In addition to perfectly cooked eggs that are tender and delicious, another bonus of steaming eggs is easy peeling. Steaming eggs and losing chunks of the whites as you peel them is disappointing, but there are steps you can take to ensure your steamed eggs don’t look like they’ve already been chewed on.

When eggs are steamed, steam builds up inside the egg. This creates a separation between the shell and the thin, white membrane inside the egg that surrounds the egg white. This separation is what keeps the shell from sticking to the egg white, making it easier to peel eggs in record time. Eggs cooked from the start with cold water don’t benefit from the steam buildup, making the shell more likely to stick during peeling.

An ice-water bath can also make steamed eggs easier to peel. When the eggs are fresh from the pot, the whites and yolk are not fully set. Shocking them in ice water causes the egg to set, and it’s easier to peel the shell from an egg with a firm white.

To peel your steamed eggs, remove them from the ice water bath. Crack one end of the egg on a hard surface, then roll the egg on your surface with the palm of your hand, applying enough gentle pressure to crack the surface of the shell all over. Gently peel the shell away from the egg, holding the egg under cold running water to help loosen the shell.