Use A Mason Jar To Peel Your Hard-Boiled Eggs In No Time

Hard-boiled eggs can be notoriously difficult to peel. If you're not extremely careful, rolling them on the counter or picking away at the shell with your finger could scratch their surface. While this won't affect their taste, it will make your food look rather unappetizing — a particularly notable problem for an aesthetic dish like creamy deviled eggs. The best method to avoid this issue utilizes a Mason jar to remove the shell in no time, and you'll be surprised at how quick and efficient this hack can be.

To use a mason jar to peel hard-boiled eggs, start by adding some water to the container, and filling it about halfway. When your hard-boiled eggs have cooled considerably, place one inside the Mason jar and shake it gently. As the shell begins to crack, the liquid will wash off any bits from the surface and help the egg slip out of its casing.  As the TikTok above shows, a few shakes should be all you need for the shell to start slipping off. After a few seconds, just fish the egg out of the jar with a spoon and dump the remains. This method is similar to the trick restaurants use to peel hard-boiled eggs, and leaves no nicks or scratches on their surface.

When utilizing a Mason jar to crack open some hard-boiled eggs, try not to jostle them around with too much force. The firm egg white surrounding the yolk is not indestructible, and it can start to come apart if you shake the jar hard enough. Therefore, finding the right strength to open the shell without damaging the hard-boiled egg might take some trial and error. It does require some momentum to crack the shell, but you shouldn't be swinging the Mason jar with the intensity of a vigorous workout. To help you gauge how much strength you use, think of your Mason jar as a maraca. You won't get a sound if you don't use enough force, but too much can result in some unpleasant sounds.

If you want your shells to peel a little easier, feel free to (lightly) tap the bottom of your eggs before they go into the boiling water. With enough force, you'll be able to form a shallow, web-like crack that will not allow the runny yolk and whites to spill out as they cook. Once you start shaking the hard-boiled egg inside the Mason jar, the initial break will help the shell come off in one singular piece. Again, this trick requires a bit of experimentation to find the ideal pressure, but it does make a difference once you get it right.

Before you even begin to boil your water over the stovetop, add some vinegar to the pot. This is one of the many common hard-boiled egg tricks that make peeling much easier. The acidity of this common kitchen ingredient cuts through the calcium carbonate of the shell, softening it as a result. The actual eggs also won't absorb the sour flavors of the vinegar, making this an excellent trick to use in conjunction with the Mason jar peeling method.

Also, when your eggs come off the boiling heat, don't start shaking them right away. Instead, throw them into a bowl of ice water and leave them there for a few minutes. The frigid temperatures will cause the whites to shrink, detaching the egg from the shell membrane and making them easier to peel.

If you don't have a Mason jar lying around, feel free to use a glass cup or plastic container as a substitute. When filled with a little water, they are able to replicate similar results, and the latter can actually be gentler on the egg during shaking. Regardless of what you use, don't forget to cover the top with a lid — after all, you probably don't want shell bits flying around your kitchen!