My husband, Vann, will salivate when he sees this photo. He could eat deviled eggs till they were coming out his ears. He absolutely loves them.
Deviled eggs are also a staple at Leeds First United Methodist Church luncheons and dinners. My Aunt E. frequently asks me to make them for various church functions.
So what's my point? My point is that I despise making deviled eggs. I'd rather clean toilets or iron blue jeans, I think. First you put the eggs in a pan and boil them. So far, it sounds pretty easy, but wait. After they're boiled, you have to peel them. Peeling boiled eggs is a pain as (at lest for me) the shells frequently stick to the whites and and I come out with an egg that looks like a rat gnawed it. So I always have to boil more than I need, at least if they're for church or company. If they're for Vann or the family, I let them wonder about the gnawing.
Now it gets easy again: Slice the eggs in half lengthwise, tump the yolks out into
a bowl and, setting the whites aside, mash the yolks up (I use a fork). Then add a little mayo, a little mustard (brown or yellow) and a dash or two of garlic salt (or plain salt if you don't like garlic). You can also add black pepper, but I don't. It makes the eggs look like they have dirt in them, and anybody who wants black pepper can always add that before eating.
I don't know how much mustard and mayo I add since I don't measure. I'd say about two tablespoons of mustard for a dozen eggs and enough mayonnaise to bring the mixture to a texture of cake icing. Stir it all up really good.
Now it gets hard again, really hard. Getting the yolk mixture into the egg white halves has, in the past, defied my kitchen skills. To say I make a mess would be a mega-understatement. And since I get more egg yolk on me and the kitchen than in the halves, I never have enough yolk to fill all the halves, and some of them are very skimpy looking. I've used teaspoons, butter knives, my hands, everything I can think of to accomplish this step and have produced messes with each and every one. One time, I decided to make a funnel out of wax paper and use that to fill the eggs. BIG mistake. I'm still scraping dried egg yolk off my kitchen surfaces from that fiasco. Stuffing eggs has always been something I looked forward to about as much as monthly cramps.
UNTIL I FOUND THIS! It's a Pampered Chef Easy Decorator, made for decorating cakes. When I saw it at the PC party which I attended a couple of months ago, I thought of deviled eggs and how it just might make making them easier. It does. I just spoon the egg yolk mixture into the decorating tube, then pipe it into the egg white halves. Squirt, squirt, squirt. Now my deviled eggs not only taste great, they look pretty good too. There's more than enough yolk mixture to fill all the egg halves, and my kitchen isn't smeared with yellow egg yolk.
Now if somebody can tell me how to make the egg peeling step a little less maddening, deviled eggs might become a weekly dish around my house.
This post was migrated from the old blog. To see the comments on the original post, CLICK HERE. To add a new comment, click "Post a Comment", below.
On 04/30/2008, Penny @ Lavender Hill Studio said ...
I can help with the sticking!! Follow these instructions and you will have perfectly cook hard boiled eggs that come out of the shell easily.....Also - you know that greenish gray color that is on the outside of the hard boiled yolk? This recipe stops that from happening too.
Place eggs in a pan of cold water. Do NOT cover. Place on burner on high. As SOON as they come to a FULL boil, remove from heat and cover. Let sit for 10 minutes. Then immediately drain the eggs and put in a pan with COLD WATER AND ICE. Let set until cool (leave in water and put in fridge if you are not going to peel them right away. When cool (bout 10 minutes) Roll the egg between your palm and the kitchen counter, gently - but with enough pressure to crack the shell. Peel under running cold water...The shell should come off easily...
Hope that helps! Oh and if you are ever without your cake decorator, you can put the deviled egg mixture in a plastic baggie, snip one corner and pipe it out of the bag that way :-).
Hugs,
Penny
On 04/30/2008, Gayle said ...
What a great idea! We have one of those. I never thought of using it for deviled eggs. Yum...those eggs look good! I always look forward to them at potlucks.
On 04/30/2008, Patti said ...
Years ago someone told me to use my cookie press with a small tip to fill deviled eggs - like your gadget, it worked like a charm!
I have one thing to add to Penny's instructions that will help with the egg shells. Don't use really fresh eggs - they almost always cause sticking shells. If I'm going to be boiling eggs I make sure I buy them at least 5 days before I'm going to cook them. Don't know why it matters, but it does.
About the pepper - if people want pepper just get yourself some white pepper. When my mother made white sauce it always had black specks. As a new wife I had to check recipes as I'd not had time to learn much at home due to school. The white sauce recipe said to use white pepper. So I bought some - great stuff when you want to pepper something light colored and you don't want black specks.
On 04/30/2008, Karla said ...
I stick by Penny's instructions. I've used this method and it works.
Karla
On 04/30/2008, Amy said ...
In addition to the instructions above, I poke a pin sized hole in the end first. (Out of 2 dozen - I only had 1 leak.)
On 04/30/2008, Beverly said ...
I use the same method Penny described, and additionally, I also stand by what Patti posted.
I use white pepper for almost everything. It is very finely ground, and has a bit of a different flavor than black pepper.
I make my eggs using the same ingredients you use. Some people around here put pickle relish in their deviled eggs, but I don't really like them that way.
I have a very good friend from Cuba, and she adds a can of deviled ham to her deviled eggs. I've had her eggs on many occasions, and they are quite delicious with a bit of a twist.
And, now I am going to sit here at work the rest of the afternoon wanting a deviled egg.
On 04/30/2008, Patti Koosed said ...
OH yum!
My husband loves deviled eggs also. Now you have made me hungry.
Thanks for stopping by my blog and for sending the star for the memories of the holocaust victims. I am sure they appreciate it.
Patti
On 04/30/2008, Molly said ...
I tried to comment yesterday but don't think it went through. I also tried to email you and it didn't either. Drat. Anyway...
I LOVELOVELOVE deviled eggs but hate to make them too! I do know that using old eggs makes it easier to peel them, I think because some of the liquid inside them evaporates so it isn't as close to the wall of the egg. I usually wait til they're nearly or just expired. Of course, with Ryan eating 5 fried eggs every day this has become difficult. Since I just bought 36 eggs maybe I can make some in a few weeks if I hide them in the back of the fridge.lol
I used to have a PC cake decorator til I loaned it to a friend. She returned parts of it but never did come up with the whole thing. Most times I use a ziplock baggie to fill mine and add cumin, garlic powder, relish, and finely chopped onions(if I'm feeling generous and have time) to my mix. Ryan, who loves plain boiled eggs, can't stand them but the rest of us will inhale them within an hour!
On 04/30/2008, anita said ...
The eggs have to be old to peel decently. (I tried making deviled eggs with fresh eggs—i.e., that day's—and they tasted great, but looked awful.) I usually stick a dozen in the back of the refrigerator for a week or two before I make them.
On 04/30/2008, sherry said ...
Yummy! Those deviled eggs look good. Like mentioned above, I've read & first hand experienced that the not real fresh (but of course not expired) eggs work best for removing the shell.
On 04/30/2008, Debbie said ...
What can I say...I agree with the ice trick, always works for me. As for the ingredients, I add chopped green onions...I love green onions (of course some people don't...my son!).
On 04/30/2008, Nicole said ...
Anita is right. You won't have sticky shells if you use eggs that are older. Works for me every time. New eggs? Forget it. They will stick and be a big ole mess.
On 04/30/2008, Jill said ...
I agree with the first directions, but would offer additional advice. Make sure you get the shell cracked all over when you roll it around and begin removing the shell from the end with the air bubble. This should be the less pointy end, I think, though I've never paid close attention to that for sure. I kind of feel with my fingers for the air pocket and if you start the peeling from there and make sure you get the membrane under the shell going with it, it makes it go pretty easily. I didn't know about the older egg thing, but as I don't use up my eggs right away when I buy them, mine are probably never newly bought anyway.
On 05/02/2008, Karyl said ...
Thank You! Thought I was the only one that had problems making the deviled eggs at Eastertime. So much time in between making them I forget to rinse in cold water before peeling and have a "devil" of a time!!!!! :o)
Happy Spring! Karyl
On 05/02/2008, Lynne in Hawaii said ...
Penny's instructions will get yoou good results. That is what my DH does (he does all the cooking....whoohoo!). If you like a little spice I can send you his jalapeno stuffed eggs recipe. A little change on a time honored recipe!
On 11/24/2010, Dee Brownfield said ...
Hi Susan!! Loved the idea of your cake decorator for "filling" the eggs; but I have had great success using a baggie! just put the yoke mixture in, snip off a tiny bit on a corner and pipe away in the egg half!!
and also ... the Hummingbird Cake! I made one today, only it called for flaked coconut instead of pineapple! and it is awesome!! and easy!! now, I will have to try the pineapple the next time!!!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!!
Pink Hugs,
Dee
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This one is called "Suzie," because the little girl looks a lot like I did at that age. She came in the packet of goodies that Toni of Flea Market Studio sent me. Behind the little girl is a scrap of a paper napkin that I adhered to the card with Mod Podge. I used a pink marker to color her sash and sock ribbons.
