Gordon Ramsay's Secret To His Perfectly Peeled Boiled Eggs
To the people that can't go one day without eating an egg: we see you. Whether you love eggs for their many health benefits or mild taste, it's an energizing breakfast staple (and also possibly the highlight of any good Cobb salad). The protein-packed food can be delicious, and some people even argue that you really should eat an egg every day. However, eggs can also be one of the most inconsistent foods to cook.
For example, figuring out how to properly boil eggs can be one of the trickiest cooking techniques to master. The task seems simple enough at first glance, but like many things, looks can be deceiving.
Some boiled eggs peeled by a novice can look like they've been to war, with pieces of shell hidden inside your morning breakfast. But it doesn't need to be this way, and with a simple tip from celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, your boiled eggs can stay beautiful.
Why are boiled eggs so difficult to peel?
Before jumping into how to properly peel those finicky boiled eggs, let's talk about why it's so difficult in the first place. A boiled egg could be difficult to peel depending on its pH level. Why does an egg's pH matter? An egg white, also known as the albumen, contains carbon dioxide (via Slate). Over time, this gas exits the egg through tiny pores in its shell, an action that raises an egg's pH level and softens its inner membrane. This means that as an egg ages, a looser bond is created between the egg white and the inner shell.
When a fresh egg is boiled, the proteins in its albumen will be quicker to bind to the inner membrane of the egg due to its lower pH levels, making it harder to remove the shell without chunks of egg attached. Pete and Gerry's recommend that waiting a week before boiling your eggs will make them easier to peel. So traditionally, the fresher the egg, the harder it will be to peel. However, that definitely doesn't mean you should avoid fresh eggs altogether. You just have to learn how to tame those pesky peelers.
Chef Ramsay's genius solution for easy-to-peel boiled eggs
Chef Ramsay's secret for perfectly peeled eggs is so easy, we can't believe we haven't thought of it before. The "MasterChef" host let the world in on this expert peeling hack in a June 2022 video on his Youtube channel, where he shared a recipe for summery Scotch eggs. Let's get into it.
To achieve the perfect peel, start by boiling your eggs to a consistency of your liking. Chef Ramsay opts to boil his eggs for four and a half minutes to keep the egg's center slightly soft. When your eggs are finished boiling, drain the water and run the eggs under cold tap water in the pot. According to Chef Ramsay, cooling the eggs as quickly as possible prevents their yolks from turning gray. Once they're cool enough to handle, gently tap the eggs on the bowl to crack them, then stick them back into the cool water. This action is key. The water will seep into the cracks formed in the shell, creating a barrier between the egg white and the shell that will make it much easier to peel.
And there you have it. Bringing water into this egg-quation adds a disruptor to the mix, making even the freshest egg's low-pH irrelevant. There are many ways to cook an egg, but now you can call yourself an expert (and maybe even a food scientist now, too) on at least one new technique.