I Tried the Annoyingly Brilliant TikTok Trick for Peeling Hard-Boiled Eggs and WOW

Hard-boiled eggs are my white whale. Like Captain Ahab in Moby Dick, I feel equal parts flummoxed and cursed by them — they occupy an inordinate amount of my waking thoughts, and they haunt my dreams. I don’t know if Ahab ever struggled with peeling a hard-boiled egg (I’ve never been able to finish the book), but I find it to be one of the most maddening and impossible kitchen tasks ever.

And before you ask — yes, I have tried buying older eggs. And plunging them under a cold running tap. And adding baking soda to the boiling water. I’ve voraciously studied articles on the best way to peel hard-boiled eggs (like this one!), and nothing works. My eggs always look mottled, and half of the white ends up in the compost bin. I assumed I’d spent the rest of my days being demoralized by my inability to peel them without taking off half of the white.

The technique isn’t complicated: Before you boil the egg, gently crack it at the bottom (but not so much that the yolk and white spill out, obviously). Boil the egg, then immediately transfer it to a container filled halfway with cold water. Then vigorously shake the container. Afterwards, if the video proves true, the shell will just fall away from the egg, like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis. 

Armed with a carton of eggs, I got to work. The eggs I used were pretty fresh, which meant that if theories hold, they would be harder to peel. All the better to put this hack to work, I figured. I started with one egg to test the waters: After a delicate crack, and an exactly-8-minute boil, I used a slotted spoon to transfer the egg to an empty plastic container, filled it up halfway with cold tap water, closed the lid tightly, and shook it like my life depended on it for 10 seconds.

Let’s just say the container wasn’t the only thing that was shook. Not only did the peel come off in almost one large piece, the white was left entirely intact — perfectly smooth. I was so surprised I actually shouted an expletive. I’ve been cooking for a long time, and nothing has delighted or surprised me as much as this technique.

Although the internet can sometimes feel like a dark, depressing place, I remain grateful for moments of insight and knowledge such as these. Thanks to TikTok, I’ve freed myself from the arduous, years-long battle I’ve waged with hard-boiled eggs. Maybe I’ll devote my free time to finally finishing Moby Dick.

Have you tried this tip? Did you love it, too? Let us know in the comments.