Julia Child’s Trick for Peeling Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs

Culinarily speaking, there are few things more satisfying than getting a perfect peel on a hard-boiled egg — and few things more frustrating than when the shells stick. Of course, there are endless tricks floating around the internet to make the process easier, but who has time to test out every trending technique?  That said, I’m always willing to test a theory from one of our original food influencers: Julia Child.

In her book, The Way to Cook, Julia shared her simple, foolproof technique. Once her eggs are done cooking, she puts them in ice water for two minutes, then back into boiling water for 10 seconds. This extra step is supposed to make peeling a cinch. Intriguing, right? Well, I will cut right to the chase — I tried it, and it works! I peeled six eggs with total confidence, and not a speck of egg shell stuck. 

Why Julia Child’s Egg-Peeling Trick Works

Despite the source, I will admit that I was skeptical about the trick because I could not wrap my brain around the why of it all. In the book, Julia explains that “the two-minute chilling shrinks the body of the egg from the shell,” and the boiling then “expands the egg shell from the egg.” I’m still not sure I get it (chemistry was not my favorite subject in school), but I trust her expertise in the matter. And in the end, the results speak for themselves. 

How To Peel Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs, According to Julia Child

The next time you make hard-boiled eggs, here’s how to give Julia’s trick a try:

1. Fill a pot of cold water, covering the eggs by 1 to 2 inches.
2. On the stovetop, bring the water to a boil over high heat, then remove from the heat and let the eggs sit for 8 to 12 minutes (depending on the size of the eggs and how you like your eggs cooked).
3. As the eggs are cooking, prepare an ice bath with enough water to submerge the eggs. At this point, I veered a bit from her directions. While she puts the original pot of water back on high when the eggs are in the ice bath, I wasn’t sure that two minutes would be enough to bring that water back up to a boil, so I used this time to put a second pot of water on high heat to ensure I’d have boiling water when I needed it again.
4. Once the eggs are done cooking, use a slotted spoon to lift them out of hot water and lower into the ice bath for two minutes, then put them into the boiling water for 10 seconds before bringing them back out for good.
5. Let the eggs cool until you’re able to handle them.
6. To peel, gently tap the egg on a countertop to break the shell (including once on each end), then roll them with light pressure between the countertop and the palm of your hand to loosen the shell. From there, it should be a breeze to peel your egg!