How to Prepare a Perfect Peelable Boiled Egg

Chef J. Kenzie López-Alt, an author and egg expert, shared a very helpful recipe for making the perfect boiled egg that peels easily from the shell. His secret is to lower eggs into boiling water rather than letting the water heat up around the eggs.

What really matters is whether you start them in already boiling water or you or you bring them up from cold. If you put them in cold water, heat it up and bring it up, the egg whites will actually fuse to the shell. …You lower them into already boiling water on the other hand, and the egg whites set up fast enough that they don’t actually fuse that shell and they come and they peel much more easily

López-Alt also suggests using a wok to boil eggs rather than a traditional saucepan.

The reason i like to use a wok is because you can gently put the eggs in down the sloped side and they kind of roll into the bottom instead of having to kind of drop them in and risk cracking them. 

Here’s his recipe for the perfect boiled egg.

The best, fastest, easiest-to-peel, and most energy efficient method I’ve found is to boil an inch or so of water in the bottom of a saucepan or wok. Add the eggs straight from your fridge (the water doesn’t need to cover them). Cover with a lid and boil/steam them 3 minutes for extremely soft, 4-5 minutes for soft, 6-7 minutes for medium, and 9-12 minutes for hard. Let them cool naturally or in an ice bath.

via Boing Boing

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.

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