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Boiling Eggs in the Pressure Cooker

This morning I was sitting at the table reading email and I read an email from a reader, Romonia. I said out loud “WHAT??” Vince was sitting in the living room and said “What’s wrong?” Romonia told me that she used her pressure cooker for hard boiled eggs and they peeled perfectly! 

I have struggled with peeling boiled eggs for years . . ever since we had laying hens. The fresher the egg, the harder it is to peel. If you’ve never tried to peel a boiled egg the same day it was laid, you will not appreciate my frustration. I have tried every technique mentioned anywhere – adding baking soda to the water, adding salt to the water, steaming, immersing in ice water the second they’re done. The steaming/immersing in ice water was the best method I’ve tried but it only works about 75% of the time. If I want 12 deviled eggs for something, I’ll boil 20 and hope to get 12 pretty ones.

As a last resort, I’ve been keeping a carton of eggs in the fridge, with a big “X” across the front. I keep them in there 3 to 4 weeks before trying to boil them and that sometimes produces better results.

What’s even more amazing is that I researched the heck out of pressure cookers before ordering one and I had never read about the boiled egg trick. After reading Romonia’s email, I did a bit of research and the info is out there . . perfectly peeled boiled eggs. Thank you so very much, Romonia, for that tip!

She said she used little foil rings to hold the eggs up but I figured I’d try it without the foil rings since I don’t want to waste foil every time I boil eggs and I won’t save the little rings.

Eggs to Boil

Eggs to Boil

I went out to one of the coops and got three eggs. Can’t get much fresher than that . . laid this morning.

Boiling Eggs

Boiling Eggs

The trivet/steaming rack is placed in the cooker. I added 1 cup of cold water. I placed the eggs on the tray.

Boiling Eggs

Boiling Eggs

They were cooked on low pressure for 6 minutes. Romonia does quick release but I wanted to try it with the natural release so I turned the pot off after 6 minutes and let it sit til the pressure dropped. The eggs were removed and placed in a bowl of ice water. I called Vince in to watch when I peeled them. We don’t get much excitement around here . . unless you count the skunk incident . . and I began peeling eggs.

Boiled Eggs

Boiled Eggs

They are perfect! Not one single flaw. The shells slipped off with no prying, no trying to slide my fingernail under the shell and hoping it would release and leave a little white attached to the yolk instead of most of the white coming off in the shell.

Boiled Eggs

Boiled Eggs

The yolk is pretty much centered. I’m thinking the reason Romonia uses the little foil “racks” was to keep the yolk from being off to one side .. I don’t know.

Cooking the eggs on low pressure for 6 minutes, then using either quick release or natural release, submerging them in ice water does result in perfectly peeled boiled eggs. 

I would never have tried to boil eggs that were just laid because it would have been a mess to peel and most of the white would have gone into the compost bin. My life has just been made so much better!  🙂   I would buy this pressure cooker again just for cooking boiled eggs!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. LOL! I mentioned that to you the other day, and I was wondering if you’d tried it yet!
    Eggs were the first thing I cooked, and I was amazed!! Like you, I’ve tried every method out there for eggs that peel easily – and when I tried this the shells practically slid off the eggs!

    I’ve also made brown rice and a fish curry. The fish curry was a little bland, so I’ll tweak the recipe next time – but it cooked frozen fish fillets in 2 minutes!!! Wow!!!

    I love my new pressure cooker!!
    Tonight I’m trying a whole chicken! 🙂

  3. The recipes sound great, but do you think this pressure cooker would work for canning as well? That’s what I really need.

  4. I’m enjoying your discoveries on the utility of the pressure cooker. It just keeps getting better!

  5. I have not tried it yet, but did read about it in the Hip Pressure Cooking book the other day. I am always hard boiling eggs for us and Dad as Dad can not peel an egg! I’m good about 80% of the time. Ones that don’t peel well end up in salad!

  6. While I don’t think I’ll buy the canner (especially just for boiling eggs! LOL) that is truly AMAZING! I get eggs from my niece’s chickens and have absolutely wanted to scream! I volunteered a couple of times to do deviled eggs for functions (funerals, Ronald McDonald house, etc) and wound up resorting to buying the boiled, peeled eggs at Walmart. That’s expensive!! That is awesome to know just in case I ever do break down and buy the canner (which I highly doubt).

  7. Oh great something else you’re making me think I need 🙂
    I always get volunteered to do deviled eggs (go figure because I can’t stand eggs at all unless baked in a cake lol) and getting them peeled drives me nuts. Those eggs are amazing! Even for older eggs much less just laid!!

    Keep the posts coming. If I end up with one I’ll need more ideas! I love your blog!!

  8. I have been reading your posts about pressure cooking and finding it very interesting.
    This may just push me over the edge ,as my hens just started laying a few weeks ago.
    I know fresh eggs are difficult to peal, but this may just be the thing to solve that problem.

  11. I’m headed in right now to give this a try since I needed to boil eggs anyhow. You keep trying stuff and sharing so I know what to do!!! 🙂

  13. We have chickens an I feel your pain! One question……you said one cup of water……does that mean the eggs are not covered in water.

  14. Just curious, how long does it take after the 6 mins, for the cooker to cool down enough to open it?

    • You can do the quick release and it’s pretty much instant. That works with the eggs too. To let it release naturally, it probably took another 5 or 6 minutes. I wasn’t paying attention but will try to remember to time it next time. I’ll be doing more eggs this evening.

  15. I thought I wanted one of these cookers before – now I KNOW I want one! I wonder how quail eggs are to peel cooked in the pressure cooker?! I raise quail (buy fertile eggs, hatch them in the spring, they start laying at 7 weeks old, then collect eggs all summer and then give the birds away in the fall when they quit laying so I don’t have to feed them in the winter when they aren’t laying – then start the cycle again in the spring). Hubby really likes spicy pickled quail eggs, but they are a PAIN to peel! They have a tougher membrane than chicken eggs. I really think I need a pressure cooker! 🙂

  17. I basically live on eggs, milk and cheese.

    I keep a carton in my fridge marked with an X or “HB” **just** for the eggs after I boil them.

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