I figured this one out just a couple weeks ago. Cool the eggs completely in cold water for at least an hour. Iced is OK but not necessary, you just want them well below room temp all the way through. In a small sauce pan, put enough water to just cover 2 or 3 eggs and bring it to just about simmering. Immerse up to 3 eggs at a time for no more than 10 seconds, remove with slotted spoon and crack all of them immediately. Peel under a slow trickle of cold water. The shell comes off easily with no gouges. Perfect looking eggs for deviled eggs. And the simplest recipe is the one that gets consumed first at gatherings - just mayo, mustard, and the yolks. I use a sprinkle of bacon salt instead of paprika on top.
Use older eggs. Submerge in cold water after cooking (adding a tablespoon of baking soda to the cold water is supposed to help too). Crack them on the rounded end (where the air pocket is) and place back in the water to let the water seep between the egg and membrane. Start peeling!
Definitely use older eggs (but not too old--use the float test: eggs that float are no good, but eggs that stand on end when covered in water are good to use for hard boiling). Older eggs are easier to peel because as the egg ages, the membrane around it shrinks away from the shell slightly.
I crack the egg all over so that the shell is shattered. Start peeling at the large end of the egg--there's an air pocket on this end that makes it easier to get the peeling started. Then, hold the egg under running water and start peeling. Another option is to immerse the cracked egg in cold water for several minutes. Water starts to permeate the shell, further separating the membrane and the egg white.
I am tormented by this problem (I really love hard boiled eggs!) and find that the running-cold-faucet thing helps a bit, if at all. It's not a panacea. I also find that it happens even when the eggs aren't fresh, as in, eggs that have been sitting in my fridge for a few weeks. I buy from farmer's market exclusively, so they're probably "too" fresh when they go in the fridge. I will try a day on the counter. Soaking them for an additional 15 minutes is not really an option in the a.m.
If you have fresh eggs, leave them out on the kitchen counter overnight (assuming it's not 100 degrees out). They'll peel much better when you hard cook them the next day. If you are making devilled eggs, put a rubber band around the egg carton, and store the carton on its side overnight. The yolks will be more "centered." Works great.
When the eggs are fresh and hard to peel I've had pretty good luck cracking them all over and then soaking them in ice water for 15 minutes. Seems to help you get under the membrane and get a clean peel. Good luck!
Check out youtube for how to peel hardboiled egg videos. Just saw it the other day so I have not tried it myself but it shows how to peel an egg in 2 seconds....
I forgot to say, you of course have to crack the egg first. Just hold it sideways in your hand and give it a gentle tap on the countertop. Not too hard, just enough to produce some cracks.
Under fresh running water from your sink faucet. You need a decent flow of water, not a trickle. You can catch the water in a bowl in the sink, strain and re-use it to boil pasta or whatever.
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I crack the egg all over so that the shell is shattered. Start peeling at the large end of the egg--there's an air pocket on this end that makes it easier to get the peeling started. Then, hold the egg under running water and start peeling. Another option is to immerse the cracked egg in cold water for several minutes. Water starts to permeate the shell, further separating the membrane and the egg white.
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