The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 97

Q: Is there a trick to getting the shell off a hard-boiled egg without mutilating the white? I’ve tried every method known to man, ticking them off one at a time Shocking the eggs in ice water? It makes no difference Poking a hole in the shells before cooking them? Nope, sorry Steaming or pressure-cooking them? Nuh-uh Adding vinegar to the water? All that does is dissolve the outermost layer of shell Eggs lowered into boiling water or hot steam have the best chance of peeling easily Eggs slowly heated in cold water will stick to their shells In fact, I discovered that the only thing that really seems to make a difference is the initial cooking phase Drop the eggs into hot water, and they’ll peel pretty easily (though even this doesn’t work 100 percent of the time) Heat them up slowly, starting with cold water, and the egg proteins will end up fused to the inside of the shell As far as the actual peeling process, the easiest way is to peel the still-hot eggs under cool running water, starting from the fat end, where the air pocket is located When the eggs are hot, the connection between the membrane and egg white is weaker, making it easier to remove the shell The cool water not only helps gently dislodge stubborn bits of shell, it also prevents your fingers from getting burned I put a fine-mesh strainer or colander in the sink to catch the shells, for easy cleanup  ... 100 percent of the time) Heat them up slowly, starting with cold water, and the egg proteins will end up fused to the inside of the shell As far as the actual peeling process, the easiest way is to peel the. ..Eggs slowly heated in cold water will stick to their shells In fact, I discovered that the only thing that really seems to make a difference is the initial cooking phase Drop the eggs into hot water, and they’ll peel pretty easily (though... starting from the fat end, where the air pocket is located When the eggs are hot, the connection between the membrane and egg white is weaker, making it easier to remove the shell The cool water