I like eggs. Even the yolks - especially the yolks. In Avila, Spain, I stuffed yemas de Santa Teresa in my mouth. Sugared egg yolks.
But I didn't like egg salad until recently. It always smelled poopy from the sulfur. Then I learned how to hard boil eggs the right way. It seems simple, but so many people screw up the simplicity of eggs.
Here's how to make a proper, non-stinky, beautiful egg salad:
- 4 organic eggs
- 1 heaping tablespoon of kosher deli mustard (I prefer Batampte)
- 2 heaping tablespoons of mayonnaise (I prefer Smart Balance)
- A dash of random herb: a teaspoon of chopped chives, or chopped parsley, or a bit of tarragon (don't use a lot of tarragon, it can overpower) whatever you fancy. Or go without.
Place the eggs in a pot with water to cover. Heat on high.
When water comes to a boil, immediately cover the pot and remove it from the hot burner. Do not boil the eggs to death. That's how you get smelly-sulfury eggs with green rings around the yolks. Set the kitchen timer for 10 minutes and let the eggs lounge in the hot bath. Walk away. (if you use more than 4 eggs, set the timer for a few minutes more but no longer than 15.)
After the timer sounds, drain the hot water and give the eggs an icy cold water plunge. This stops the cooking process and is very refreshing. I actually put ice cubes in the water (a great reminder to clear out old ice from the freezer.) Let them rest in the cold. My theory is this practice also makes for easy-peasy peeling. Not sure where I read that.
About 20 minutes later, remove the eggs from the water, crack them at the bottom and peel the shells right off. Brush off any remaining shell fragments. Rinse the eggs if you need to, especially if one of them slips out of your hands and onto the floor (then pat them dry.)
Cut the eggs into quarters. The yolks should be a gorgeous bright yellow color - not pale yellow - but cooked all the way through. If you're conscious about how many yolks you eat, just remove a few.
Throw the egg quarters into a bowl. Mash them into bits with a potato masher. Don't pulverize, for godssakes. Add the mayonnaise, mustard and herbs (optional - the salad I just made is without herbs.) Stir vigorously, then it's ready to eat or chill.
I prefer to eat egg salad on toast. Especially yummy is this egg salad eaten on a toasted pita, open faced. The mixture of toasty, slightly crunchy pita with cool tangy egg salad is, dare I say, toothsome. I dislike the use of the word toothsome but I thought it would be fun to bring it out for this.
I'm an egg salad fanatic. Karen and I have been searching for the perfect hard boiling method for decades. We have used your method and like it, but we're still on our Quest.
Your recipe looks very good. Add a couple of cornichon if you're feeling really fancy pants.
Posted by: Tom Guarriello | 11 January 2011 at 01:33 PM
I use mayo, a touch of mustard, and a salt mix, like Paula Deen's house seasoning or Jane's Crazy Mixed Up Salt. I boil the eggs any old way I please since I can never remember the "perfect" way. This way seems pretty easy, though.
Posted by: Peeved Michelle | 11 January 2011 at 01:51 PM
Dill. Dill is awesome in egg salad. I love dill. I would love to sleep on a pillow made of dill.
Capers are also good in egg salad.
Anyway, adding some white vinegar to the water helps cut down on the stinky egg smell while cooking. It also helps them not stink as much if you store in the frig for eating hard-boiled.
Off to boil some eggs for spinach salad now. You planted the seed.
Posted by: lg | 11 January 2011 at 02:01 PM
Cornichon would be lovely. Thanks for the vinegar tip! I'm not a dillhead but I like a tiny bit in moderation, would be good in this! I love salt, I would put it on everything I make, but I try to make a few things without using it.
Thank you fellow egg fanatics!
Posted by: blaugra | 11 January 2011 at 02:53 PM
Two seconds before I saw this post, I was talking egg salad with a coworker who was eating egg white salad.
Thanks for the tips on boiling; I always forget.
Posted by: KtP | 11 January 2011 at 07:48 PM
I particularly liked the use of toothsome.
The Diner makes a lovely curry egg salad - must use my last Groupon to get some.
Posted by: Kristin | 14 January 2011 at 12:24 PM