For easy-peel boiled eggs, the main keys are how you cook them, how fast you cool them, and how you peel them. Using slightly older eggs also helps a lot.

Best cooking method

• Start with eggs in a pot of water that covers them by about 2.5 cm (1 inch). Bring to a full boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook 11–13 minutes for hard-boiled eggs.

• Alternatively, bring water to a rolling boil first, then gently lower in the eggs and cook the same amount of time; this “hot start” method can make peeling easier, especially with very fresh eggs.

Make them easier to peel

• Use eggs that are at least several days old; as eggs age, the higher pH makes the white separate more easily from the shell membrane, so the shell releases more cleanly.

• After cooking, immediately transfer eggs to an ice-water bath or very cold running water and chill completely; rapid cooling helps prevent overcooking and makes the shell separate better.

Peeling technique

• Gently tap the egg all over on a hard surface, then roll it under your palm to create a network of cracks that loosens the shell.

• Start peeling at the wider end, where there is a small air pocket, and peel under a thin stream of cold water or in a bowl of water so it can get between the membrane and the white and help lift the shell off in larger pieces.