Breakfast hack: Make your eggs effortlessly peelable and crack-free

Breakfasts typically include eggs. Quick to prepare, nutritious, and versatile enough to be incorporated into many simple dishes, eggs are a breakfast staple. Just add them to cold water and boil under a lid for a set time. For soft-boiled eggs, that's just 3 minutes, while hard-boiled eggs take around 10 minutes. Combined with toast and a hot dog, you get a hearty meal that ensures a great start to your day. But can you make an already quick meal prep even quicker? As it turns out - absolutely, yes!

Peeling the eggshell smoothly can sometimes be a challenge. It often sticks tightly to the egg, coming off with egg white which is frustrating and cosmetically unfavourable. But, there are some clever ways to make this task easier.

Add 2 slices of lemon to the boiling water with the eggs. Doing this ensures the shell comes off much more easily after you've boiled the eggs. It nearly peels itself off, without damaging the egg whites. The shell also comes off more readily while the eggs are still warm.

To stop eggs from cracking while they're boiling, it's important to handle them correctly. Don't add eggs directly from the fridge to boiling water, as the cold shells will crack in the hot water. You either need to let them reach room temperature before boiling, or you can add them to cold water and then heat it up.

Adding a teaspoon of table salt to the hot water also helps. The salt will prevent the shells from cracking during boiling and ensure the egg doesn't leak out due to a damaged shell.

Once the eggs have been boiled, drain the hot water and soak the eggs in cold water to make peeling them easier. If you don't have much time for breakfast in the morning, you can also prepare an egg quickly in a microwave - a great trick for a quick and healthy breakfast wherever you are. Simply crack an egg into a microwave-safe dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover with a plate, and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium power. Bon appétit!