If you’ve ever struggled to peel hard‑boiled eggs without tearing the whites, legendary chef Jacques Pépin offers a surprisingly simple and effective trick. His hack: poke a tiny hole in the broad (rounder) end of the egg before boiling. That small puncture releases the trapped air in the egg’s air pocket, which helps prevent the white from clinging to the shell.

Here’s how it works: inside every egg is a small air chamber at the larger end. As the egg heats up, that air expands. If it has nowhere to escape, pressure builds and can cause the shell to crack or make the membrane stick harder to the white. By giving the air a path out, you avoid that pressure buildup, making peeling smoother.

To try Pépin’s method, use a pin, thumbtack, or fine needle to gently pierce the shell at its broader end before boiling. Be careful not to crack the egg. Then cook the egg as usual—Pépin often uses a “barely boiling” approach (gentle boil) to avoid overcooking the whites. After cooking, immediately transfer the egg to ice water to cool it quickly, which helps the membrane separate from the shell. When you peel it, the shell should come off much more cleanly, leaving you with a smooth, intact egg white.

This hack is widely shared by cooking sources as a practical, low‑effort trick that almost anyone can use. Give it a try next time you boil eggs—you may never peel the old way again.