I bring deviled eggs to most family dinners, and friend potlucks. The ingredients are simple and few, but people tend to love them. The longest part of the preparation is peeling the hard-boiled eggs. But since I’ve been doing it for years, I have (had) a system that works great.
Tried and True Method:
I boil the eggs -for 10 minutes, or maybe 12 or 13, depending on whether I forget to set the timer after I place the eggs in. When the timer sounds, I drain the hot water, run cold water over them for several minutes, then leave them to soak in the cold water a bit. I will shake the pan in an attempt to break the shells just a bit, as sometimes they peel easier that way. Then, when I’m ready, I turn on the cold water, take each egg and roll it on the divider between my two sinks. I crack them as much as I can during the roll, then hold them under the running water to begin peeling them. Most eggs turn out pretty well, but a few will get pock-marked or pieces of the egg white will peel off with the shell. I’ve never worried about it, because most are presentable, and they all taste good.
So when I first came across the technique of peeling hard-boiled eggs in a mason jar, I thought, “I’ll give that a try eventually.” It couldn’t possibly be that easy. Wouldn’t it take even longer? At a family Easter, I had the chance to give it a shot. I boiled 2 one-and-a-half dozen egg packages. So three dozen eggs into the water at once. I boil them an extra couple of minutes, just to be sure they got completely cooked. Then I pour out the hot water and soak in cold.
Mason Jar Technique
I was in my sister’s gorgeous kitchen, getting ready to get started with my tried and true method, when I decided to try the peeling hard-boiled eggs in a mason jar method instead. She pointed me to the right cabinet and I chose a regular mouthed jar – as an aside, a wide mouth jar would have been easier. I choose a medium sized one, but honestly, any will work.
For the first few, I rolled the eggs around the jar, being careful as I wanted the shell to be really broken, but didn’t want to take a chance of breaking apart an egg. The shells practically slid off when I removed them from the jar. I wasn’t prepared to film this, so I’m holding the camera. Peeling hard-boiled eggs one-handed is a bit of a challenge, but you can see how easily it worked on Instagram or TikTok.
Then, I got a little braver. I decided to be a little more aggressive in shaking the egg in the jar. I covered the opening with my palm, and shook for 15 seconds on average. It worked like a charm. 95% of the time, the shell slid off while in the jar, and I swished the egg through the water in the pot to ensure no pieces of shell stuck to it. When I was finished, my back didn’t hurt from bending over the sink, rolling each egg, and I was done in record time. I’ll never go back to peeling them the way I have for the past 30 years. Mason jars for the win! Note: in the years since I first Tried this, I have used coffee cups and glass cups with equal success. So don’t feel like you have to buy something new. Just use what you’ve got! 🙂