I have been wanting to bring this up for so long and then I just never get around to it. Today, I’m going to finally do it. Why can’t I get my egg salad to taste like it does when I get it from the delis around town? What am I doing wrong? Is there a magic ingredient am I unaware of? Am I not cooking my eggs long enough? Do I add too much mayo? Not enough? My egg salad never quite tastes right. It’s bothersome. I want to learn how to do this right.
Does anyone out there know how to make egg salad? If you don’t answer me, I’ll be forced to take macro shots of my homemade egg salad today. It ain’t pretty.
Okay, I’m totally making egg salad today because I’ve been craving it and you just pushed me over the edge. I just use mayo and salt and pepper, and put raw onion on my sandwhich.
HOwever, most deli-style egg salad probably adds a bit of mustard as well. I have no evidence of this or recipes to share, just guessing.
And DILL. Apparently fresh dill is a big ingredient. Can you tell I’ve been googling?
I had heard about this mustard stuff. I am very curious. I should try that. Will that make me throw it off even more? Mine NEVER tastes right. What type of mayo do you think they use? Really?
Oh, and how long do you cook your eggs for? One time, I added the eggs AFTER the water boiled. Good times. Holy explosion. Twas not pretty.
I’ve come a long way since then.
totally needs mustard
12 minutes, then run cold water over them.
If you put a splash of vinegar in the water, they are super easy to peel.
Use dijon mustard.
The delis most likely use the fattest mayo around. ;-)
Now, is that 12 minutes AFTER they boil? Or while they’re in water?
You’d think this would be simple. Not for me.
i heard they use ‘dry mustard.’
which i have never used.
but my egg salad sucks.
its good with cress sometimes. crusts cut off and all.
After the water starts boiling…then 12 minutes.
I understand, believe me…I had to look up how long to boil an egg once upon a time.
I’m very hungry now.
Mihow: The key to awesome egg salad (and tuna salad) is a GIANT tub of food service mayo, the kind from Shamrock Foods or Nobel Sysco. No lie. If you could get your hands on some, your egg salad would taste like the deli’s. And a little dijon mustard doesn’t hurt, either.
Also, does egg salad give you gas? Toby JOe seems to think that all eggs give people gas especially hard boiled. He doesn’t eat them but he’s convinced. Every time I have a hardboiled egg he’ll say, “You’re sleeping on the couch tonight!”
I can’t say they give me gas. But I might not notice. Anyone? It’s ok, you can feel safe here.
mariah, awesome. THAT’S THE SECRET INGREDIENT!
Tobyjoe, find some? You’re the kitchen master.
grandma’s egg salad(if you want potato salad, just add cooked/cubed potatoes and use same amount of eggs yum yum)…….white pepper instead of black, celery salt instead of regular salt. plus i use a little sea salt too. have to use “helman’s real mayonaise!” tbsp chopped up fine ‘sweet” onion(depends on how much you make and how long you want it to last in the frig). 1/2” long leek stalks. sugar to taste tsp. dry mustard mixed with mayo to taste. dab of vinegar. boil your eggs in dilute vinegar-water for 10-11 minutes then drop immediately into a large bowl of icewater. the icewater does two things, it stops the cooking and it pulls the shell away (w/help from vinegar)from the meaty part. mix it all up, spinkle the top with praprika then eat.
I never make it because my Husband calls it “Fetal Chicken Salad”. I have to eat it in secret. ;D
Greg, remember the time you and I boiled potatos? You did it all. I haven’t ever forgotten that day. You took smaller potatos and boiled the living hell out of them using salted water – really salted water. Then we smothered them in butter.
Oh my god, I picked the worst second day ever to return to dieting.
no one is going to answer the gas question, are they?
I think so,i got gas after eating.i was actually looking for the same answer too
I have never noticed a gas issue when eating eggs (or after)! I eat eggs often, too.
In fact, I just finished an egg salad sandwich that I made on a bagel, so I’ll let you know later if any problems arise. ;-)
BTW, chill the eggs for a good while before cutting them up. I think that makes a difference. If your impatient like I am, you end up with very mushy results. I was too hungry to care.
For perfect boiled eggs every time, bring a large pot of water to a full boil. Carefully drop in the eggs. Wait until the water returns to a boil. Cover and remove from the heat. Let sit covered for 30 minutes.
And, for the record, I’m always gassy and a touch of mustard never did any harm to egg salad.
Holy shit, it’s Heloise.
Heloise, I like Martha, but you had me at Helo-ise.
But, Heloise, I have tried the whole add the eggs after the water boils and usually it’s too much for them and they crack and bubble and gross shit happens. What’s up with that?
Are you wrong about something? We can’t have that, can we?
How to boil eggs without cracking:
Put your eggs in one layer only in a pan of cold water, bring it to a boil on the stove. When the water starts to boil, remove pan from the stove, cover and let sit for 12 minutes (for medium to large eggs). Then run cold water into the pan or put the eggs in an ice bath or put in the refrigerator to cool.
Youtube has some really nifty ways to “easily peel eggs” including a kid who pokes holes in both ends and blows the egg out, like brand new!
I’m never wrong. Perhaps your flame’s too high Dear.
Speaking of flames, you might not want to stand to close to any, Heloise.
She wouldn’t know how to boil an egg if she laid it herself. Try this method for perfect results.
oh my god, can you two take your clothes off? I’ll be the monkey.
and I’ll run the video camera ; )
To avoid eggs cracking in boiling water, I puncture them with a pushpin in the fat end of the egg. That gives the air someplace to go when the egg’s contents expand in the hot water.
And I’d have to say that the secret ingredient is possibly salt. I am the defending chili cooking champion in my department (2 years running), and I’d have to say that the secret ingredient to ANYTHING is salt. Celery salt is particularly good. I use it to line the glass rim of my kickass bloody mary recipe.
Yum … i’m going home to cook. Seafood chowder (mussels, sea bass, saffron, cream, potatoes …omg)
boiled eggs smell like farts, but they don’t make you fart. common mistake.
omg is right, Charlie. We’re on our way.
I love it when the dead come back to leave comments about farts.
My recipes tend to sound more like projects on Tool Time, but they usually work.
Put a dozen eggs in a pan and fill it with cold water. It’s important that the water be cold. Bring it to a boil and turn it down just enough to keep it from boiling over. Boil until doomsday or for twenty minutes. Rinse them in cold water until they can be handled comfortably.
Peel the eggs. Add a huge (about 1/2 cup) gob of mayonnaise, preferably Hellmann’s because it works best. Add a squirt of mustard (about 1/2 tsp. of whatever you have on hand), and paprika and cayenne to taste (probably about 1 tsp. of paprika here), and mash thoroughly with a pastry cutter until the consistency looks right. If you don’t have a pastry cutter, a strong fork will do, but cutting the eggs is kind of silly. Finly chop two ribs of celery and 3-4 Tbsp. of red onion and stir them in.
Henry, thanks.
You guys are so damn helpful. I am going to try it every way. Although I worry about Heloise’s version, I plan on trying it no matter. :]
Thanks, everyone. I can’t wait!
michele, i have a correction…..don’t leek in your egg salad!!!!!!!!!! put shallot greens in there ; ) and oh yes, i remember the salt covered salt infused salty miniature potatos….i call them “Hypertension-Handgrenades!”
mayo or Miracle Whip, dill, mustard (either yellow or dijon), paprika, pepper and salt to taste and sometimes vinegar or lemon juice (the lemon juice is not a sometimes thing for me).
oh! duh! sweet onions too! (eggs and potatoes should be a given) and greg’s right = white pepper and celery salt! I’m hungry now.
Curious, how many folks had egg salad yesterday?
hehe
i personally love hellmann’s mayo in egg salad (very rich-tasting), but it’s not for everyone.
a small amount of mustard is good too, but i generally use honey mustard.
salt & freshly ground pepper are musts.
if you’re going to go the celery route, i suggest celery seed – tiny bits of celery flavor without the funky taste of celery salt (or maybe i’m the only one who thinks celery salt tastes not as much like real celery as it ought to).
as far as the eggs go, i always add them to the cold water before i turn the burner on and boil the living shit out of them. i like a nice firm egg – in such a mushy salad, it’s nice to have some texture definition – and this way you never have to worry about them being underdone. they peel great, too.
Hi! My name is samantha I want to make an egg salad sandwich for lunch, but i am not quite sure how to make it.sincerely, samantha!
I am eating a homeade egg salad sandwich as I type this. I make the best egg salad anywhere! I learned when I worked at this old fashioned pharmacy/soda fountain and the recipe is very simple! (For all you purists like me) Eggs: lots of ‘em, put in a pot, barely cover them in cold water, bring to a boil and set aside for 20 minutes. (straight from the red plaid better crocker cookbook on how to boil eggs, I might add) Cut them up with an egg cutter, Use a small dollop of mayo, BUT MOSTLY YELLOW MUSTARD- some salt, pepper, and chunks of celery if you want to make it crunchy, but thats it. Mix, refidgerate, and you’re good. When you’re done, it should look almost neon yellow, but that is the key. 80% Mustard, 20% mayo. Try it!
PERFECT EGG SALAD – Put the eggs in a pan and cover with water then bring to a boil. Once the water starts to boil wait ten minutes then drain off the water. Immediately put the eggs in cold water and add some ice cubes. Wait a few minutes and then peel the eggs and put the peeled hard boiled egges back into the cold water as you peel the others. Once you have peeled all eggs and are sure they are cool you can put them in a seperate bowl and break them up with a potato masher. Then add; salt, pepper and a cap full of vinegar. Mix again the very slowly add mayonaise (a teaspoon at a time). Once the egg salad is the right consistency for you, it’s done.
For perfectly hardboiled eggs:
Put eggs in pot of water before boiling (fill water so that eggs are fully immersed). Add salt to easily peel shells afterwards. Bring water to a boil. Then, leave the pot on the burner, turn the stove off, and put the cover on the pot. Set timer for 15 minutes (no more, no less). then dump water, run cold water over them, and you have perfect hardboiled eggs! Works everytime.
And definitely add some dijon in there – delicious! Saw someone on Food Network add some melted butter also – apparently holds the egg salad together.
And a big resounding YES for the gas question! HAHA! My poor boyfriend….
Good luck!