Carla Hall Learned Her Trick For Creamier Egg Salad From Nancy Silverton

An egg salad is one of those dishes you can whip up in no time whenever you're running low on supplies. With just a couple of hard-boiled eggs, some mayonnaise, and some salt and pepper for seasoning, you get a creamy side dish, a sandwich filling, a dip for fries, a topping for nachos, a stuffing for wraps ... the list goes on. Yet for something so simple, so many people end up making a runny egg salad. Good thing that celebrity chef Carla Hall shared a trick she'd learned to avoid this common mistake.

She shared on Instagram a pro tip for creamier egg salad that her friend and James Beard award-winning chef, Nancy Silverton, taught her: Before mixing the hard-boiled eggs with mayonnaise, you must separate the yolks first so you can tear the egg whites into smaller pieces. Next, crumble the yolks over the egg whites before adding the dressing. "You'll have a much more creamy egg salad," Hall promised. "It works every time."

The extra steps ensure that the velvety yolks are mixed with the mayonnaise better, making your salad feel creamier. Crumbled egg whites also contribute to the lush mouthfeel of the dish more than chopped ones since the pieces come out in chunks with softer, irregular edges. The play of textures creates a more wonderful backdrop for other ingredients that elevate this dish. The salad holds up better, too, when sandwiched between toasted loaves, stuffed into a taco shell, and wrapped in lettuce leaves.

Carla Hall's demonstration on Instagram required no extra equipment for tearing the egg whites, but you can also rely on a cocktail muddler or a fork. A cheese grater is also handy for giving your egg salad a more paste-like texture. However, if you want to follow Silverton's trick closely, stick with manually breaking down the egg whites. Your fingertips are softer than any of those tools and won't crush them into a gummy mash. This will leave you with a heartier texture for your salad. Besides, you will be folding them into the yolk-and-mayo mixture and can break down the pieces further in the process.

For velvety egg yolks and firm yet pliable whites, don't let your eggs boil for too long. The amount of time depends on how big and fresh the eggs are. For instance, start with eight minutes for medium eggs. Crack open a tester egg from a batch to see how done they are or if they need a little more cooking. Put them in an ice water bath once they're done so they don't overcook.

A creamy egg salad is a great base for a medley of textures. For a refreshing crunch, add chopped chives. Fold in some diced potatoes for a potato-and-egg salad. Caviar will also lend a briny pop and crackle to every luscious spoonful.