How to “Peel” Hard-Boiled Eggs Without Peeling

The baking soda is optional, but if you choose not to use it, be sure to move the eggs to cold water (use ice) immediately after boiling. Blow from the tip to the broader base for faster de-shelling.

My preferred eggs are Gold Circle Farms cage-free DHA Omega 3 eggs, which contain 150 mg of DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) per whole egg. If you want to increase lean muscle mass, consider eating the yolks for their DHA and arachidonic acid content…

Do you have any cooking hacks the world should know about?

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263 Replies to “How to “Peel” Hard-Boiled Eggs Without Peeling”

  1. I’ve been doing this for years until I learned of something even simpler… Boil the water first, then put the eggs into the pan (I use a long spatula/spoon). 20 minutes later, you can let the eggs cool and then peel. The peel comes right off, you don’t have to blow on them or mess with ice. It’s so easy. Works every time for me!

    1. That’s great, but please clarify – – put eggs into already boiling water, that’s clear. BUT – – then you turn the heat OFF, and just let them sit in the water for 20 minutes WITH NO FURTHER HEAT ADDED???

      Is this correct? Thanks!

  2. I just queened out, this made me so happy! Can’t wait to try it. And I just thought you gave business advice! Thanks Tim!

  3. If you don’t need whole eggs there is an easier and faster way. Hold the egg with one hand on it’s side. Take a table knife (not sharp in case you miss) in the other hand and give the egg a swift (not slow–this is important) whack to cut the egg in half. Then take each half and run the knife between the shell and the egg and the egg will pop out.

  4. This is even better than I expected. We have chickens, so our eggs are very fresh. I’ve tried this method with eggs I’ve held for a couple of weeks, and I’ve tried it with eggs 2 days out of the chicken. I’ve tried it with just-cooked eggs, and I’ve tried it with eggs I boiled a few days ago. It always works! I can’t always blow quite hard enough to expel the egg, but I can hear the membrane pull away, and then it peels off easily. Love it–thank you!

  5. It took millions of years for human beings to discover this neat, little trick! Hurrah for us! BUT, I really do not want someone else to blow into my egg shell and catch the cooked fetus in their hand. This seems rather unsanitary, to say the least. Anyhow, I prefer to peel my own egg the old-fashioned way, thank you. I am not in THAT much of a rush to save the world with the time I have saved by blowing into an eggshell. And actually, the art of peeling an egg, like the art of pouring tea (Zen-style) can be most meditative. Unless, of course, the egg shell refuses to peel off neatly, or you spill hot tea all over your kimono!

    1. so if you enjoy peeling an egg and not looking to save time…why did you watch and comment on a video which is all about how not to peel an egg?!?

  6. A person who is preparing the eggs can wash their hands but they can’t sanitize their mouth which is filled with germs. I wouldn’t put them in the fridge for the next day and leave time for bacteria to grow on the protein rich eggs…If you are going to eat the eggs right away, I’d say no problem except…..

    There is the possibility that the egg blower person is coming down with a cold or virus and is at the moment symptom free… They are going to blow lots of flu/virus contagious germs onto the eggs…This is a risk I’m totally willing to take if I am in a kissing relationship with someone and possibly in other circumstances too…. But….

    I’m not sold on this entire method…. Maybe someone should make an Egg Blower kitchen appliance…..

  7. An idea for a safe egg from bacteria is to return the egg, after blowing it out, to the boiling water, what ever time.

  8. Fine if it is me blowing the egg out for my personal meal but I don’t think I would like to have someone else blowing out eggs for salads or deviled eggs for me to eat. ICK!!! How healthy is that?

    1. I tried this…It works. But I had the same thought. So what I do now is, once cracked on both sides…I use a large mouth plastic juice bottle, with a seal to blow it out. Also, if you want to separate whites from yokes…use a flexible small mouth plastic bottle and suck the yoke out…PS…Don’t through the Whites out, they’re Egg Beaters and if frozen go well with stuffing, as a expander/filler.

  9. Around 40 years ago there was a small bellows-type device on the market you could do this with; about the size of a #10 tin can, plastic, light in weight. Did a pretty good job. Just punctured each end with the built-in poker, place in beneath the bellows and push down with one hand. As usual, there’s really nothing new under the sun, just stuff being re-discovered. Sometimes people actually give credit to those who went before rather than claiming it as their own and yeah I noticed he gave a nod to someone else but I wonder if THAT guy thought he invented this idea.

  10. Has anyone considered the consequences of having someone blow the egg out of a shell and then discover that he(or she) has ebola, bacterial virus, bad breath, gingivitis,etc. Certainly, not a method approved by the Board of Health. Who’s in charge of these articles?

  11. boil a large pan of eggs, pour off water, let cool , put top back on pan shake vigorously the shells will all come off…rinse eggs and make your dish

    You may also wrap celery in tin foil and it will keep for over a month in your refrigerator…I did this with a head of lettuce and it extended the life vastly

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  13. Butter hack – if you want to keep butter fresh without using the fridge – so as a result soft, immerse it in water completely and keep outside. Water will stop oxidizing and going off.

  14. I love this video ..egg problem has been solved..l love your emails ..l get excited every time when they come on my inbox. You are such an inspiration Tim

  15. That was awesome, I’m constantly giving my 3 ausies hard boiled eggs because because I can’t peel them. Freaking awesome

  16. Most important step is to put the eggs in an already rolling boil. I Put them in the boiling water, cover, and turn off the heat and let them cook for 11-12 minutes, depending on the size of the eggs. Immediately into the ice bath. No baking soda. Peel (or blow, I suppose) while they are still warm. ALWAYS works.

  17. The questions I always have after reading articles about how to cook eggs. What is the impact of egg size on the cooking time, and are these cooking times based on eggs at room temperature or directly from the refrigerator? I always use extra large or jumbo eggs and store them in the fridge.

  18. i have just laughed out loud. i have chickens and boil even fresh eggs. the discussion here is almost as contentious as whether or not you should put sugar in cornbread. i say do what works for you.