And I don’t mean fresh like the eggs that you just got from the grocery store. Did you know that store-bought eggs can be up to 3-4 weeks old when you buy them? The older the egg, the more air you get between the egg shell and the egg’s membrane.
This can actually be a great thing for hard-boiled eggs. If you’ve ever tried to peel a boiled egg that was too fresh, you know what I’m talking about. It’s hard work and the end product isn’t such a pretty sight. You spend all your time barely chipping away at the shell that ends up taking about 1/3 of the egg with it.
Part of the fun of having chickens is having an abundance of eggs. And one of our favorite ways to eat them are as hard-boiled eggs. We had pretty much resigned ourselves to setting aside a dozen or so to sit for a month before trying to cook them up but then we learned something new. Instead of boiling fresh eggs, you should STEAM THEM!
No more waiting!!! All you do is use a vegetable steamer or a double boiler. (I actually just use a pot with a steaming insert set into the bottom).
Fill the bottom with some water and heat to boiling. Add your eggs into the upper basket, cover, and steam for 20 minutes. After cooking, immediately put the eggs into ice cold water to cool.
Enjoy how easy they are to peel!
Works for me!
Is it too corny to say ” I’m shell shocked “. This is absolutely brilliant. I love hard boiled eggs but hated the idea of struggling to peel them. Thanks so much for sharing this!
Ha! Thank you Tony 🙂
Brought home a dozen from the store this afternoon and tried your steaming method, thos dozen eggs were peeled effortlessly in record time!
Thanks for showing me the easy way 🙂
I just tried this with store bought eggs and it worked perfect! I peeled a dozen eggs without any trouble and very fast! Thank You!!!
Thanks for this great tip — I just peeled nine eggs in record time that are perfect for deviled eggs. What a time saver!
Nice blog. I don’t know why steaming eggs isn’t common knowledge, it works perfectly every time.
hi emily i am michael i have made a rack to place eggs in while steaming which works rather well . just for the heck of it i would send you one if you could send the where to.
For those doing deviled eggs for Easter, you may like this idea. After cutting and removing the yolk from the whites you can tint the whites different colors by putting them in a cup of water with food coloring. Very Eastery!
Hi Emily, I wanted to let you know I did try your method when I made deviled eggs for Easter this year, and it worked beautifully! I spent so much less time peeling eggs this year, and I have you to thank for it. I really am so grateful.
I tried the method of blowing the egg out of its shell, but it didn’t come out. My ears did pop and stop up though.
Thanks, this is something I have to try. I’ve tried everything and finally found a way to do it: super hard boil for 45 rocking seconds, then turn down for a few minutes. But your way is simpler and only takes a few more minutes. And less water etc. Did you ever try cooling with just cold tap water?
No but it might not hurt and would make that step even easier!
Great tip! As the family deviled egg maker, this will really save me time!
I cannot wait to try this!! I always save a dozen eggs to use for boiled eggs as well. Thank you for the tip!
Steamed three eggs not more than a week old for some tuna egg salad… It came out great!
Brilliant!
I am going to try this! I get so frustrated every Easter because we always have deviled eggs, and it takes me 2 hours to peel them. Thanks so much for sharing this tip!
Please post AFTER you have tried the method.
Why?