Borrowing a method from Cook’s Illustrated/America’s Test Kitchen, we like to cook our eggs by steaming them. Not only does the steam cook the eggs, but the sudden change of heat from high to medium low helps the eggs liberate from their shells. This method is genius as it ensures easy peeling and beautifully done, non-discolored eggs. That being said, you can boil your eggs whichever way you choose.
Steaming/Boiling the Eggs
Start by bringing water to a rolling boil. Place the eggs into a steamer insert or a steamer basket. Place the steamer insert or basket into the boiling pot, cover and then, after 30 seconds, reduce the heat to medium low. Steam the eggs at that temperature for 13 minutes.
About a minute before the eggs are done, make an ice bath in a shallow bowl. Place the eggs into the ice bath and let them cool for 15 minutes.
The America’s Test Kitchen recipe recommends keeping the eggs in the ice bath, covering the entire bath and shaking off the shells. While that shaking step technically worked for us, too many of our eggs broke which wasn’t ideal. We’re making deviled eggs here, not egg salad.
In order to make foolproof eggs for deviling, we recommend a different method. After removing the eggs from the ice bath, gently crack the oblong end of each egg before gently peeling off the shell.
Once you get a little air under the shell with your fingers, the shell should peel off easily.
Making the Egg Yolk Filling
Ok, now that your eggs are peeled, it’s time for some fun. Slice the eggs oblong in half with a sharp paring knife, using a towel to clean the knife after you slice each egg. (You want to keep the knife clean so that you don’t get debris on the whites.)
You should be able to easily remove the yolks from the eggs using either a spoon or (preferably) your fingers. (We’ve found that using our fingers allows the yolks to scoop out cleaner and and more easily.)
Scoop all of the egg yolks into a mixing bowl. We recommend using a bowl with a flat bottom so that you can easily mash the eggs. Set the hollowed egg whites aside for now.
Once the egg yolks are in the bowl, mash them with a fork until they’re the consistency of small pebbles.
Add the mayonnaise, dijon mustard, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Using a rubber spatula, mix and mash these ingredients with the egg yolks until smooth.
We like our filling to have body with a dense texture that’s not super smooth. Therefore, our mixture has a homespun quality that retains the essence of yolk. You can add extra mayonnaise, a tablespoon or even more, if you want your mixture to be silky smooth.
