How to Peel Eggs

Peeling a hard-boiled egg can be tricky, but with a few tips, you’ll be able to peel an egg in less than 5 seconds:

Table of Contents

Basic method

Boil the egg. The method you use to boil an egg can significantly affect how easy it is to peel an egg. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. The water level should be 5 cm above the egg. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to the water and simmer for about 12 minutes. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Baking soda will increase the pH of the egg white, making it less sticky to the shell and membrane when peeling ^{[2] X Research Source}
New eggs are more difficult to peel than aged eggs because the air sacs at the large end of the new eggs will be larger than those of older eggs. Therefore, you should not boil freshly laid eggs. ^{[3] X Research Source} If possible, choose eggs that are 3-5 days old.

Let the eggs cool. After boiling, drain all the water in the pot and pour in cold water. You can add a few ice cubes to the water if you like. The cold water will cause the egg to shrink inside the shell and create more space to make peeling easier. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Break the eggshells at both ends. Remove the cooled eggs from the water and pat dry with a paper towel. Grab the egg and hit the ends firmly on a hard surface, such as a kitchen counter, to break the shell. Crack both ends of the egg one at a time.

There will be air bubbles at the large end of the egg, so when you break this bubble, the egg will be easier to peel.
Instead of cracking an egg on a hard surface, you can use the back of a spoon to break the shell. Just hitting 1-2 times is enough.

Peel eggs. Using your thumb, start peeling the egg at the large end. Peel off both the eggshell and the outer membrane to reveal the smooth, bright egg white underneath. ^{[3] X Research Source} Eggshells are easy to peel off if eggs are boiled and left to cool.

Rolling method

Boil eggs and let cool. Boil eggs and let cool according to the instructions above.

Break the eggshells at both ends. Remove the cooled egg from the water and bang the ends firmly on a hard surface, such as a kitchen counter, to break the shell. Crack both ends of the egg in turn.

Egg roll. Place the egg on its side on the counter and roll it forward by placing your palm on top and pushing. The right hand must press hard enough that the shell breaks and forms a “strip” of the broken eggshell. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Soak eggs in a bowl of warm water. Use your thumb to peel off the broken eggshell at the large end, and the whole eggshell will come off in less than 1 second.

Shake method

Boil the egg. After boiling the eggs, pour the water out of the pot and then pour in cold water. Let the eggs cool.

Close the pot lid. Pour out the cold water and close the lid tightly. Hold the lid tightly with your hand and shake the pot vigorously.

Wash the eggshells. When you open the lid of the pot, you will see the eggshell broken into many pieces. At this point, you just need to wash the eggshell. This method makes peeling eggs quick and simple, but can cause eggs to break.

The spoon method

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Boil eggs and let cool. Boil eggs and let them cool according to the instructions in the basic method.

Break the eggshell. Hit the big end of the egg with a spatula to break the shell and break the air sacs.

Place the spoon between the shell and the egg. After doing so, you should be able to easily eject the egg.

This method helps to peel eggs very quickly, but it takes a bit of skill and a lot of practice.
Be careful not to break the egg and make sure it doesn’t fly out when you push it out.

Blowing method

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Boil eggs and let cool. Boil eggs and let them cool according to the instructions in the basic method.

Break the eggshells at both ends. Remove the cooled eggs from the water and pat dry with a paper towel. Take the egg and bang it hard on both ends on a hard surface, such as a kitchen counter, to break the shell.

Peel off the broken eggshells at both ends. Use your thumb to peel off the round broken egg shell at the ends of the egg.

Blow (or push) the eggshell out of the shell. Hold the egg firmly in your hand and use force to blow into the hole at the small end of the egg. With force, the egg will slide right out of the shell. Make sure your other hand is ready to catch the blown egg.

This method is very difficult to do and you need to practice many times. However, once mastered, you will find it very easy. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Advice

Hard-boiled and unshelled eggs can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. On the contrary, you should eat hard-boiled eggs as soon as possible.
Start peeling the egg from the ends, do not peel from the side of the egg.
Add salt to the water before boiling the eggs. The salt will prevent the egg from coming out if the shell breaks during the boiling process, adding flavor to the egg and making it easier to peel.
Do not overcook eggs. Overcooked eggshells will break easily into small pieces and make it harder for you to peel them. Not only that, the egg will be stuck inside the shell and when you peel it off, you will accidentally peel the egg too.

Things you need

Eggs 3-5 days old
Boiling pot
Bowl
Cold water

Steps