The Hands-On Method That Guarantees Perfect Egg Salad

While egg salad is a widely beloved accompaniment to backyard barbecues, everyone has their own idea of how to make it. Some like to pickle their eggs for a sour, acidic flavor, while others add in a wide variety of ingredients, including aioli, capers, and paprika. If you're squeamish about the consistency of mayo, or just want a healthier option, try subbing in white beans for a similar creamy texture.

Additionally, Spend with Pennies notes it's important to make sure your eggs are fresh and to chop your vegetables (like onion and celery) so that they're in smaller pieces than the eggs. It's crucial to make sure your eggs are cooked correctly as well -– you don't want runny egg yolks, but you also don't want to leave them in hot water too long, as this can lead to a greenish look and distasteful smell (via Oregon Live). 

If you're having trouble getting this down, you can crack them into an Instant Pot to cook in about 10 minutes, making the egg salad process quicker than ever. And while the Food Network states you can use a knife or potato masher to chop up your eggs, there's one technique that works even better and will save you a dirty dish.

It turns out the key to an egg-cellent egg salad is getting your hands dirty. According to Serious Eats, pulverizing cooked eggs with your hands is a key method to making a perfect egg salad. Why? Although using a utensil like a potato masher will get the job done, your hands are softer and will mash the yolks without crushing the whites too much. Cookbook author Sheri Castle also agrees that using your hands is an ideal technique. As she told Southern Living, "For a salad with hearty texture that won't turn gummy or pasty, use your hands to crumble the eggs instead of chopping the whites and mashing the yolks with a fork."

An added benefit of using your hands is that you don't have to purchase, or wash, an extra appliance. To get perfectly uniformed slices (or bits), some people have turned to egg slicers, which are small, cheap, and can quickly give you the chopped eggs you need. Slicers should work fine, but in addition to having an extra device to throw in the dishwasher, you can only cut one egg at a time. 

Using your hands, you can get in there and mash a whole bowl of eggs all at once, which sounds as satisfying as it does time-saving.