best way to age eggs for hard boiled eggs

[natto fire]

I was always told the opposite is true.

You were told wrong. I used to live on a farm, so I have used eggs varying from hours to weeks old, older is easier to peel.

As to aging them, it is a natural process in which carbon dioxide exits the shell increasing the size of the air pocket between the membranes. I suppose storing the eggs in a slight vacuum might speed the process, but then again other atmospheric gasses might aid in the process.

Basically, Cerpin Taxt's method is foolproof and inexpensive, all the makings of a good plan.

edit: reading the whole thread helps, DrP already covered this, but I'll leave it for the hell of it.

 

[tw1164]

Unless you have your own chickens, or buying them from straight from the farmer you're using old eggs.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Good advice

 

[Carson Dyle]

Ok. So I've tried the following twice, resulting in the easiest peeling eggs that I've ever known in a lifetime of hard boiling thousands of eggs. I have no idea why it works, it's certainly not that unusual. The last time I tried this, yesterday, I made a point of using eggs that I'd purchased just the day before. My experience had always been that older eggs were easier to peel once boiled. These eggs were fresh, with almost no air pocket in them and the shells came off perfectly in just seconds.

1. Start with room temperature eggs. I just leave them out overnight.

2. Bring water to a rolling boil.

3. Drop the eggs (gently) into the water and boil them hard for exactly 3 minutes.

4. Lower the heat and simmer the eggs for 12 minutes.*

5. At the end of the time period, plunge the eggs into ice water and leave them sit at least 30 minutes.

* The 12 minute simmer can be adjusted, as needed. I'm at 5000 ft elevation, where water boils at just 203 degrees, so you might use 11 minutes at sea level. You want to avoid overcooking the eggs, resulting in green-tinged, sulfur-smelling yolks.

Don't use cold eggs, as it affects the cooking time and the eggs tend to crack when subjected to boiling water.

The crazy thing about this is that it's very similar to how I've been hard boiling eggs for 20 years. Usually I would place them in water, bring them up to a boil for 1 minute, turn the heat off, cover the pot and let them sit for 15 minutes or so. I think the key may be the initial 3 minute boil.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Time for science.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/the-secrets-to-peeling-hard-boiled-eggs.html

 

[yhelothar]

In little boy's urine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_boy_egg

 

[notposting]

Time for science.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/the-secrets-to-peeling-hard-boiled-eggs.html

This method does work.

Also, RIP Nanette.

 

[Puppies04]

Posting in this thread because aging eggs is apparently now a thing

 

[DrPizza]

Ok. So I've tried the following twice, resulting in the easiest peeling eggs that I've ever known in a lifetime of hard boiling thousands of eggs. I have no idea why it works, it's certainly not that unusual. The last time I tried this, yesterday, I made a point of using eggs that I'd purchased just the day before. My experience had always been that older eggs were easier to peel once boiled. These eggs were fresh, with almost no air pocket in them and the shells came off perfectly in just seconds.

1. Start with room temperature eggs. I just leave them out overnight.

2. Bring water to a rolling boil.

3. Drop the eggs (gently) into the water and boil them hard for exactly 3 minutes.

4. Lower the heat and simmer the eggs for 12 minutes.*

5. At the end of the time period, plunge the eggs into ice water and leave them sit at least 30 minutes.

* The 12 minute simmer can be adjusted, as needed. I'm at 5000 ft elevation, where water boils at just 203 degrees, so you might use 11 minutes at sea level. You want to avoid overcooking the eggs, resulting in green-tinged, sulfur-smelling yolks.

Don't use cold eggs, as it affects the cooking time and the eggs tend to crack when subjected to boiling water.

The crazy thing about this is that it's very similar to how I've been hard boiling eggs for 20 years. Usually I would place them in water, bring them up to a boil for 1 minute, turn the heat off, cover the pot and let them sit for 15 minutes or so. I think the key may be the initial 3 minute boil.

Fresh from the store doesn't mean they were just laid the day before you went to the store. Or the day before that. Or the day before that. And, even if you go to a farm, they're going to rotate through their stock; you may not get eggs laid that week. If you get truly fresh eggs, you're not going to peel them successfully, regardless of any supposed tricks.

In the U.S., eggs can sit for up to 30 days before being packaged, and the sell-by date can be a further 30 days after that, which means that most likely, the eggs you're getting at the supermarket are old enough that no further aging at home should be necessary.

 

[MarkXIX]

Time for science.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/the-secrets-to-peeling-hard-boiled-eggs.html

This page changed my egg boiling life forever.

Bottom line, lower cold eggs into boiling water and cook to desire doneness. I do 8 minutes and remove to ice bath and put in fridge. Since doing this, I have had maybe one or two eggs that didn't peel easily and I usually boil 10-12 eggs per week that I eat for breakfast daily.

So, unless all the eggs I get at Target are always "old" by the time I get them, the whole aging them thing is a bit of BS.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Fresh from the store doesn't mean they were just laid the day before you went to the store. Or the day before that. Or the day before that. And, even if you go to a farm, they're going to rotate through their stock; you may not get eggs laid that week. If you get truly fresh eggs, you're not going to peel them successfully, regardless of any supposed tricks.

Of course they weren't laid that recently. But they're a lot fresher than the eggs that I've let sit for two or three weeks before hard boiling in the past. And there's no trick to it.

I'll never start by placing cold eggs into boiling water. I've tried that and all it does is crack a significant number of the eggs.

 

[Red Squirrel]

For hard boiled I heard it's good to maybe wait a few days after purchase, but not more than that (but more is ok, like 1 month even). Never had issues either way. Have to remember that they probably sat in grocery store for a while anyway so it's not like they're super fresh by the time they go from the chicken's vagina to your fridge.

 

[BUTCH1]

Meh, after boiling is finished gently place them in a bowl of ice water with plenty of cubes, this will cause them to shrink and peel easily once cooled down.

 

[Fritzo]

Eggs are about a month old when they hit the stores. No need to age them. Get them to room temperature and simmer them (or steam them) for 11 minutes for hard boiled, then roll them on a hard surface to peel them.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

I've always used a method that I think I read from Dear Abby like 30+ years ago. Hard-boil your eggs by whatever method you like. Shock/refrigerate them afterwards. Before peeling drop them into a bowl of your hottest tap water for a minute.

The theory is that the brief hot water bath expands the shell and slightly pulls it away from the egg white, making it easier to peel. Seems to work for me.

 

[Red Squirrel]

EDIT: Booo just realized this is a necro.... and OP passed away. RIP.

 

[DrPizza]

Of course they weren't laid that recently. But they're a lot fresher than the eggs that I've let sit for two or three weeks before hard boiling in the past. And there's no trick to it.

I'll never start by placing cold eggs into boiling water. I've tried that and all it does is crack a significant number of the eggs.

I don't refrigerate fresh eggs. That method only works with older eggs, as do all the methods. So, your eggs aren't "old", but they're a lot older than you think they are.

 

[manimal]

vinegar in the water when you boil makes them easier to peel as well. try it.

 

[Smoblikat]

Could be, I have heard both. :\

Ive heard neither!

 

[smackababy]

'Aging' eggs must be a Chinese thing, we Koreans never did it.

Yeah, you guys just age your cabbage underground for months.


Shit! Who necro'd this crap. I am sure by now the eggs have been aged sufficiently.

 

[Muse]

Sheesh, have they done something to the chickens? I never used to have so much trouble peeling hard boiled eggs as I've had in recent years. I've checked out many threads. I heard you should keep them at least a couple of weeks before boiling them (I've done that in the fridge), but it didn't solve my problem. I've tried adding salt to the water, no help. There's lots of tricks, including making a small hole at both ends and blowing air from your mouth into one hole. It doesn't always work for me, and it gives me very sore cheeks if I blow hard enough.

I've given up. Now, I heat a cast iron frying pan rather well, spread a little olive oil, drop the shelled egg, break the yoke, fry and flip, topping with some salt and pepper. I then cut it up using a fork and knife and add to whatever. This 100% solves the problem of peeling a hard boiled egg.

I wonder what they do to produce hard boiled eggs commercially. They don't have some person peeling them, I'm sure.

vinegar in the water when you boil makes them easier to peel as well. try it.

How much?

 

[Carson Dyle]

I wonder what they do to produce hard boiled eggs commercially. They don't have some person peeling them, I'm sure.How much?

I've wondered that, too. You can buy a couple or a 1/2 dozen hard boiled eggs at any convenience store or grocery, and they're all pretty much perfect. I suppose it's possible that they only have a 10% success rate and the rest go into egg or potato salad.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

They inject high pressure air into the shell.

 

[manimal]

Sheesh, have they done something to the chickens? I never used to have so much trouble peeling hard boiled eggs as I've had in recent years. I've checked out many threads. I heard you should keep them at least a couple of weeks before boiling them (I've done that in the fridge), but it didn't solve my problem. I've tried adding salt to the water, no help. There's lots of tricks, including making a small hole at both ends and blowing air from your mouth into one hole. It doesn't always work for me, and it gives me very sore cheeks if I blow hard enough.

I've given up. Now, I heat a cast iron frying pan rather well, spread a little olive oil, drop the shelled egg, break the yoke, fry and flip, topping with some salt and pepper. I then cut it up using a fork and knife and add to whatever. This 100% solves the problem of peeling a hard boiled egg.

I wonder what they do to produce hard boiled eggs commercially. They don't have some person peeling them, I'm sure.How much?

not a lot two splashes. I then roll them on the table after they have cooled and they literally peel in a second or two.

 

[GasX]

older eggs work better

You do not know what you are talking about.