I’ve tried
all the tricks from
the leading experts. Mon frère
Jacques Pépin says hold the egg
under running water while you peel it
so the membrane separates from the white.
Chris Kimball says give the egg an ice water bath
for three whole minutes—an eternity for those of us
who believe in instant gratification—which he swears
makes it shrink from the membrane like a snake about
to shed its skin. Coleman Davis says to hell with all that,
just add a heaping teaspoon of baking soda to the boiling
water & the shell comes right off. My grandma, whose
opinion I respect way more than any of those dudes,
said always start with that air pocket on the egg’s
flat end, not the pointy end, which just stands to
reason when you think about it. Yet sometimes
even that, or all of the above all at once,
doesn’t work & you’re left with an egg
that would rather be torn to shreds
than collaborate with the enemy
& give up without a fight,
taken alive.