The Beauty of Egg Salad

Now that I live by myself, I don’t always keep a fully stocked refrigerator. Sure, there’s usually some kind of cheese, butter, the usual condiments, wine, and soda lurking inside, but I know I can always count on finding eggs in there. While I can always fry an egg, sometimes I want something different. That’s when I go back to the comfort food of my youth and whip up a batch of egg salad. Hard cooked eggs are nice to have on hand, and they’re the base for egg salad so let’s look at how to cook the eggs.

How to Cook Hard Cooked Eggs

I used to struggle with cooking hard cooked eggs. I would end up with rubbery whites and a weird green rim around the yolk. Well, it turns out, it’s how you cook the eggs that keeps them from turning rubbery and having a weird green ring. There are chemicals in eggs, sulfur and iron, that affect yolk color. The longer the egg is heated the stronger the chemical reaction, which translates to darker rings and more rubbery whites. So, for more tender whites and creamy yolks, hard cook — don’t boil the eggs!

To start, place eggs in a saucepan and add cold water to cover by one inch. Don’t overcrowd them as this could cause some to crack as they come to a boil. Bring the water to a boil, cover the pan, remove the pan from heat, and let sit for 10-12 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a bowl of cold water.

Tips On Prepping Hard Cooked Eggs For Egg Salad

A regular kitchen teaspoon makes quick work of peeling hard-cooked eggs. First, crack the shell on either end of the egg, then insert the spoon into the opening. Rotate the spoon, lifting the shell as you go. It sure beats “picking” off the shell bit by bit!

Dicing and chopping eggs for dishes like egg, macaroni, or potato salads can be time-intensive. But using a common kitchen item will help speed up the process.

Egg Salad Time

Now that the eggs are ready, it’s time to have some fun. I like to mix mayonnaise, mustard, pickle relish, and herbs. That’s the base. Sometimes I use half mayo and half salad dressing. I change up the mustard — Dijon, yellow, coarse-ground. Do you like sweet relish or dill, or no relish? I like to add parsley, or dill to my egg salad. If I have tarragon that needs to be used, I will make a batch just to use up the herb, while also adding capers to the mix. See how much fun it is? Options are endless!

Delicious Egg Salad Recipes

If you’re looking for a completely different take on egg salad, look no further than this Spanish Egg Salad. Serrano ham, red onion, and pimento-stuffed olives really up the WOW factor.

Have you thought about egg salad as an appetizer? Paired with baby red potatoes — another one of my favorite foods — these Roasted Red Potatoes Stuffed with Egg Salad are as fun to eat as they are to make.

The last recipe I want to share with you isn’t technically egg salad, but it does have the same components! This is an egg dressing, and it is scrumptious on the Chicken Tenders Salad. If you haven’t tried a chunky egg dressing before, you are in for a treat. This has a blend of mayonnaise and sour cream, plus white wine vinegar and prepared horseradish for a little kick.

I hope I’ve convinced you to make some egg salad soon. I promise, you won’t regret it. And remember, always keep those eggs handy in the refrigerator.

Grab the Recipes:

• Spanish Egg Salad
• Roasted Red Potatoes Stuffed with Egg Salad
• Chicken Tenders Salad with egg dressing