Ever wonder what to do with too many leftover deviled eggs? Probably not, because leftover deviled eggs don’t even exist.
They are too delicious, and otherwise too fun to eat. But peeling eggs is not as fun as eating them. If only peeling were always like that magical time when you get the whole shell off in one piece. It’s stressful to pick off eight or ten thousand tiny shell fragments, tearing hunks of the white off as you go. Still, the peeling doesn’t even always deter us.
Popping a deviled egg into your mouth, with its sharp, creamy rich yolk mousse nestled in their slippery modernist-looking egg-white vessels, somehow seems to make up for the inconvenience. Next time you start to make deviled eggs, you can forget about those shell fragments with a process that's pretty straightforward. There are tricks to make it simpler.
With some egg wisdom you can make the whole process breezy. When that happens, you might make them every time someone comes over to visit you, and many of the other weekend and weekdays, in between, including each and every brunch and holiday party you go to this year. In a few years, you might saturate your fan base and wonder what to do with leftovers. But until then, have at it.
This recipe is classic because mustard, mayo and vinegary hot sauce is a good flavor combo. But you can change things around and add pinches of bacon or curry or scallions and everything bagel seasoning if you like that. There is at least one variation for every day of the year.
Can You Make Deviled Eggs Ahead of Time?
Yes! Make the filling and the eggs in advance—just keep the whites and yolks separate and pipe just before you are ready to eat.
Use Older Eggs
Older eggs are easier to peel than fresh ones: in an older egg, the membrane between the shell and the white is more likely to stay in one piece and stick to the shell rather to the egg white.
Stack to Steam
Steaming uses less water and takes the same amount of time. When you steam eggs, you can stack them directly on the Egg Rack(Opens in a new window).
Under Pressure
An electric or standard pressure cooker makes consistently good hard boiled eggs that don’t have a sad, grey outer-yolk because they are not over cooked. Most electric pressure cookers beep at you when the eggs are done, so, all you have to do is dunk them in a bowl of frigid water (AKA an ice bath), wait 15 minutes (don’t refrigerate them). Then tap both ends and roll them around and peel off the shell in big, satisfying pieces.
Tender Whites and Crumbly Yolks
Timing is important here. An ideal deviled egg has a tender, non-rubbery white and a moist yet crumbly yolk that is yellow all the way to the edge. Luckily, unlike some other proteins, eggs are sold in standard sizes, and there is no guesswork. They take the same amount of time to cook in boiling water every time. Using an actual timer, (instead of estimating) is a good move that’ll get you just-right eggs every time.
Keep Your Cool
When you plunge eggs into a big bowl of ice water, you bring their temperature down quickly and stop the cooking process.
You’re Crushing It
You can push yolks through a potato ricer to pulverize them before you mix in the dressing. If you have a food processor, pop the yolks and dressing ingredients in there an pulse for an extra creamy and fluffy filling.
Neatness Counts
Yolk smears are not dangerous but deviled eggs look better without them. If things got messy during cutting and yolk removal, swish the cut whites in and let them dry before piping in the yolk mixture.
Season to Taste (Literally)
Before transferring your yolk mixture to a piping bag, taste it. It should be seasoned enough to flavor the yolk mousse but also the mild tasting whites.
Pipe with a Baggie
Piping rather than spooning will help you get really neat looking eggs. Squeeze the filling into the egg-white hollows with a sealable bag with a tiny corner snipped off. Make sure that you put the tiny corner right into the trash.
The Cup Trick
Put the bag cut corner down, into a cup and fold the cuff over the glass before filling. This stabilizes the bag and keeps the filling from sneaking out of the hole as you fill it.
Pipe Down
When piping a swirl (this also applies to cupcakes, work with the tip of your bag close to the surface and lift up only to finish the center peak. That will give you a more controlled swirling technique.
Plus, check out our All-Purpose Guide to Cooking Eggs, tips on how to use an egg poacher, and easy recipes for homeade egg dyes.
