This isn’t to make the peeling easier, it is to make it less prone to cracking when dropping into a pre-boiled bath. It’s immersing it into boiling water, then cold shocking it that makes it easier to peel. They’re also easier to peel after you’ve refrigerated them by soaking in a warm bath for ca. 5 mins (I’m not about pre-peeled then refrigerated eggs, blecch!).
I fought stupid internet and celebrity chef recommendations for over a decade before I found the boiling bath immersion the most foolproof technique. Sure, a crumbly, torn up egg tastes the same, but when I’m having a ramen-based party there’s no way I’m giving out moon rocks. Plus, the Littlest Pea likes to peel them and is quick to frustration, so why not set him up for success?
“My” method is pretty damn foolproof:
2 quarts of fully boiling water
Pin prick is optional depending on whether mine has been moved (though I’m not sterilizing anything that’s going into boiling water)
6 mins for soft, 8 mins for waxy and 10 mins for “well done”
Dump out boiling water and just cover with cold tap (a drop from 212°F to ca. 90° is massive and an ice bath is just a waste of cocktail ice)
If they’ve been refrigerated, warm in hot tap water to make peeling easier.
Oh, and also, instead of a few large cracks, I basically gently pulverize the shell all over by repeatedly striking different spots on the sink edge. This way it peels more like crinkly paper instead of like removing a helmet from a head. I would have put 2-3 times as many cracks in the shell in the bottom photo.
