If Guacamole, caviar, and gochujang aren't the first things that come to
mind when you think of deviled eggs, then you're missing out.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make with deviled eggs happens before you even get cracking,
which would be using eggs that are too fresh. Why are fresh eggs so problematic? Well,
the simple answer is, older eggs just peel easier.
The reason being is that the egg whites in fresh eggs are more acidic, which makes them stick to
the shells more when you boil them. After your eggs have been in the refrigerator for a few days,
the pH rises to become more alkaline, which makes them easier to peel. If you use fresh eggs,
it's suggested that you raise the alkalinity of the water in which you plan to boil them.
To raise the water's alkalinity, you can add baking soda at a rate of ½ teaspoon of baking
soda per quart of water. Since eggshells are porous, the alkaline water will permeate the
shells to make the egg whites inside more alkaline. However, there's a downside to
this method, in that your eggs will end up smelling and tasting more sulfurous.
"Deviled egg?"
"No."
"Close the lid, it smells like a box of ass!"
An alternative to adding baking soda to your water is to cook your eggs a
little longer than usual to ensure the egg whites hold together better. And,
if you refrigerate your eggs before peeling, it will give them a chance to firm up even more.
There's nothing more disappointing than slicing open your boiled eggs
and realizing the yolk was off-center, resulting in a fragile egg white. However,
there are tricks to obtaining more symmetrical deviled eggs,
including paying attention to the age and grade of the egg, storage methods, and
cooking methods. While none of these methods are "completely reliable," they're still worth a try.
Fresher, high-grade eggs have smaller air cells and thicker egg whites. Meanwhile,
the egg whites in older eggs have less water,
causing the yolk to float upward. While you don't want to use an extremely fresh
egg for your stuffed eggs, you also don't want to use an extremely old egg either.
Chef Palak Patel from the Institute of Culinary Education told Mashed that storing eggs upside
down, with the tapered end pointing downward, can help center the egg by allowing the air inside the
egg to settle towards the top versus the bottom. However, food industry studies indicate that it's
best to store eggs on their sides rather than on one end or the other to keep yolks more centered.
Some people also try cooking techniques to attempt more centered eggs. One involves swirling the
eggs around in the pot during the first few minutes of cooking, while the other involves
standing the eggs upright in the pan. You could even try an egg trivet to stand them upright.
One of the mistakes you're making with deviled eggs is boiling eggs straight from the fridge. You
definitely want to add your eggs to boiling water, but you shouldn't do it when the egg surface is
frigid. Adding cold eggs to boiling water can create a volatile reaction inside the eggshell.
Several things happen as a result, including the shells cracking from extreme temperature
differences, the egg whites sticking to the shell, and the egg becoming "rubbery and tough."
Tennessee chef Jason Smith told Southern Living that, if you take the eggs out of
the fridge as you're bringing your water to a boil, the egg surface should be the right
temperature by the time the water reaches boiling to avoid negative results. You can
also place your eggs in a container of room temperature water for five minutes
before boiling to ensure they won't crack and to achieve the hard-boiled perfection you're after.
Some deviled egg recipes suggest placing eggs in cold rather than heated water. However,
the success rate for being able to peel them cleanly is much lower if
you add them to cold water. When Serious Eats culinary
consultant J. Kenji López-Alt tested boiled egg results, he found that…
He added,
He explained that a gradual temperature increase results
in the egg whites sticking to the shell membrane, making them harder to peel.
In his book On Food and Cooking, food chemistry authority Harold McGee said
that you shouldn't cook eggs at a harsh, rolling boil. Instead,
you want to simmer them in bubble-less water at a temperature between 180 and 190 degrees
Fahrenheit. López-Alt suggests starting the eggs at boiling for half a minute to help set the egg
whites before dropping the water temperature down to between 180 and 190 degrees Fahrenheit.
Both McGee and López-Alt suggest steaming eggs above boiling water as an alternative
to create more tender eggs that are less likely to crack. If you steam the eggs,
you won't have to turn the temperature down to a simmer.
Timing your eggs is necessary to produce perfect hard-boiled eggs with yolks and egg whites that
aren't undercooked or overcooked. Lower cooking times result in a yolk that's still moist and
pasty. However, if you cook your eggs for as long as 15 minutes, you'll end up with an egg that is
dry and grainy. Longer cooking times release more ferrous sulfide, resulting in a green-gray yolk.
The amount of time you should boil them depends on your egg
size. Chef and owner of Braised and Deglazed Devan Cameron told Mashed,
Mashed recipe developer Susan Olayinka suggested the 5-5-5 method to get the perfect timing for
making Instant Pot boiled eggs. The 5-5-5 method involves five minutes of high-pressure cooking,
five minutes of natural steam release with the lid still on,
and five minutes of cool-down in an ice water bath before peeling.
If you've ever tried filling deviled eggs with a spoon, you know how messy it can get.
If you end up using your fingers to push the filling from the spoon into the egg cavity,
the filling on your fingers is likely to end up where you don't want it, making a mess of your
eggs. A deviled egg hack that can help you avoid mess and create more beautiful eggs is using a
piping bag. If you don't have a piping bag, you can make a disposable one by cutting one corner
off a Ziploc bag. However, using the tips that come with a piping bag can make your deviled
eggs look a lot fancier. Just be sure to keep your pinky extended while you do your piping!
"How's that?"
"Higher!"
"Like that?"
"Now that's fancy!"
One TikTok user shared a hack for deviled eggs that involves mixing
all your filling ingredients in a Ziploc bag. The best part is,
squeezing the bag not only combines the ingredients but also smashes the yolks.
Making deviled eggs ahead of time is possible. Of course, you and others with access to your fridge
have to resist the temptation to accidentally eat them all before you plan to serve them. The
FDA says that you can keep hard-boiled eggs in the fridge for up to a week after you boil them. So,
you can always boil the eggs up to seven days before you plan to eat them
and stuff them later. However, once you've turned hard-boiled eggs into stuffed eggs,
it doesn't take long before the filling starts changing consistency.
In the question and answer part of her website, cooking guru and hosting queen Ina Garten said,
It's easy to get into a rut making deviled eggs with just mayonnaise for creaminess. However,
there are plenty of other options to make your yolk filling creamy either
alone or combined with mayonnaise. Options like…
"Lye!"
"No! All we need is mayonnaise!"
We certainly can't recommend you use lye. But any creamy dairy product could work,
like sour cream or crème fraîche. You could even consider using creamy salad dressings.
Greek yogurt is also a secret ingredient you can add that has fewer calories and
fat than mayonnaise. Surprisingly, Julia Child liked to add butter to her deviled
eggs. Yellow mustard is always an option, but we suggest Dijon or stone-ground mustard,
which will give it a more complex and extra pretentious flavor.
Pat and Gina Neely, who host the Food Network's "Down Home With the Neelys,"
add hot sauce to their deviled eggs, and mayo and mustard to kick the flavor up a notch.
Guacamole - or just smashed avocados for that matter - is another possible
contender for injecting some creative creaminess into your deviled eggs.
If you've ever accidentally added too many wet ingredients to your stuffed egg filling,
you'll probably go to great lengths to never do it again. When you add too many wet ingredients,
you can end up making the filling too runny to stay in the hollow of the egg
white. And if you add too much mayo, even the biggest mayonnaise lover is
likely to find that the taste overwhelms the flavor of the yolk and other ingredients.
Luckily, if you end up adding too many wet ingredients, you haven't made an irrevocable
mistake with your deviled eggs. Pantry & Larder explained that the best way to
thicken your runny deviled egg filling is to add in more egg yolks. If you don't have more eggs,
you can add instant mashed potatoes or xanthan gum for fairly good results. If you don't have
any of these three options then breadcrumbs - though not ideal - can be used as a last resort.
Mayonnaise and other condiments can add creaminess to your deviled
eggs. But why stick with the same-old-same-old?
"It's called spicing it up!"
Exactly! Try adding other interesting ingredients to elevate your deviled eggs from ordinary to
extraordinary. Tasting Table came up with a variety of ingredients that can upgrade your
eggs. Options that can add more flavor include horseradish, curry powder, jalapeños , wasabi ,
sriracha, gochujang, and Portuguese allspice. Green olives, blue cheese, truffle, pesto, pimento
cheese, and crab can add other unexpected flavors to deviled eggs. Additional options include
adding crunch with crispy bacon or sweetness with honey, both of which combine well with mustard.
Smoked trout and olive deviled eggs are an unexpectedly lovely flavor explosion. And
If you want a flavorful surprise, try caviar — it's one fancy ingredient that will change your
deviled eggs forever. The unexpected ingredients Rachael Ray uses in her deviled eggs are anchovy
paste and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. And you can match Christmas deviled eggs to the
holiday's colors with fresh rosemary, fresh parsley, and pomegranate seeds.
Unless you serve your deviled eggs in a dish that fits your eggs exactly,
they'll likely end up wobbling and dumping their filling way too easily. Even then,
once someone takes the first egg, all the rest become unstable. So,
it's imperative to find a way to serve them to keep them from toppling over and making a mess.
Of course, the most obvious solution is to use a deviled egg serving plate like you probably
remember your grandma having. They have indentions that are specially made for holding eggs. However,
if you plan to transport your eggs or just want a way to cover them before consuming them,
you might be better off with a deviled egg carrier. If a specialized dish for eggs doesn't
seem like a practical solution, you can always use Amanda Freitag's simple trick that solves
the wobbly deviled egg problem. The "Chopped" judge said in an Instagram video that she cuts
the bottom of the egg off to make it flat so that she doesn't have to worry about her eggs tipping.