The Cooking Trick That Will Improve The Texture Of Egg Salad

Whether you like egg salad piled high in between two slices of bread, on top of a cracker for a slight crunch, or by itself with a spoon, the way you serve it is just the tip of the iceberg. Like other types of mayonnaise-based salads using chicken or tuna, egg salad can be made many different ways depending on your preference of texture and flavor. 

Traditional egg salad is made using chopped hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, seasonings, and fresh herbs (if you want to get fancy). Any mix-ins are a bonus, but it's important to focus on staple ingredients to get egg salad just right every time — especially the star of the show, which is hard-boiled eggs.

While an egg salad isn't complete without hard-boiled eggs, chalky yolks aren't the most ideal base for its mayonnaise-based dressing, especially if you're already a bit wary of eggs in general. Instead of leaning towards pre-packaged hard-boiled eggs for convenience, it's best to cook 'em up yourself to avoid this, with the help of a timing trick to prevent the yolks from being dry, and instead making them slightly jammy, yielding a glossy dressing that's silky-smooth.

Depending on how jammy or done you prefer egg yolks, you can perform an eight, nine, or 10-minute boiled egg technique to ensure the yolks are cooked to your liking. Eight minutes will make the yolks more on the jammy side, 10 minutes makes them more firm but not dry, and nine minutes lingers somewhere in the middle.

All you have to do is add the eggs to a pot of boiling water using a slotted spoon or spatula, ensuring they're completely submerged, and set a timer for eight, nine, or 10 minutes. Once the timer beeps, immediately transfer the eggs to an ice bath to shock them, stopping the cooking completely. From there, all that's left to do is peel 'em, separate 'em, chop the whites, and make the sauce using the yolks as a base. This technique will not only prevent you from having to smash the dry yolks with a fork or whisk, but it will also create a smoother, even sauce with the addition of mayonnaise, mustard, and anything else you like.

Once you have this method down pat, additional mix-ins such as pickle relish, celery, garlic, or minced onion will only make egg salad that much more delicious.