January 16, 2003

How to Make Deviled Eggs

I've threatened to do this for awhile, but I just now got around to uploading the pictures. So:

I make deviled eggs a lot. It's my favorite egg-delivery system. And if a party breaks out, it's certainly a more fancy thing to bring than mashed potatoes from KFC. And my deviled eggs are, frankly, delicious. Starting from zero, it takes about two hours, which ought to be spread across two days to do it right.

Step One: Making the Mayonnaise

That's right, I said making the mayonnaise. Mmm. It turns out that unlike Miracle Whip, mayonnaise is supposed to taste like something. And it's not all that complicated, all things considered.

Ingredients
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
2 tblsp white wine vinegar
2 tblsp lime juice
1 egg yolk
1 whole egg
2 cups corn oil

Mayonnaise: Wet Ingredients

I'm going to be telling you a (relatively) fast recipe for mayonnaise I got from Good Eats on Food network. It makes a lot of mayonnaise (because there has to be enough to get the food processor involved), but you're going to use a quarter cup later on in the deviled eggs, so there won't really be too much left over.

Start with a whole egg, an egg yolk, and two tablespoons each of white wine vinegar and either lime or lemon juice. I expect other kinds of citrus juice would work, too. My squeezer lets a little bit of pulp into the juice, which I like to pretend gives the mayonnaise a little extra kick. The vinegar is actually the most important part of this step, because mayonnaise is just a complicated way of holding oil and vinegar together. The egg part is to provide an emulsion, a matrix to hold the oil and vinegar together. When you watch Good Eats, you get to use words like "matrix" when talking about food.

Mayonnaise: Dry Ingredients

To them, add one teaspoon of salt, one teaspoon of dry mustard, and a quarter teaspoon of sugar. They're mostly there because they're gritty; they'll help rip into the eggs and get the protein all mangled up. But they're also there for taste. I'm not entirely happy with my dry mustard; I'm pretty sure that if I got a little more upscale, I'd be able to taste the difference.

Put all the ingredients so far (which is everything but the oil) into the food processor and pulse it a few times to get things kind of foamy. You can do all this by hand, but it takes forever, and whisking that long is why the good people at Cuisinart invented the food processor.

Now add two cups of oil (I use corn, but you can use almost any oil, I think. I know Safflower makes a less tangy mayo, and supposedly you can add chili oil if you're crazy). Slowly. Drizzle it in. It helps if you have these little squeeze bottles, but if you have a steady hand, you could pour it directly from a measuring cup. I guess.

When you're done, the mixture will have turned from yellow to white, and it will be mayonnaise. Hooray! So much mayonnaise! there's a chance of some raw-egg-related problems, but the acidity is supposed to help with that. From what I hear. It's also supposed to help if you leave the mayonnaise at room temperature for six to eight hours before refrigerating it.

Now put the mayonnaise in jars of some sort. I used to use an old jar from store-bought mayonnaise, but then it was hard to convince people it was homemade. So now I use a couple of old jelly jars. In theory, I could go out and get a plain jar, but I don't feel like it.

Step Two: Boiling the Eggs

Ingredients
Eggs
Water

Okay, so you might already know how to make hard-boiled eggs. But I've done research on this (seriously! I bought books specifically for their tips on hard-cooking eggs, and I tried a variety of methods and searched on the Internet and all that sort of thing) and I have some tips. Number one: store your eggs on their sides in the refrigerator. For about twelve hours before the cooking. That will help center the yolk inside the egg, which will be important later on when the eggs are cut in half. There are other things you can do, like spinning each egg before putting it in the water, or getting this fancy egg rack, but this method is fast and keeps the yolk about where you want it.

I like to use a cold-water start, because I think it controls all the elements of the cooking a little tighter. Plus, while it takes a little longer, I don't have to do any preparation. Put a bunch of eggs into a pot. I have a pot into which I can put eight eggs. There isn't a lot of room for them, but I'm not wedging them down, either. I want to end up with six eggs for deviling, and I'm willing to prepare for the prospect of two eggs that are hard to peel or something. Plus, I like hard-boiled eggs on their own; a little salt on there, and I'll eat them right up. Cool Hand Luke was a wimp; I'm pretty sure I could eat sixty eggs. So I'm willing to make extras, is what I'm saying.

Cover the eggs, so there's about an inch of water above them. Sprinkle some salt into the water (it'll help seal minute cracks in the shell, and there's an outside chance it might help with the taste. Supposedly. Put the burner on "high" and partially cover the pot. Once it's at a full, rolling boil, put the cover all the way on, turn the burner down to low, and let it sit for thirty seconds. Then remove the pot from the burner and leave it for fifteen minutes. If you have a timer, the only time you have to be in the kitchen is to occasionally check to see if the water's boiling yet. And as far as I've been able to tell, it doesn't make much difference if you're a few minutes late with taking the pot off the burner. So there's no rush.

Here's some more high-tech cookery: move the eggs directly from the pot into some ice water. Not "very cold" water. "Ice"" water. The cold will do two things. First, it will stop the cooking process, which is important. And second, it does something I'm not clear on having to do with the membrane between the shell and the egg itself. The point is that doing this makes peeling the egg incredibly easy. Really.

Once the eggs have cooled down in the ice water, peel them. Right now. Take one egg and hit it gently against a hard, flat surface (you do have those in your kitchen, don't you?) repeatedly, rotating the egg around until you've hit it all over. The shell will still be in one piece, but it will be held together by a membrane; it won't be adhering to the egg white. If you roll the egg roughly between your hands, the shell should come off almost in one piece, like an orange peel but easier. And if you do it under some running water, the egg will come out from the shell almost on its own. While you're there, run the peeled egg under the water for a little bit to make sure any egg bits go away.

Seriously, that part is magical. Peeling eggs used to be a lot of work for me, involving a lot of fingernails. Now it's really easy. Whee! Now you've learned something.

Step Three: Deviled Eggs

Ingredients
6 eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp chives
A couple dashes of Tabasco sauce
Salt and pepper
Paprika

Put six hardboiled, shelled eggs on a plate. This is where some deviled egg recipes start, but that's after all the hard work, if you ask me.

Cut the eggs in half. It's important to make this part smooth, because people are going to see the part you cut. If the peeling didn't go perfectly, that doesn't matter so much, because even if you had to gouge big swaths of egg white to get all the bits of shell, that part will be facing away from the eater. But if you make a crude cut, that'll be more visible. So use a non-serrated knife. A paring knife is a great choice, because it's probably the sharpest knife in the drawer anyway.

Remove the yolks to a bowl. That's cookbook talk, that is. "Remove" doesn't ordinarily take an object. You should be able to grab each egg half and pop the yolk into the bowl. If one of the yolks is too close to the edge, it might rip the egg white, so be careful there. As of now, the whites are "shells" and should be put in the refrigerator to chill while you work on the yolks. I have an idea that cooling the whites stiffens them, but I might be imagining that.

Mash the yolks with a fork. You cannot mash them too much at this point. Go at 'em until they're basically powder. Then add the mayo, mustard, vinegar, and chives and mix it all together. The mayonnaise and egg yolk will set up nicely, turning the whole thing into a paste, and if you keep at it, it'll end up looking dry, not wet. Incidentally, the recipe I use for the yolk mixture is almost the same as the mayonnaise mixture. It's even the same white wine vinegar. I don't know if that really has any effect, but I think it's neat.

Now add the salt, pepper, and Tabasco. That last part is what, in my opinion, makes the eggs "deviled". It's not where the name comes from, because some recipes are just yolk and sour cream. Which makes them uninteresting. The Tabasco makes it more fun. The deviled egg recipe I adapted was originally by Emeril, and he went to the effort of putting in cubed jalapeno pepper or something. One time, I was out of Tabasco, so I put in a little hot Pace salsa, and it was really good. You don't want to overdo it, though because it doesn't take much hot stuff to overpower the rest of the egg.

Now the yolk stuff goes into the shells. I used to use a pastry bag, but that was a lot of effort. Plus, the yolk clogged up the nozzle and was a pain to clean. Now I just use a couple of forks to load up the shells. The addition of all that mayonnaise (which, I should mention, isn't particularly good for you) added a lot of bulk, so now the eggs will pile up nicely.

Finally, sprinkle paprika on everything. My paprika is pretty cheap, and I feel bad about that. But it still adds a nice touch of sweetness on the top of the egg. Plus, without it, things would look awfully bland with the yellow and the white. A nice dash of dark red helps out.

Now comes the hard part: put the eggs back in the refrigerator. Leave them alone. Let things congeal and mix. They'll be much better in a few hours. I should admit at this point that I always have a few right away. But at least I have the grace to feel guilty about it.

And then you eat them. The end!

Doh. I'm getting ready to dye eggs and wanted some kind of reference for boiling eggs since I hadn't done it in so long. I always read you from 3WA and DamnHellAssKings, but today you were one of the better Google answers for egg boiling. Thanks!

Posted by: K at April 19, 2003 01:18 PM

I loved deviled eggs. I couldn't find my grandmothers recipe so i used this one. This was the first time i've made deviled eggs let alone a hard boiled egg. I didn't have any chives so i used some dill weed. May not taste like chive but the color was close. Turned out pretty good though. It was a little dry for my liking so i also added a splash of vinegar.

Posted by: first time at August 8, 2003 03:15 PM

I forgot how to make the dumb eggs for a wedding reception, so I ACTUALLY had to look it up. Thank GOD everybody liked them. But I think my brownies were a big hit, two. Not to mention the chocolate lax I added. Now THAT was funny. :)

Posted by: Rusty at August 25, 2003 10:16 AM

Somehow I turned into the "deviled egg lady". Every event we attend, I'm asked to bring the eggs(One year for my birthday I received 4 deviled egg plates). I'm always looking for new tips and I learned alot from your instructions. Thanks! Now I have to go make some eggs- I'm going tailgating this afternoon!

Posted by: Robin at September 13, 2003 07:47 AM

awesome site! I was hardboiling some eggs for my husband to make his famous egg salad for a brunch at work, needed some hardboiling tips and have never heard of doing it the way you do, but I tried it, hope it turns out ok..lol..and yes, LOVED the humor too.:) God bless!

Posted by: Laura at September 18, 2003 01:51 PM

Not like momma used to make, but then again she couldn't put chili powder in the chili, dad's ulcers you know. But all in all pretty decent recipe. Added small quantity of chopped onion.

Posted by: niblick at September 25, 2003 11:39 AM

good recipe. i found it AFTER i had made my deviled eggs. if you can call them that. it was my first attempt and a last-minute decision. i grabbed eggs out of the refrigerator, boiled them, cooled, peeled, pulled out the yolks, mixed with only mayonaise, put it back into the eggs, and threw them back into the refrigerator. i didn`t have any of the other ingredients - we`re not too fancy around here. deviled eggs just sounded good today so i did what i could. it`s also a great food for people on low-carb. diets! eggs and mayo both are very low in carbs [ eggs = 0 carbs, mayo = 0 carbs ]! thank you for the tips that i`ll use next time!

Posted by: jen at October 14, 2003 10:40 AM

Ha ha, and here i was just looking for a straight forward recipe. Little did i know, i was about to be entertained :-)

'Til now i've followed my mother's recipe which calls for tuna (in olive oil) and finely diced cooked carrots on top of all the other ingredients. It also never hurt to garnish them with a half slice of a sour pickle and a half slice of cooked carrot jammed right into each middle ...but it would have to be some special guest.

Great site! Thanks

Posted by: Kasia at October 25, 2003 12:27 PM

I enjoyed your site, especially storing & peeling tips, awesome. One of my secret weapons is adding Italian dressing to the yolk mixture, it adds a lot of flavor. Thanks again!!!

Posted by: Liz at November 1, 2003 06:51 AM

I am going to an early Thanksgiving dinner this Sunday with my future-in-laws. We were asked to make deviled eggs. Never making them before is a little nerve wrecking but with the instructions you gave I think things will work out great. Thanks for the laughs and the step by steps.

Posted by: Cally at November 13, 2003 08:34 AM

The eggs turned out great! Not too mayo-y, not too hot! Went a step further and used whole grained homemade mustard. I made a dozen, ate 2, and am trying not to dip into the 20-half-egg platter that is reserved for the dinner party! BTW. . . I'll see your 60 and raise you 10. :-) Rock on! Nyx

Posted by: Nyx at November 23, 2003 07:51 AM

Thanks for the info. I'm a single guy and don't do much cooking. I have to bring appetizers for our "orphan's" Thanksgiving dinner and decided to try deviled eggs as one appetizer. There are only 4 days before the event, but how long ahead of time can I make and store these?

Posted by: Kevin at November 23, 2003 11:40 AM

this is a wonderful site. it's the first one that's ever given simple step by step guidelines on how to cook deivel eggs. thanks very much. i've printed it out and am going to use it for a long time. Thanks again!

Posted by: Liz at November 25, 2003 06:51 PM

Thanks so much for the great recipe. This is the first Thanksgiving I am having with my fiancee, and he requested deviled eggs. Your directions were easy to follow and I'm sure the eggs will be great!

Posted by: Sabrina at November 26, 2003 08:09 PM

Great Recipe, im trying it right now...just got that sudden craving for deviled eggs...if anyone can supply me with other great sites for easy-but-delicious recipes, please send them to HoneyLuvXOXO@aol.com. Thanks again!

Posted by: Maggie at December 3, 2003 02:28 PM

Thanks for the great tips on how to boil eggs. I made the deviled eggs to take to my mom's for Thanksgiving and the shells stuck on almost every egg, they tasted great but looked sad. My family gave me lots of tips on how to do it so they don't stick LOL I am making the eggs for Christmas and can't wait to try the ice water method. Thanks again

Posted by: Cindy at December 9, 2003 06:52 PM

I found this site looking for cake recipes...just stumbled on it...and WOW...I couldnt leave.... What entertainment ALONG with great tips on deviled eggs. Thanks, Im making deviled eggs today.....and not sure what ALL I will be putting in them...haha So many suggestions...

Posted by: Donna at December 11, 2003 05:41 AM

Great web site! It was both entertaining and informative. This was the first time I made deviled eggs and everything went flawlessly because of your detailed instructions. Thank you!!!

Posted by: JTO at December 24, 2003 12:49 PM

O.K. I was just looking for info / tips on hard boiling eggs but this made me hungry for deviled eggs, think i'll try a dash of horseradish with a little diced celery in mine

Posted by: A.J. at February 18, 2004 03:11 PM

I followed your recipe to making deviled eggs, and they are delicious! I am not a cook, so if I can do it, anyone can. The fact that they are soo good is just icing on the cake..... er, paprika on the egg? anyways, thanks for having such a great site!

Posted by: Therese at March 1, 2004 11:03 AM

Cool that you make the mayo- I'm 32 and just made these last night for the first time- these are great... Now maybe I can wow em' at the potlucks instead of them saying wow she's coming back for more.

Posted by: Kristie Westergaard at April 5, 2004 06:53 AM

Nice recipe - espically the mayo, however I'm cheating and resorting to Hellman's! I like to put a thin slice of green olive with pimento on top. Also, it's real easy to use a Ziplock bag with a tiny hole cut in the corner as a pastry bag. Happy Easter!

Posted by: Kevin at April 11, 2004 09:20 AM

Wow, you really take your deviled eggs seriously. Your recipe sounds delicious. Yes, the immediate ice water bath does make peeling the little critters ever so much easier. One simplification I might add is to use a cheese slicer to cut the eggs in half. It makes a beautifully smooth cut! I have one with a removable thickness bar.

Posted by: Martha at June 2, 2004 09:29 PM

Been making deviled eggs since I was about 8 yrs old. While they tasted good, they were always pretty sad looking 'cos it was a pain peeling them. I'd get tired of whacking them with a spoon) Mama never taught me the 'flat, hard surface' trick...Nor the ice water trick)...the shells ALWAYS stuck...I made some DE just last week & yes, they were still sad looking (and I'm 40 now so even though years of practice, never had pretty eggs) so I decided to go online & look for DE recipes to see if I could learn something....& I found THIS SITE!!!! I printed the instructions & followed them exactly (even had to email Monty 'cos it didn't say when to add the vinegar to eggs...answered immediately!) I now have the most B-E-A-Utiful eggs I've ever seen! Can't wait till tomorrow's neighborhood block party (we're in WI, moved here 8 mos ago). All these Midwesterners have heard Southerners are good cooks...now they'll think I am!! HAHA!! Thanks so VERY MUCH!!!!
Laura :)

Posted by: Laura F. at June 18, 2004 09:41 PM

Hey So many comments on deviled eggs lol....Well Boiling them has always been tricky to me..so i decided to research i am printing out all your pages right now:) Thanks for the tips.

Noah

www.noahstephen.com

Posted by: Noah Goodyear at June 26, 2004 11:01 AM

Haha.. it was 4:30am i decided i wanted some hard boiled eggs, cause of some anime i was watching. I wanted to know the perfect way to make them.. cause i always over cook them.. or under cook them. Anyways.. THANX.. cause your site was the first one i'd visited. I didn't do the rolling of the egg or centering.. honestly they taste just the same to me. ^.^

Posted by: Prism at August 22, 2004 04:39 AM

A friend in Moab, Utah served me the best deviled eggs I have ever tasted. She simply used Sandwich Spread to mix the mashed yolks together. Filled the cavities of the eggs and sprinkled with Paprika
So easy and so delicious when chilled in the refrigerator.
I'm now a senior citizen and I love the shortest way to do anything.

Enjoy, from Joy

Posted by: Joy at September 26, 2004 12:33 AM

It's thanksgiving and a few minutes ago I was frustrated almost to the point of tears...my eggs refused to part from their shells without taking half the egg with it. Your boiling tips really helped, and my day is going much better now

Posted by: Tiffany at November 25, 2004 01:03 PM

I know this was posted some time ago.I used your tips and added a little HORSERADISH,not much and they were a big hit at a party of 50 plus thanks.

Posted by: gerald wagner at December 17, 2004 06:57 AM

How to Make Deviled Eggs

Step One: Making the Mayonnaise

Step Two: Boiling the Eggs

Step Three: Deviled Eggs

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