Peeling Eggs Just Got So Much Easier, Thanks To This Trick

Peeling hard-boiled eggs is almost annoying enough to keep us from enjoying them. While numerous hacks aim to make the tedious task easier and cleaner, more often than not we find ourselves puncturing the white and making a mess of what should be a nice, smooth surface. But a world without deviled eggs or egg salad would be a sad one indeed, so we've continued to search for a solution to the peeling problem.

Leave it to Serious Eats' J. Kenji Lopez-Alt to come up with a hack that not only works like a charm, but doesn't require any extra work. No pricking the delicate eggshell, no adding baking soda to the water.

Instead of bringing eggs up to a boil from cold water, drop eggs directly into boiling water.

Most instructions recommend starting eggs in cold water, but Lopez-Alt suggests starting at a rolling boil. Eggs starting in hot water are "strikingly easier to shell than those started in a cold pot," he says. We put this method to the test and agree.

One crucial step that applies, no matter which hack you're using for easy peeling, is making sure the eggs have cooled completely. After removing them from the hot water, plunge them into an ice bath immediately and let them cool for at least 15 minutes. Never let finicky shells deter you again.