Adding salt to the cold water before boiling the eggs also makes it easy to peel. So, you don't have to use vinegar.

They have sodium benzoate in them but don't really taste any different. Whole Foods carries some that probably don't have the preservative.

I am the laziest person ever when it comes to cooking. Probably get takeout or prepared food from the grocery store 3 nights a week. Yet even I make hard boiled eggs. They are so easy to make and last forever. I've bought the ones pre-made from the grocery store, and yuck. Too slimy.

Yuck

Another alternative. I needed to add some protein for breakfasts, but wanted to cut back on the fat in eggs. So I now get cartons of the egg whites and put two eggs worth of egg white in a small bowl, microwave for 40 seconds and I have a fat free egg white omelet. A dash of salt and pepper and it's a fast way to get the protein without the fat.

1. They taste pretty normal and don't have weird stuff in them. They usually are not badly overcooked (my problem with most hard boiled eggs) but the white is still pretty far on the rubbery side.

2. The person who recommended vinegar for peeling has it exactly backwards. Eggs are easier to peel in basic solutions. Add baking soda and use older eggs.

THE QUESTION IS do they add preservatives!

I'm ignoring the you can fix them for yourself b/c I see these at the hotel/motel breakfast bars and so I'd like to know the preservative answer b/c altho I do fix my own eggs I would like to know what I am eating when I am on the road!

Older eggs peel better than fresh ones--use eggs that are a week old for the best results.

Hi - I'm the PP that recommended the vinegar. Yes, I find that the vinegar taste / smell does dissipate after they are cooled. An eighth of a teaspoon might be less than I put in. Instead of dash, I should have written "splash." It's probably more like a teaspoon or a teaspoon and a half.

I found the key to making the vinegar trick work is to put the eggs in cold water, add the vinegar, do not add salt (my mother always used to add salt to egg boiling water but I feel like the salt affects the vinegar because they weren't easily peeled when I added salt), heat it up to a rapid boil for 5-10 minutes, let stand for 5-10 minutes, run under cool water and put in the fridge.

PP, does the vinegar-y smell & taste go away? I have never had luck with this step. When you say "a dash" do you mean 1/8 tsp? thank you

I've tried the ready to eat eggs and find they don't taste at all real. Very rubbery and they need to be over-salted, which isn't good. Like a PP said, I just started boiling a dozen eggs every Sunday and using them throughout the week. Add a little (like a dash) vinegar to the water and you'll have no problem getting the shells off when you peel them. They taste so much better. Plus, you get to choose the type of eggs you prefer that way (organic, cage-free, etc...).

I agree with PP. Make a bunch on Sunday. They last for a week unpeeled and only take a few seconds to peel when you're ready to eat. I start them in cold water, bring to a boil, turn off heat, and let sit for 15 mins. Then remove to an ice bath. Perfect every time. Must be way cheaper too.

Why would you buy those when eggs are so cheap & boiling them is so easy?

I'm queen of convienence stuff but...

I get them at Trader Joe's -- they are great. They taste fine and make good egg salad, sliced up in salads, etc.

Has anyone here tried buying the bag of peeled hard boiled eggs at Costco? I think I've seen them at Safeway too. Do they taste normal, or is something done to preserve them? Starting a diet where I need to have frequent protein and this seems like it could be convenient.