Your Boiled Eggs Will Peel Like Magic Simply By Adding Oil

Boiled eggs are a delicious snack on their own and are an essential ingredient in dishes like deviled eggs and tuna salad. No matter how you prefer to use boiled eggs, removing the shell can be tricky. We've all dealt with boiled eggs that take forever to peel, or even worse, wasted egg parts that come off with tiny pieces of shell. There are countless kitchen hacks to make peeling hard-boiled eggs easier — like adding a bit of oil to the boiling pot.

Yes, it's true that oil and water do not mix, but that's not necessary for this egg-peeling hack. So how does it work? Eggs have a porous shell, and oil can penetrate that hard outer layer. That's when the magic happens: The oil separates the shell from the membrane and the egg, making it easy to perfectly peel your boiled eggs almost every time.

For this trick to work, one tablespoon of oil is sufficient, so don't use too much. It doesn't seem to matter if you use avocado, canola, olive, or other types of oil, so use what you already have. We recommend you don't use your best olive oil or truffle oil because you'll just pour it down the drain after the eggs are cooked.

Start by boiling a pot of water with the oil. When it's ready, carefully add the eggs to the boiling water so you don't prematurely crack any shells. We all have our own method of boiling eggs, like letting them boil uncovered for two to three minutes for soft-boiled or 10 to 13 minutes for hard-boiled, or covering them and letting the steaming do the work. No matter what your go-to boiling method is, after the eggs are done to your preference, it's time to peel! We think the best way is to gently tap the bottom of the egg on your counter, then use your finger to find the separated membrane and peel the egg from there. With this trick, it should be easy to cling onto the membrane, which should remove the shell in nearly one piece every time.