and peeling eggs under water helped with separating the shell from the egg. Not only that, but it was also a handy way to collect all the scraps. Armed with that knowledge, I set out to test three methods for boiling eggs.
The Methods I Tested
The first was the steaming method which involved cooking the eggs in a steamer basket set inside a pot with a little water. The next was the “tap” method that involved tapping the eggs with the back of a spoon before boiling (more on that in a second), and the last method was baking the eggs in the oven. I used eggs from the same brand—all with the same “best if used by date.” I cooked them according to each recipe, then treated them all to an ice bath, followed by a peeling session in a bowl of water.
The Winner: The Steaming Method
Sara Haas
- Process: Fill a pot with a few inches of water and add a steamer basket. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Add the eggs to the steamer basket and cook for 13 to 15 minutes.
- Why Steam? Steam gently and evenly cooks the eggs as opposed to the more traditional method of boiling. It also slowly denatures the protein in egg whites, causing it to solidify and pull away from the membrane, which potentially makes them easier to peel.
- The Results: Out of the three methods, I found that peeling these eggs was the easiest. While the pieces didn’t exactly fall off the egg, they did come off in large, satisfying pieces. It took me less than one minute to \ peel one egg.
The Runner-up: The Tapping Method
Sara Haas
- Process: Use the back of a spoon to gently tap the larger rounded end of each egg until sound changes from a “tap” to a “ping.”
- Why Tap? Some claim tapping the egg helps detach the membrane from the shell, making peeling easier.
- Results: The tapping part is fun, but when it came to peeling, I encountered mixed results. A few of the eggs had shells that came off in large pieces, but for the most part, little bits and pieces required arduous plucking. It took more than one minute to peel each of these eggs.
Last Place: The Oven Method
- Process: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and fill the cups of a muffin tin with eggs. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Why Oven? Similar to the steaming method, but instead of water, the oven uses dry heat to maintain a consistent cooking temperature. Slowly cooking the eggs purportedly leads to the white solidifying and pulling away from the membrane, just like the steaming method.
- Results: I’m sure the oven method is great if you’re looking to cook a big batch of eggs without the fuss of a boiling pot of hot water. My experience wasn’t positive though. None of my eggs were easy to peel, and the shell seemed to stick more than any of the above methods. It took closer to two minutes to peel one egg. To make matters worse, the sides that touched the pan ended up brown and smelled like rotten eggs.