Hard-boiling eggs

[Possum-Pie]

I've tried EVERY trick on the internet, but no matter what EVERY egg from my coop is ruined when hard-boiled. Peeling the shells ends up cracking, gouging, and ruining the egg. I've tried using "old" eggs, the batch I did today have been in the fridge for a month. I"ve tried fresh eggs, no luck. I've tried hot water, cold water, vinegar in water, baking powder in water, letting them boil 7 min, 13 min, ice baths after boiling, rolling them on the counter, shaking them in water, and a hundred other things. 90% of my eggs are too beat up for deviled eggs or red beet eggs and I end up eating tons of egg salad.

The membrane that comes between the shell and white usually is tough and sticks to the shell in store-bought eggs, and I can almost always peel a whole egg in a few large chunks. The membrane in my home-grown is weak, sticks to the whites, and when tiny bits of shell are pulled off, also half of the whites come off with it...
I'm desperate at this point, any suggestions?

 

[Sally PB]

The only other thing I can suggest is cooking them in a pressure cooker, like an Instant Pot, if you have one.
https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/easy_peel_hard_boiled_eggs_in_the_pressure_cooker/

@U_Stormcrow, does this have anything to do with threonine levels?

 

[Possum-Pie]

I don't think pressure cooking is a good idea. The difference between the atmospheric pressure of my house and the pressure cooker would explode the eggs. Like microwaving an egg...
I just put 2 in the freezer for an hour, then tried to peel them. Still a pain in the butt, but got a fairly usable smooth hard-boiled egg without gouges. When I peel a store-bought egg, I can get all the shell off in 2-3 large chunks with a smooth hard-boiled egg left intact.

I know store-bought have thicker shells, but that is the only obvious difference.
They get Layer pellets, kitchen scraps, mealworms and a cracked corn treat every day. I get 3 eggs/per day from 4 hens so I shouldn't complain.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I have had good luck letting them sit on the counter for a day or two at room temp before boiling, and then adding vinegar to the water.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

The only other thing I can suggest is cooking them in a pressure cooker, like an Instant Pot, if you have one.
https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/easy_peel_hard_boiled_eggs_in_the_pressure_cooker/

@U_Stormcrow, does this have anything to do with threonine levels?

Good question. I don't know. I can't get my hard boiled eggs to peel either - not sure if that's high Threonine levels or low. Yes, Threo makes great membranes, but the membrane adhering to the shell is the part I can't answer.

(I actually don't like eggs, so I rarely hard boil them - and then, only to make pickled deviled eggs later.)

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Store bought eggs are old. They peel easy. Cold shocking the hot eggs helps. Older eggs help, leave them out at room temp for two weeks or so.

 

[Possum-Pie]

Store bought eggs are old. They peel easy. Cold shocking the hot eggs helps. Older eggs help, leave them out at room temp for two weeks or so.

Thanks. After all of the experimenting and research, it seems the older the better.I don't wash the shells of my eggs, so they may not age as quickly as the scrubbed and sanitized store bought eggs do. I'm going to put some of my eggs in a basket on the counter for a few weeks and try again...

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Don't wash them if they will be left out. Unwashed eggs can stay on the counter for over a month.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Thanks. After all of the experimenting and research, it seems the older the better.I don't wash the shells of my eggs, so they may not age as quickly as the scrubbed and sanitized store bought eggs do. I'm going to put some of my eggs in a basket on the counter for a few weeks and try again...

I would wash to remove the bloom then move to the fridge - not only for safety, but because the fridge will help to draw moisture out, decreasing the inner volume of the egg, and (in theory) resulting in easier peeling.

On the counter, the bloom helps protect against bacterial infestation - but also slows mosture transfer. Refrigerated eggs lose water content faster than shelf-stored, unwashed eggs.

Physics. [Edit : I failed to account for differences resulting from reduced temperatures]

Washing to remove the bloom, then leaving on the counter is the worst of all possible worlds from a food safety perspective.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Air cells grow at room temperature, hardly at all in a fridge. Just sayin'.