Peeling boiled eggs can be a frustrating task but one home cook has shared a surprisingly simple hack that makes the shells slide right off, and it only requires one common kitchen ingredient
Boiled eggs are a popular breakfast food and can be added to salads or other meals, especially for an extra protein hit, but one of the trickiest aspects of preparing eggs this way is removing the shells. However, Kerry Whelpdale, recognised online for her recipe content alongside travel and fashion posts, has shared a simple hack.
She posted a clip on Instagram demonstrating what she uses to strip away eggshells effortlessly, and it all boils down to incorporating one key ingredient. The content creator, whose recipes have appeared in BBC Good Food, begins by adding one teaspoon of baking powder to a saucepan of bubbling water. She then carefully lowers her eggs in and covers the pot with a lid.
After the eggs have cooked, she removes them individually, taps them against the rim of the pan and effortlessly peels away the shell using her fingertips.
The outcome is flawless boiled eggs without any remaining shell fragments clinging to them.
In her Instagram post caption, she penned: “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 attracted thousands of views, as well as numerous likes and responses. One viewer commented: “Game changer.”
Another remarked: “Wow [I] need to try this, you clever clogs.” The variety of eggs you select are also believed to influence how easily they can be peeled.
Eggs that are a few days old are known to be easier to peel than farm fresh ones because they have a less acidic pH level so the egg white is less likely to stick to the inner shell membrane.
There are other hacks for easy-to-peel boiled eggs, including placing 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, TV show, and cooking school, previously dubbed ice water 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 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 percent, not 90 percent, every egg is going to be easy to peel.”