On Jan 25, 10:25*pm, trvlnmny > wrote:
> I have hard boiled a dozen eggs. I peel them by cracking the shell in
> quite a few places and seperate it from the egg. Many times, including
> today, the shell sticks to the egg and and it has to be pried off
> often damaging the egg. Why does this happen only sometimes and what
> can I do to prevent it in the future.
> Thanks for the help.

Here's what works for me every time, including this morning:

-- Use eggs you've had for several days. I think this means that the
white has shrunk away from the shell somewhat.

-- Bring the water to a boil before you add the eggs.

-- While the water is heating, poke a hole in the more rounded end
(where the air sac is.) I learned this from reading Jacques Pepin.

-- If you think your eggs might split during cooking, add a little bit
of vinegar to the water before you put in the eggs. The vinegar
coagulates the egg white as it comes out so most of it stays inside.

-- After you put the eggs in, reduce the heat to a mild simmer. Twelve
minutes of cooking works for me.

-- Take out the eggs to another pan (or just pour out the water) and
rattle them around to crack the shells so water can get inside after
you have filled their pan with cold water. Keep it running 'til they
are cool. Getting water inside also helps separate the inner membrane
from the shell.

-- When you peel them, just roll them over a hard surface to crack the
shell all over. The shell shards stick to the membrane and you can
sometimes take the whole shell off in one long strip.

I haven't had a problem with nasty, green-rimmed yolks or sticky
shells since I began cooking them this way.

David