Boiled eggs are a breakfast staple and are great for adding to salads or other meals, especially if you're after an extra hit of protein. But one of the trickiest aspects of preparing eggs this way is removing the shells.
Kerry Whelpdale, known online for her culinary creations and travel and fashion content, has revealed a simple trick which makes it simple to get the shells off with ease. She uploaded a video to Instagram demonstrating what she uses to strip egg shells away effortlessly, and it all hinges on introducing one ingredient.
The baking powder method
The content creator, whose dishes have appeared in BBC Good Food, begins by adding one teaspoon of baking powder to a pan of boiling water. She then carefully lowers her eggs in and places a lid on top.
After the eggs are cooked she removes them individually, taps them on the rim of the pan and effortlessly strips away the shell using her fingers. The outcome is flawless boiled eggs with no stubborn fragments of shell remaining on them.
What the creator said
In the caption of her Instagram post she explained: "Who else hates battling with boiled eggs that just won't peel? Here's the ultimate hack: add 1 tsp of baking powder (or bicarb of soda) to the water when boiling, and the shells practically slide off."
"Simple. Genius. Life-changing."
The video has racked up thousands of views alongside numerous likes and comments, reports the Express. One user remarked: "Game changer." Another commented: "Wow [I] need to try this, you clever clogs."
Other tips for easy peeling
The variety of eggs selected is also believed to influence how straightforward they are to peel. Eggs that are several days old are known to be easier to peel than freshly laid ones because they possess a less acidic pH level, meaning the egg white is less prone to adhering to the inner shell membrane.
There are additional tricks for achieving easy-to-peel boiled eggs, including submerging them in ice water. Chef Christopher Kimball, co-founder of America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country, and head of 177 Milk Street, a magazine, podcast, television programme, and cookery school, has previously described ice water as the "holy grail" for perfectly peelable eggs.
In a TikTok clip, Kimball said: "The trick here is a big ice bath for three minutes. Get the inside of the egg to get smaller, pull away from the shell and now it's going to be easy to peel."
He continued: "There we go, finally the holy grail is boiling them for eight minutes for 40 seconds and put them in a big ice bath for three minutes. And every egg - not 80 per cent, not 90 per cent - every egg is going to be easy to peel."
