Buzz
Many hard-boiled egg recipes suggest starting with cold water, bringing it to a boil, covering, and resting the pot off the heat for about 12 minutes. However, in my experience, this method often results in eggs that are tough to peel.
Starting eggs in cold water causes the white to stick to the membrane, making peeling incredibly difficult. That's why I always opt for a hot start, whether boiling, steaming, or pressure cooking, ensuring peelable eggs every time. Of course, this can sometimes lead to the occasional cracked egg—around one in six—but considering my preference for extra yolks in deviled eggs, it's a small tradeoff. Still, I'd gladly trade cracked eggs for perfect ones.
While my method occasionally sacrifices a cracked egg, there was another issue: appearance. After publishing a blog on shocking hard-boiled eggs, a thoughtful professional cook reached out. While he didn’t comment on the shocking technique, he kindly pointed out that my egg bottoms needed a little improvement.
For the best results when boiling eggs, follow the Jacques Pepin method. It’s the technique I learned before I even knew who he was. He begins by poking a tiny hole in the larger end of the egg. This simple step allows gas trapped inside the egg to escape, creating a small pocket where the whites can move into, resulting in a smoother egg.
Although I had heard about Pepin’s technique, I had never tried it (mostly due to laziness). So, I decided to give it a shot. I poked small holes in the bottoms of my eggs using a thumbtack, then dropped them directly into boiling water for nine minutes. After rinsing them in cold water and peeling them, I was impressed. Not only did the eggs come out with perfectly rounded bottoms, but there were no cracks—and peeling was effortless.
All six eggs turned out far more rounded than any I’ve ever boiled. At first, I thought, 'Okay,' but then I compared them to my previous attempts and—wow—what a difference. My earlier efforts looked downright pitiful in comparison.
It’s important to follow Jacques Pepin’s advice about poking the larger end of the egg. I decided to try poking the smaller end just to see what would happen, and let’s just say it didn’t turn out well:
Not only did the eggs develop unsightly dimples, but one of them cracked open and spilled into the pot—a situation I definitely want to avoid.
I had also read somewhere (I think on Reddit) that lowering eggs into hot (not boiling) water, then covering and removing them from the heat could help with cracking. However, even with the poke, this method still caused the shells to fuse with the whites, making them almost impossible to peel.
All you really need is that small hole in the bottom of the egg. This simple step not only gives you eggs with smooth, rounded bottoms but also allows you to drop fridge-cold eggs straight into boiling water without cracking them. No more sacrificing eggs just to make peeling easier.
