Introduction: Easy Peel Hard Boiled Eggs
Okay, so in this case "hard boiled" is a bit of a lie. These are "hard cooked" eggs. And why it's easy to peel them is because we're cooking them in a pressure cooker. If you think that's crazy . . . then you're crazy. 'Cuz this is a friggin' miracle for the hard cooked egg lover, the egg salad lover, the deviled egg lover, and that rare and mystic creature . . . the sauce gribiche lover.
Now don't start with that, "But pressure cookers scare me!" Stuff it! Pressure cookers are awesome. You can tell your fear to suck it.
Not only do pressure cookers save a tremendous amount of time (short ribs in 25 minutes?!?! AMAZING), but, if you're a hippie, they save a lot of energy by taking less cooking time and putting less heat out into your home/apartment/garret.
You might see this method out there on etherwebnet (it'll likely be an article about or post by Laura Pazzaglia, pressure cooking goddess, at Hippressurecooking; her Cracked! Soft, Medium, and Hard "Boiled" Eggs in the pressure cooker from whence this method has become popularized is well worth visiting for this and many, Many, MANY more recipes). Mrs. Pazz uses a pressure cooker with a low pressure setting option (6 - 8 psi). Mine doesn't have that setting, it's only high pressure (12 - 15 psi) as probably most of the less expensive pressure cookers sold out there. My 8 quart Presto (all stainless, not aluminum) was in the $50 or $60 dollar range.
If you want the multiple pressure option you'll probably be paying in the $100 ballpark. A 6 quart Fagor on Amazon is right at $100, the 10 quart version is near $150. There are aluminum ones out there, but I'd stick with stainless as aluminum can possibly react with acidic foods.
It's not really necessary, at least not for the hard cooked variety. Just adjust your cooking time for soft boiled, medium, and hard. Maybe half the time for soft and somewhere in the middle of that and hard boiled for medium.
Step 1: How This Works
Look at the egg anatomy picture. See that big air sac at the bottom of the egg? This is the reason why this works. This is the natural explanation of this miracle: as the pressure builds in the cooker the trapped air is pressed and forced between the inner and outer membrane, separating them quite nicely.
Step 2: How This Is Going Down
You'll need a number of eggs.
You'll need a strainer basket. Either the one that came with your pressure cooker or like the one I have.
You'll need one cup of water.
You'll need one timer.
And you'll need a glass of wine. Don't say, "No, I won't." YES, YOU WILL!
It's simple.
- Put the steamer in the pressure cooker.
- Put the eggs in the steamer.
- Put the water in the pressure cooker.
- Close the lid.
- Turn on the heat to high.
- When the pressure builds and the steam is coming out full bore, turn down the heat to produce a steady mellow stream of steam.
- Start the timer, set for five minutes, the moment the pressure is up to full and steam is coming out.
- Drink some wine. In fact you should have been drinking it while waiting for the pressure to build.
- Once the timer goes off, remove the cooker from the heat.
- Run cold water over the cooker to quick release the pressure.
- Immediately open the cooker, put the eggs in a bowl, and run cold water over them to cool them off.
- And then . . .
Step 3: Peel, Baby, Peel
This is the easiest part. Look at the pictures where the shell came off in two whole pieces (pics 2,3,4). Easy as pie. Easy as punch. Piece of cake. Man, I'm hungry.
Go forth and cook eggs. This I command.
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19 Comments
10 years ago on Introduction
Peeling an egg under running water has always been the easiest way I know,you dont lose any egg sticking to the shell.
11 years ago on Step 3
If you're boiling eggs just for yourself you can use the blow method to peel them. Make small holes the size of your pinkie fingernail in the shell top and bottom. Hold the egg in one hand with the other hand below ready to catch the peeled egg. Blow hard into the top hole. Voila.
You can also do this for the whole family if you are a mother. Somehow a mother's germs are okay to share.
11 years ago on Step 2
No I won't- I don't drink. I'll relax with a pop though. =)
11 years ago on Introduction
I would appreciate you citing the original source of this technique:
CRACKED! Soft, Medium and Hard "Boiled" eggs in the pressure cooker
http://www.hippressurecooking.com/2011/04/hip-modernist-soft-medium-and-hard.html
Thank you,
L
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
My grandmother used to cook eggs this way when my mom was a kid, and when I was a kid, long before the interwebs claimed to "originate" it. Great instructable.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
Before the steaming method, there was a popular "boiling" pressure cooker method - that is well known and documented. As noted in my post, pressure steaming eggs at low pressure is something that is already done industrially.
My concern, was seeing the technique for home pressure cookers, an egg diagram and explanation described as I had originally written them without credit to the source of this information.
dlewisa, I don't want to stop you from sharing great uses for the pressure cooker, that is the whole purpose behind the hip pressure cooking website.
This is a great instructable - the way it is written and photographed are fantastic ! I hope that it will get more people to use their pressure cooker or think about getting one!
Ciao and keep-up the great pressure cooking!
L
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
Updated intro once again, check it out. A little praise singing for failing to do so originally. Sorry I stepped on your toes by not attributing. I didn't try to pass myself off as a the innovator of this, just wanted to try it myself and share it with the instructable world. I'd read your article on Ruhlman's website a few months ago. I'm sure I probably followed the link to your site and then absorbed all the info. Sorry. You are properly attributed now and duly praised. I also bookmarked your site to see how I can further put my pressure cooker to use. Thanks!
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
No! The interwebs are never wrong!
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
Included, linked, noted, and filed!
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
Thank you.
11 years ago on Introduction
My friend told me,"if you want easy to peel hard cooked eggs, put baking powder in the water you cook the eggs in." Sounded like an experiment to me. It worked. Way cool...
11 years ago on Introduction
Noe of this is necessary: Very Fresh eggs are a PIG to peel - the membrane sticks to the shell like nothing on earth.
Soooo to get easy peel hard boil ed eggs just use eggs that are 2 to 3 weeks old.
NOW most eggs you buy in the shops can be up to 42 days old and still called fresh - They have a much longer shelf life than that anyway -
For hard boiled eggs I buy shop eggs if I feel the urge even though I keep chickens.
As an alternative provided the eggs are reasonably old you can hard boil
Crack the top and bottom - peel of a little shell and holding the egg in you fist blow in at the pointed end - The egg will be squeezed out by air pressure into you other hand (hopefully)
Youtube videos of this are available.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
One of the advantages to this is that you can do this with fresh eggs. The air sac is there from the moment the egg cools after it is laid. The air sac expands as egg ages do to evaporation. I guess if for aesthetic reasons a more round hard cooked egg is desired then this pressure way is ideal because you can use fresh with smaller air sacs.
I've done the aged egg thing too and it was still a toss up whether the egg was easier to peel. All of the eggs are different. I've tried blowing the egg out too and couldn't get that to work . . . but I do have an air compressor . . . hmmm.
This was quite easy though. Everyone with a pressure cooker should at least give it a shot once.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
I guess a boiled egg could go quite a few feet ;-)
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
Maybe I could use those weights from the first picture to set up some crazed eggapult. Angry birds indeed.
11 years ago on Step 3
You could be my new hero. I love hard boiled eggs but hate the time it takes to make them and a specially to peel them. thx
11 years ago on Introduction
You don't need a pressure cooker. The trick is the steamer basket. Cook in a steamer basket in a regular pot for 18-20 minutes, same great result.
11 years ago on Introduction
I saw the title and main picture, and I thought that you'd found a clever-way to peel eggs using the holes of those weights.
I'm not disappointed, but do you think they could be used in some way?
L
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
Maybe crack the shell all the way around the egg and shove it through the hole in the middle. Otherwise I guess you could drop the weights on the eggs to make an egg mash for egg salad. Or just pump them while the eggs cook so you can be super buff.