How do you make egg salad?

[odatlynn]

I'm a beginner....so please bare with me. Could someone explain to me how to boil eggs to make egg salad. I seem to always have a green ring around the yolk. Am I not boiling it long enough? And, do you just put mayo in it with s and pepper? Thanks in advance!

[cuccubear]

I guess this thread kind of dried up but I was wondering if anyone else puts cream of tartar in the water when boiling the eggs? That's the way I've been doing it since my Food class in college. I think it was to make the eggs peel easier? (Sorry, college was quite a while ago!)

In regards to the egg salad, I use mayonnaise, pickle relish or chow chow, just a dab of yellow mustard and chopped celery.

BTW, odatlynn, tell us what you ended up doing and how did it turn out?

[crosby_p]

I put cold eggs in cold water. Turn on high for 17-minutes...remove, add ice and water til cool. Peel...chop with mayo, salt, pepper, plop on white bread. The end...

[amyzan]

You've had some good suggestions, and I will just add that if you don't have any old eggs in the house, you can "age" them. Leave them out on the counter overnight before boiling them for egg salad. This wilh help the white separate from the shell when you peel them.

Usual ingredients for me are: mayo, sieved yolk, s & fresh ground black p, bread and butter pickle, scallion, parsley, dry mustard, cayenne, sometimes capers or cornichons instead of the pickle.

[jfood]

jfood like many others here:

- place eggs in white pot, cover eggs with cold water
- bring to soft boil, cover and remove from heat for 12 minutes
- bring pot over to sink, dumo water and fill with cold water
- Peel eggs and place in another bowl, cool

To make the egg salad, jfood keeps the ingredients very simple

- Cut each egg in half and place the yolks in one bowl and the whites on the cutting board.
- Add Hellmans to the yolks and mix thoroughly until creamy, add S&P
- cut the the whites into a little "dice" to give the final product some texture
- Fold the diced whites into the creamy yolk mixture

The trick to the whole thing is to mix the Hellmans (and only Hellmans) into the yolks without the whites in the same bowl. Otherwise the whites get beat up.

[filth]

Ditto, except I like some sweet pickle relish and shallot.

[dhedges53]

dhedges likes jfood's recipe. Especially the "dice" of the egg whites for texture. dhedges also likes some sweet relish, finely diced celery, a shallot, mayo, and a shot of mustard. Also, I grate my eggs.

[odatlynn]

Thank you so much for all the responses. I was away on business and just got backi. Will make egg salad today! thankyouverymuch!

[greygarious]

My egg salad add-ins: mayo, minced scallion, curry powder, mustard, sweet pickle relish, celery, Old Bay seasoning - all of those - and sometimes bacon too.

[laliz]

I grate my eggs also.
I use a ratio of about 1/3 room temp cream cheese and 2/3 Best Foods mayo.
Not too much, I don't like it "wet"
No celery or onion crunch in mine either.
In my last batch I did throw in a handful of frozen petite peas, but then, I'm like that.
Salt and pepper and maybe paprika to garnish.
Deviled egg sandwich on good white bread with a cup of hot chocolate.

[fourunder]

I grate my eggs also.
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laliz,

l was surprised with all the great tips and recipes offered thus far, it took to the 23rd post to mention grating the eggs. I did not want to post a duplicate, but now I will second your suggestion of grating eggs...

The result of grating the eggs makes for a creamier and smoother texture of the egg salad...I grate using the small holes, not the larger ones. Doing side by side comparisons in the home and in commercial kitchens I have been in the past two decades with family and staff....the overwhelming favorite is the grated egg salad over the chopped, mashed or sliced methods.

[walker]

Please tell me...how do you grate the eggs without also grating some of your finger flesh?

[Boccone Dolce]

Add me to the 'let them sit after water boils' gang - only I cover and leave them for 13 minutes. Then I fill the pot with water and ice to cool them down quicker- bang them around in the pot and they usually peel super fast and then I blot them on paper towels.
I don't care for eggy/mayo-ish stuff but my husband does so I make this like he loves it:
eggs chopped very fine. Dry mustard, and a squirt of spicy brown plus 3 big globs of mayo. Stir. Onion powder, dash of salt, white pepper. It's important that there not be any crunch in his egg salad-he would assume it to be a speck of shell and egg salad fun time would be OVA sooner then it started.
Also, this occasion calls for white bread, sliced ripe tomato and possibly a side of soup. He doesn't want pickles or crackers or anything crispy (not even toast) but if I ate it I would do it on toast.

[alanbarnes]

Revsharkie is right that the green ring comes from overcooking.

Simmering eggs or letting them sit in water that's just off the boil will both work well. A full rolling boil tends to bash them into each other, which can result in cracks and "streamers." Be gentle with them.

The size and temperature of your eggs, the number of eggs you cook at a time, the amount of water you cook them in, and the amount of heat your stove puts out are all variables that will change the amount of time required to get a perfect hard-boiled egg, so use the information above as a guideline and, if you're interested in perfecting the art of the boiled egg, make notes of your own efforts so that you can duplicate them.

The main thing I have to add to the discussion, though, is a trick that I picked up in Julia Child's book The Way To Cook. Once the eggs are done, remove them from the pot of hot water, and let them sit in a big bowl (or another pot) filled with ice water while you bring the pot of hot water back to a boil. Remove the eggs from the ice water and plunge them into the hot water for 10 seconds, then back into the ice water for a few seconds, then peel them.

The thermal fluctuations will shrink, then expand, then shrink the egg itself. The shell, being, well, hard, can't shrink or expand as much. So the egg will tend to separate from the shell, making it a snap to peel.

As for ingredients, I make a homemade mayo for potato salad, egg salad, mac salad, etc. that has a hefty pinch of sugar and little extra salt and mustard. That's good by itself, but you can add anything else you want, from grated onions to sweet pickle relish to cornichons to capers to...

[JennyHunter]

It may not be traditional, but I like to add chopped green olives to my egg salad too. Or sometimes a little fresh dill.

[italianagambino]

i actually use an egg timer..
I add pepper, spicy mustard, crisp bacon, mayo, chives...Salt isnt really nescessary (espcially with mayo). I chop my egg up pretty fine too..

[chef chicklet]

I really love deviled egg salad sandwiches. mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar,and salt and pepper.

Cold water bring to a boil
add the eggs one at a time
Bring to a boil again cut the heat add the eggs cook 10 mins (i use the timer on the stove)
Then I let them sit for about 5 minutes, run the pot under cold water to cool
Peel with ease -make the salad.
mash the yolks with the mayo and mustard, vinegar and salt and pepper should be light and fluffy but not too mayonnaisey.... is that word?
sometimes I add dill pickles to the sandwich.

[jacquelyncoffey]

I also do the bring to a boil, cover and remove from heat method. I cool them really well with cold running water, and when I am ready to start peeling, I pour out the water, shake the eggs in the pan to crack the shells, don't shake TOO hard, and then start running more cold water in and beginning to peel under the running water - I learned that from Jacques Pepin. The recipe is eggs, Hellman's mayo, sometimes a little finely chopped celery, and some real crispy crumbled bacon, season to taste. Sometimes it's just eggs and Hellman's. Enjoy!

[OCAnn]

Mine's a touch different from the rest, but still to good results. From the time I put the eggs & water in a pot set on high, I time 12-14 minutes depending on the number of eggs; not from the time it boils (I'll have to try this method). Then it goes in an ice bath.

I haven't perfected the peeling yet though. Most of the time, it'll peel easily in big peels (when I start from the "bottom"); others, it's messy little cracks.

For me, it's Best Foods only.

[janniecooks]

what everybody else said about boiling. I like to add a bit of minced onion, always, and sometimes will add fresh chopped dill or tarragon to my egg salad, along with mayo, S&P, and perhaps some dry mustard.

[meatn3]

I use the method ziggylu uses for boiling. Try to use older eggs, really fresh ones are harder to peel and rip easily. I use a fork to gently break up the yolks, then add mustard (Dijon), then add mayo - stir gently all the while. Once the yolks are well flavored I mix in my chopped whites. I sometimes use white pepper and/or paprika. I feel the mustard reduces the need for salt.

My mother grates her eggs - I find I prefer the whites in bigger chunks for a little more texture.

[revsharkie]

I have a nice egg slicer that I can put the egg in two different ways, so I slice them, then turn them and slice them again lengthwise. So the white ends up in good-sized, uniform chunks.

[RGC1982]

I do what revsharkie does EXCEPT that I turn off the heat and leave the cover on for ten minutes. Resharkie keeps the heat on. First -- start with room temperature eggs and put them in cold water in the pot. This reduces cracking. If you see the water boiling, cover and turn the heat off and leave for ten minutes, you will have perfectly cooked eggs, fewer cracks and no green rings for your egg salad.

[kobetobiko]

I watched Jacques Pepin on TV last time and he taught the trick of having no green ring around the yolk. Pepin said that simply prick a hole in the shell at the wide end of the egg, through the small air pocket. This can be done with a sewing needle, or a pushpin. By doing this you can remove the unpleasant sulfur gas smell and greenish hue around the yolk

Works for me every time!

[Naguere]

Sellotape a push pin inside a kitchen drawer, point outwards. Make certain when you close the drawer the pin will not pin it's self to the unit.

Then, take your egg and tap without fear on the broader end on to the point..
you will get a perfect pierce every time (almost)

[torty]

I would only add that our family method employed dry mustard which seemed to let the "egginess" shine through. Sometimes Dijon overwhelms.

[firecooked]

I am a fan of Dijon mustard (just a bit) mixed with REAL mayonaise.... and sometimes I will substitute a bit of the mayo with plain yogurt.

[jerzzy]

You have recieved 2 good repies so far. Like ziggy I also bring water to boil and then remove pot from stove covered. 10-15 minutes later perfectly hard boiled eggs! Enjoy!

[ziggylu]

When I boil eggs, i cover them with water, bring them up to a boil, remove from the burner, and cover for 15 minutes. Then I plunge them into ice water and let them cool. I always get perfect eggs this way.

I keep egg salad pretty simple. I chop the eggs up, mix with some dijon mustard, mayo and salt and pepper. I don't like it really wet so I don't use much mayo at all. For seasoning I might add some dill or smoked paprika but not much beyond that as I prefer it simple.

[Val]

I do mine like ziggylu...bring to boil, then take them off the heat and let them sit in the hot water, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes. (for2 soft-boiled eggs, I let them sit for 4 minutes...works pretty well!) If you only have 1 or 2 eggs, you can easily just use the 10 minute method. Revsharkie lets the eggs continue to cook but at a low simmer--not a problem, I guess, but if they boiling away at full-blast, you will probably end up with that green ring-thing. And I'm also a minimalist on the mayo but I must have finely chopped celery and/or celery leaves in mine, too. I hear that curry powder is a nice addition to egg salad AND to deviled eggs. Experiment and have fun...it's up to you and what you like.

[diablo]

I also use the same cooking method as ziggylu. I use a fork or potato masher to chop them up finely, mayo, mustard, finely chopped onion (just a little), salt pepper and a bit of Old Bay. Comes out great every time.

[jpc8015]

I do my eggs the same way except I let them sit in the hot water for about twenty minutes. For the salad I peel and slice the eggs the fold in Best Foods mayo and just a little bit of dijon mustard. The sky is the limit beyond that. Sometimes I'll ad diced celery or sliced sweet onion. I also like a little fresh thyme or tarragon.

[walker]

I do like ziggylu but after removing from heat, with lid on, for 13 minutes. Then, ice water (with ice cubes in the water).

One other trick: I use a pastry cutter to mash them all up with -- makes it a lot easier. I like finely chopped green onion and celery and mayo in mine.

Tastes really good on top of Wasa multigrain crackers -- they hold up well.

[Sooeygun]

I use the pastry cutter too. I used to use a fork, but the chunks are too small that way. My pastry cutter gets more use for eggs than for pastry.

I'm a minimalist with the ingredients. Egg, mayo, s&p, chives (or green onion in the winter).

[Bat Guano]

Yeah, that's how my mother taught me how to do it, and everybody knows your mother is always right! At least, she was about boiling eggs. Make sure you start with cold water over the eggs, though.

[revsharkie]

Actually, if you have a green ring around the yolk, they're overcooked. Here's what I do: Put them in the pan and cover with cold water. Turn the fire on high and when you notice they're boiling, set the timer for ten minutes. You can turn the fire down a little bit at tat point, but you still want them simmering. When the timer goes off, put the pan in the sink and run cold water in it for a long time--ten minutes, if you can get someone not to run through the kitchen and turn it off, like my husband does.

After you peel the eggs, chop them up. What I put in mine sort of varies according to my mood and what I have on hand. I always include salt and pepper (sometimes Lawry's Seasoned Salt), mayo and mustard. I do maybe two tablespoons of mayo and a teaspoon or so of mustard to four eggs. Sometimes I put a couple teaspoons of sweet relish in. Other times it's a little onion (regular or green onions), red or green pepper, or celery. I don't think you can really ruin it... have fun.

[goodhealthgourmet]

revsharkie, you can save a lot of water if you plunge the eggs into an ice bath instead...just add more cubes as the ice melts to keep the water super-cold.

[filth]

Agree with ghg. I hate preachy chowhounders but running water for 10 minutes to cool eggs is a waste of water.

Pouring off the hot water, running a couple of changes of cold water, then throwing some ice cubes in uses less water. One could argue that the ice took energy to make but I don't use that much ice anyway.

I also crack the cooling eggs against the pan or counter--supposed to help with the sulfur.

[goodhealthgourmet]

cracking the eggs shouldn't affect the sulfur issue - that's more a factor of over-cooking. but it does make peeling them easier.