The TikTok Slicing Trick That Makes Preparing Deviled Eggs So Much Easier
No backyard barbecue, potluck, or Southern spread is complete without a plate of deviled eggs. The classic bite-sized appetizers are easy to make en masse. There are many simple recipes out there, with the hard-boiled yolks blended with mayonnaise, mustard, spices, and maybe a dash of hot sauce then stuffed back into the whites. Mashing ingredients and scooping them into egg white cups isn't rocket science — it's getting boiled yolks out of eggs that is the time-consuming part of deviled eggs' preparation. That's where this TikTok trick comes in.
Typically, removing the yolk is a three-step process that starts with slicing the egg in half, scooping out each half-yolk with a spoon, and dropping them into a bowl or food processor. You can save yourself a step and a utensil using this viral hack. All you need is a knife and the friction of your cutting board to split open the whites and isolate a fully intact yolk.
To execute the slicing trick, place a large kitchen knife over the hard-boiled egg along the vertical center as if to slice it in half. But instead of cutting it in half, you'll lightly pierce the white while moving the knife backward. The pulling motion of the knife will roll the egg 360 degrees, effectively splitting open the white without touching the yolk. The two whites fall to the side immediately, leaving the whole spherical yolk to pluck off the cutting board with your fingers and chuck into the mixing bowl.
More tricks for deviled eggs
As the TikTok video below shows, the easy trick takes as little as 15 seconds. And it isn't the only eggy trick out there. There are many other deviled egg hacks to facilitate and improve the preparation, taste, and texture of this dish.
@andrealanev I’m just now figuring this out after almost 30 years on this spinning rock?
Another time-consuming and frustrating preparation step for deviled eggs is removing the shells from boiled eggs. Viral videos from TikTok, YouTube, and celebrity chef websites offer multiple tips and hacks to streamline the process. The simplest hack uses temperature change to loosen shells by cracking hot hard-boiled eggs before adding them to a cold water bath. That said, you can use temperature to ease shell removal before even boiling them by bringing raw eggs to room temperature in the carton. You can also use a dessert spoon to slide under the shell to remove it quicker, and using older eggs will further ensure shell removal, so consider buying a carton a week before you want to make deviled eggs.
On the flavor and texture front, you can substitute or supplement a traditional mayo foundation with lighter, creamier alternatives like Greek yogurt, sour cream, crème fraîche, ranch dressing, or mashed avocado. These alternative ingredients for deviled eggs will add tang and richness to complement the buttery egg yolk while imparting a fluffier, lighter consistency than mayonnaise alone.