Adding a single teaspoon of baking powder to boiling water before cooking eggs makes the shells practically slide off, according to a viral trick shared by content creator Kerry Whelpdale.
Boiled eggs are a versatile source of protein, suitable for breakfast, sandwiches, salads, or as a quick snack. However, removing the shell can often be a struggle, with tiny shards clinging to the egg white.
The Baking Powder Trick
Kerry Whelpdale, known online for her recipes alongside travel and fashion content, demonstrated the method in an Instagram video. She adds one teaspoon of baking powder to a pot of boiling water, lowers the eggs in, and places a lid on top.
Once cooked, she removes each egg, taps it on the edge of the pan, and peels away the shell effortlessly with her fingers. The result is perfectly boiled eggs with no stubborn fragments of shell remaining.
In the caption of her Instagram post, she wrote: "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 clip has gained thousands of views along with numerous likes and comments. One user said: "Game changer." Another added: "Wow [I] need to try this, you clever clogs."
Other Tips for Easy-Peel Eggs
The variety of eggs chosen is also believed to affect how straightforward they are to peel. Eggs that are a few days old are usually easier to peel than freshly laid ones, owing to their lower acidic pH level, which means the egg white is less likely to cling to the inner shell membrane.
Another handy trick is plunging cooked eggs into ice-cold water. Chef Christopher Kimball, co-founder of America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country, and head of 177 Milk Street, previously described ice water as the "holy grail" for perfectly peelable eggs.
In a TikTok video, Kimball explained: "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 went on to add: "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."
