Hacks That Will Make Boiling Your Eggs So Much Easier

Oil and water do not mix, or so the old saying goes. However, as the Institute of Food Technology Magazine points out, they definitely do mix when it comes to the process of emulsion. Still, that’s neither here nor there as far as our next egg hack goes. Here, we are relying on adding oil to water — not combining them — to help make the boiled eggs easier to peel.

As per Bowl of Delicious, if you pour a tablespoon or two of any cooking oil into the pot that you’re boiling the eggs in, it will manage to penetrate the porous shells and somehow form a layer of lubrication between the membrane and the egg white. This means that when it comes time to peel the eggs, the shells will just slide right off! Well, kind of. It’s not relatively that easy, but it’s allegedly a lot easier to de-shell oiled boiled eggs versus the kind that’s been cooked in water alone.

Add some flavour as your eggs boil.

With eggshells being so porous, why not boil eggs in broth or some similar flavouring agent? While you don’t see too many recipes calling for this technique, several cooks on Stack Exchange’s Seasoned Advice forum swear that it does work and is something they do all the time. As one forum user explains, “While the egg is still uncooked, it will take on the tastes of outside ingredients fairly easily.” As the white hardens, it becomes resistant to picking up any flavours in the water. But during those first few minutes of boiling time, it will be receptive to them.

One cook notes that they “can always tell the difference” if they’ve boiled eggs in water with vinegar or without. Another cook shares that they “routinely throw eggs in seafood boils and sometimes boil only eggs in crab boil or other seasonings (Old Bay, etc.).” Still, another person shares how 7-Elevens in Taiwan boil eggs in a slow cooker with tea bags, saying that “the eggs turn out brown all the way through [and] longer cook[ing] results in a deeper brown colour.” These tea eggs, which are also a popular snack in China and other Asian countries, don’t just pick up the colour; they also get plenty of flavour from the tea and other seasonings used in their preparation.

Yes, you can use your Instant Pot to boil eggs.

Whether you received an Instant Pot for the holidays or bought one on Black Friday, you may be on the lookout for cooking techniques that put this wonder appliance to work. Some Instant Pot enthusiasts insist that pressure-cooking is the very best way to boil an egg — as per A Mind Full Mom blog, Instant Pot boiled eggs are absolutely “FOOL-PROOF” (shouting intended). They go on to explain that Instant Pot boiled eggs have yolks that never turn green, and their shells just slip right off.

If you’d like to give Instant Pot egg cooking a try, just follow the “rule of fives,” meaning it should take five minutes for the pot to heat/pressure up (your results may vary), five minutes to cook the eggs, five more minutes to release the steam, and then a final five minutes for the eggs to soak in cold water. (So, it takes about the same amount of time as boiling eggs on the stove.) To get started, pour a cup of cold water into the inner pot, place the eggs on a rack (they make special egg racks if you do this a lot), seal the pot, and set it to cook on high pressure for five minutes. Once the time is up, let the steam release naturally for five minutes, then carefully remove the eggs to a bowl of cold water for the final five-minute increment.