I Tried the TikTok-Famous Trick for Peeling Hard-Boiled Eggs with a Coffee Mug

When I’m super busy and know I won’t have time to cook, I make a batch of hard-boiled eggs to eat throughout the week. They’re a great option for snacks, breakfast, or to throw on a lunch salad for extra protein. But while cooking hard-boiled eggs is pretty easy, peeling them is another story. I normally use the ice water method for peeling, where I put the boiled eggs in a ice water bath for five minutes and then tap them on the counter and peel with my hands. More often than not, I lose at least half of a hard-boiled egg because I’ve peeled them too soon or not carefully enough.

So when I found this viral TikTok video with a new-to-me solution, I was instantly intrigued. The video poses an interesting idea: After you boil the eggs and put them in cool water, grab an egg and shake it inside of a coffee mug. Then, after the mug knocks off portions of the shell, it should be easy — even effortless — to peel. Could this really be a faster, easier method for peeling hard-boiled eggs? I had to find out for myself.

There weren’t specific, step-by-step instructions in the video, so I did my best to replicate the process. After boiling my eggs, I carefully moved the hot pot to the sink and ran them under cool water. Once most of the water was cold, I grabbed an egg and attempted to shake it inside of a mug. The first time, I must not have waited long enough for the eggs to cool, because the aggressive shaking totally destroyed the egg. So I waited an additional five minutes and then tried it again without shaking so long or aggressively. 

Read more: We Tried 7 Ways to Hard-Boil Eggs and Found a Clear Winner

I softly shook the mug three times before attempting to peel it — and that seemed to be the happy medium. The shaking cracked the egg without destroying the whites, but I still had to peel the egg carefully so as not to de-white the entire thing. Even though this was a cool trick, it ultimately took the same amount of time as my normal ice bath method.

Even though this trick doesn’t save me any time, it’s way more fun than the ice bath method. And I’m curious to see as I use it more often, if it would become easier and eventually faster. So yes: Whenever I need to make a batch of egg salad or deviled eggs, I’ll reach for my coffee mug.