How to Peel an Impossibly Sticky Hard Boiled Egg

Okay, you followed the directions on how to cook an egg and the shell is still sticking? Never fear, it is very possible to remedy such a situation!

1. First, before going through all the trouble - sacrifice one egg and be sure the batch is actually cooked. Most likely it is, because it is usually overcooked eggs that are the stickiest.
2. Take the batch of hard boiled eggs that you need to fix and set them aside in a colander in the sink. Next, take a pot of near boiling water (you can also microwave the water in a cup) and pour over the eggs (with shells intact).
3. I usually do this for a good 15-30 seconds before moving on to the next step.
4. Next, take a pot of ice cold water (I actually put the ice in it) and pour over the eggs. Be sure to do this within 30 seconds of having poured the hot water over it.
5. Now, your eggs should be easy to peel. What happened? What did you do? When you poured the heat over the eggs, it caused them to temporarily expand against the shell. Next, when you poured the ice water, the egg inside reacted by shrinking and effectively separating itself from the shell. This REALLY works!
6. If you don't have time, or just have a mildly sticky egg - I usually will run it under hot tap water for about 30 seconds and then run it under cold water for just as long. It's important to "shock" the egg with the two temp changes to get the best effect. Often this quick method is enough to yield me a good amount of egg with very little shell problems.