I Finally Tried This Incredible Hack for Easy-Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs—and I’ll Never Go Back

There are a few things we all avoid in the kitchen because it’s just too much of a pain. For some, it’s making your own puff pastry or pie dough. For others, it’s anything that uses several dishes—the cleanup just isn’t worth it. For me, it’s making hard-boiled eggs. 

Hard-boiling eggs is not a lengthy, messy, or complicated process. But peeling them is a whole different story. Every time I try to peel a hard-boiled egg, I end up with something that looks more like moon craters than a smooth and bouncy egg. Large chunks of egg get ripped away with pieces of the shell, leaving me with hardly enough egg to make egg salad or potato salad with—much less enjoy on its own. Plus, my deviled eggs often don’t have enough egg to support the filling! 

I’ve been trying new techniques, tips, and tricks to get a smooth and dent-free hard-boiled egg—to little or no success. Some hints, like peeling eggs under running water, certainly help, but do not have a 100% success rate in my kitchen. So when I came across this TikTok video, I figured I’d give it a go to see if it could be the answer to my woes. After boiling a dozen eggs, all but one were absolutely pristine. So now I will never attempt to make hard-boiled eggs without this handy trick! 

The Tap Method to Easy-Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs

Over half of a million TikTok users “liked” this video from creator @aymlessleigh84, who shared a “tapping” method for easy-peel hard-boiled eggs. Before boil your eggs, take a metal spoon and lightly tap the round side of the egg. That side has an “air cell,” or air space inside an egg that forms after an egg is laid. The USDA states that the cell usually rests “between the outer and inner membranes at the egg’s larger end, and it accounts for the crater you often see at the end of a hard-cooked egg.” 

The creator says that tapping this side of the egg releases the membrane from the shell, so the hard-boiled egg will “slide right out.” When you (lightly) tap, listen closely for a higher-pitched “ping” noise. It will sound noticeably different from the sound of the spoon tapping on the shell. The creator says it’s a “different kind of noise,” and you’ll hear “tap, tap, tap, ping” That’s how you know the egg is ready to be boiled. Listen to the video for a demonstration of the particular sound to listen for. Depending on the egg and how gently you tap, you can hear this noise immediately, after a few or several taps. 

She states this is the “best life hack you’ve ever seen,” and commenters seem to agree. 

“I’m the Deviled Egg Queen of the family,” shared one commenter. “WHERE HAS THIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE!?!”

“Thank you so much,” said another. “I had so many issues peeling soft boiled eggs. I tried 5 times and wasted so many eggs. I did your method today after buying more eggs and they were so perfect omg. Just falls off!”

The video above shares a side-by-side demonstration of a traditionally boiled egg and an egg that has been tapped. You can see how clean the peeling is with this trick.  

When I tried this, some eggs shells came off in big chunks, while others came off in smaller pieces. Regardless, the hard-boiled egg was completely intact, bouncy, bright, and smooth. It takes very little extra time to tap these eggs before putting them in a pot to boil, so I will gladly implement this hack any time I need to make a batch of hard-boiled eggs.