Recipe? Deviled eggs?
Boil the eggs, cut in half, remove yolks.
Mash the yolks with a little mayo a little mustard, Dijon or spicy German or plain old yellow.
I like to add some chopped chives, a few drops of vinegar.....taste,,,,perhaps add salt? maybe some cayenne?
I make deviled eggs to taste, sometimes with chopped jalapenos, sometimes with caviar, sometimes with a can of minced ham, sometimes with pickle relish, sometimes I add curry powder.
It's really hard to go wrong.

Step One.... Buy your eggs NOW for next week. Don't try to HB fresh eggs and expect to get a nice clean peel.

For extra presentation points put the yolk mixture into a piping bag and swirl it into the holes.

I don't use a special recipe either and make them like Lindac does. I might stick a sprig of herbs or some chives on the top to dress them up a bit.

Deviled eggs were quite common when I was growing up when nearly everyone you knew had chickens and egg salad and deviled eggs were common foods.

I do think knowing how to cook the eggs is important, because for best results and eggs without that awful gray/green yolk, you really don't boil them (instructions at the link below).

I think I got this information here at the Cooking Forum, but can't remember who shared it, and have never tried this method. I just added it to my "Book of Odd Knowledge".

How to cook lots of eggs ---
Put a baking sheet on the bottom of the oven then place all of the eggs you need cooked on the oven rack (NOT the sheet) - the sheet will catch any broken eggs.

Bake at 325-degrees F for 30-minutes. Do NOT preheat the oven. Take eggs out of oven and put directly into ice water.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Incredible Edible Egg

I like mine with mayo, a dash of hot sauce, dijon mustard and a bit of horseradish.....they aren't called deviled for nothing!

Agree about buying your eggs now!

After you peel the cooked eggs, dye them in colors that go with your plate. Then cut them in half and make the filling.

I make mine just like Chase does. I like a little zing to my eggs. I also sprinkle paprika or sniped chives on top. NancyLouise

Like everyone says, it doesn't take much to make deviled eggs. Yours will be extra delicious served on thar beautiful tray! Presentation....

About hard cooking them...I have been cooking mine according to the method in grainlady's link for at least 20 years. They are always perfect, and nothing could be easier. You don't even have to be precise about the timing, and the shells never break, they usually peel easily. I have had the green yolks occasionally, though, with this method. I figured it must have been the eggs, not the method.

It seems wasteful to use the oven for 30 minutes to hardcook eggs, don't you think? No matter how big the pot or how many eggs you put in it, it still takes less time and energy to bring the water to boil than it does to leave the oven on for 30 minutes. I have only started to hear about baking them hard recently. Sort of seems like trying to build a better mousetrap, you know? And one exploded egg would be, well, not fun to deal with. Probably.

I have also always used the bring to a boil and let sit method (although I was told 20 minutes). It always worked fine.

Interestingly, I tried this method on an induction burner and the eggs were not cooked through - the yolks were less done than we like. The water comes to a boil so quickly that I may need to add extra "sitting" time.

Is there something one can use instead of mayo? I realize it makes them creamy, but can't that be accomplished with say, oil? Mayo being yolks and oil made me pick that. Just curious. Does anyone have a non-mayo recipe?

This has worked for me for decades...

Bring water to a boil, add eggs gently (I use a nylon spaghetti tool to put them in.) Once the water comes back to boil, set timer for 13 minutes. (If you cover the pot, you can turn the heat down pretty low and they will keep simmering.) While you're waiting, get a big bowl and fill it with ice cubes and water. When the timer goes off, turn off the burner and put the eggs into the ice water. I also use the spaghetti tool for this. The plunge from boiling to icy water makes them easy to peel. If there's enough ice, they should be chilled enough to use in about 15 minutes if you're in a hurry.

I don't use a recipe since the amount I make varies, but basically you mush the yolks with the back of a fork, compared to the size of your pile of yolks, add 5-10% yellow mustard, then mayo until you get the consistency you want. You can add celery seed, dill, cayenne, hot sauce, relish, or any of a number of wonderful flavors.

Once completed, they get watery on the bottom and dry on the top by the next day, so although you can boil the eggs the day before, make them the day you want to have them, and make sure they all get eaten that day. Making extra is a waste.

I use my rice steamer. Put the eggs in, add water, steam for 20 mins and the shells practically jump off the eggs as you are peeling them under running water. Every time. Always works. Even with fresh eggs.

Mash yokes with mayo, a little dill pickle juice, a pinch or two of dry mustard powder, some seasoning salt and ground pepper. Fill and sprinkle with paprika.

What is wrong with mayo, rob333? Maybe try Miracle Whip?

And too much work, purpleinopp and angelaid. There is nothing to do or assemble when you put them in water, bring to the boil, then let them just sit. We all have our preferences, I guess. I'm lazy and prefer the simplest way. No fuss, no muss.

Sour cream works instead of mayo for me.

I also steam the eggs these days.

Eileen

Following a tip I read here, I also steam the eggs rather that boil them, it seems to make them much easier to peel.

Other than that, it seems similar to several others' recipes:

Mash yolks with dijon mustard, and mayo, and maybe minced capers, and pipe into eggs using pastry bag.

For one Halloween party I then decorated them to make them into truly deviled eggs:

{{gwi:1510787}}

Don't forget about the baby chicks.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.google.ca/imgres?hl=en&sa=X&biw=1680&bih=962&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnsue&tbnid=JiW7JoxLWOhIoM:&imgrefurl=http://www.bentolunch.net/2010/03/preschool-bento-37-cutest-easter-eggs.html&docid=yFJDoLIi5b7dbM&imgurl=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rJrv9M0AYmo/S7EfwwwK_MI/AAAAAAAADcA/vbon4ApyeLM/s1600/IMG_8955.jpg&w=640&h=480&ei=0ql0T7SoKeP00gGF6ND_Ag&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=780&vpy=154&dur=1355&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=168&ty=108&sig=101659211037131000326&page=1&tbnh=144&tbnw=174&start=0amp;ndsp=39&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0

I didn't eat them but saw a picture...of devilled eggs made with avocado instead of mayo. They were a special St Paddy's day treat.

Thanks for all the GREAT replies! I'm going to do a test run this weekend.

I have a question about steaming the eggs. Can I load the steamer with as many eggs as will fit? Using the boiling method, one should not layer eggs - but I was wondering if this is a non-issue with steaming?

Thanks Everyone! :-)

not a thing shermann, not a thing :)

Thanks Eileen for your sour cream suggestion and Linda, avocado sounds interesting. I figured there must be more than one way to make them. Sometimes I don't have mayo or miracle whip, but I always have sour cream. And avocados sound interesting. Nice to change it up.

Also, a good tip if you want to make them in advance, cover the empty whites with plastic wrap on your egg dish. Mash the yolks, mix with mayo and seasonings then keep in a ziplock bag...fill the whites when ready to serve (cut corner from the ziplock and use as a pastry bag) and garnish as desired. They don't dry out this way...and you're done ahead of the party.

seagrass

Thanks SeaGrass! I'll do that for sure. :-)

Jeri, i have cooked as many as four dozen eggs in one big pot. Works just fine.

So many deviled egg recipes are bland and boring.

I learned my method from my mother. Mash the yolks with some mayonaise and a dab of prepared mustard and a generous amount of paprika. Stir in a goodly quantity of Del Monte Sweet Pickle Relish. Taste and if it still needs something, add more pickle relish or its juice. Stuff the eggs, and that's it unless you want to dust them with a little pinch of paprika.

My way of making deviled eggs is very close to sheilajoyce's. I use a pastry blender to mash my yolks, add mayo, mustard, sweet and dill relish, salt and pepper. I seldom devil less than 18 eggs and when I do it's a dozen.

I love Julia Childs recipe:

@2 dozen eggs:

Cut the hard boiled eggs in half lengthwise.
Then she purees the yolks through a sieve or food mill into a bowl.
Blend in 1/4 cup of mayo

4 TBSP. of soft butter

2 TBSP of chopped sweet pickle or piccalilli.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Decorate with parsley or a bit of red pimento.

Also adds: mushroom duxelles,or lobster. crab or shrimp.

aparagus tips warmed in butter and shallots.

Really delicious recipe.

Every time I've not put my eggs directly into ice water, they won't peel without chunks of egg sticking to the shell. I was given this tip in person by Jeff Smith, the Frugal Gourmet, as warm & funny in person as he was on his show.

Just today I hard-cooked a dozen large eggs using my method above, all from one carton, the carton bought last week. One of them had a green ring! It has to be the individual egg. They were all 12 creamy and delicious, peeled perfectly in three or four giant shell chunks. I just poured off the hot water and left them in cold water for a while.

The incredible edible egg! Love the darn things fried, scrambled,
microwaved, hard-cooked, in potato salad, with tuna or sardines. A hundred ways. So cheap, easy and nourishing. We usually eat them hard-cooked or microwaved, so they don't even have any extra fat or calories!

Who went home and made deviled eggs because of this post?

*Raising hand*

LOL

Here's a tip from Shirley Corriher (Cookwise); the night before you boil the eggs for deviled eggs, store the egg carton sideways--that is, on edge so that the eggs are resting horizontally. (You may wish to tape the carton shut so it doesn't pop open, and/or prop something next to it in the fridge so it stays sideways.) The idea is that the yolk will center itself inside the albumen and make a more attractive deviled egg.

Here's one of her methods for boiling eggs, using a cold water start:

-Place eggs in a single layer in a heavy saucepan and cover with 1 1/2 inches of cold water
-Partially cover the pot and bring to a full rolling boil
-Turn the heat down to low, cover completely, and leave on heat for 30 seconds
-Remove from heat and let eggs stand in hot water for 15 minutes
--Cool the eggs by putting them in cold running water for 5 minutes. (I drain the hot water first, then run cold water over them for 5 minutes)

I've been boiling eggs this way for the past year or so; very few cracked shells and few green yolks. The nice thing about this technique is that once you turn off the heat you can go do something else. I use the kitchen timer at the link, wearing it around my neck to summon me back to the kitchen to finish up the task.

As someone else mentioned, if you use slightly older eggs, they are easier to shell than really fresh ones. I tend to buy two dozen at a time, using one for fresh applications (souffles, poaching, etc) and saving the second one to boil the next week.

Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen timer

Just noticed that the technique Grainlady linked to is very similar to Shirley Corriher's method. Great minds think alike.

If you're serving folks who don't mind a little zing in their food, sprinkling a little chipotle powder (or hot pimenton, smoked Spanish paprika) on top of the deviled egg is quite tasty. Pretty, too. If you're using pimenton, it is available in mild as well as hot versions.

I did a test run this weekend. :-)

Upon researching the Steam method I discovered that this is suppose to make even fresh eggs peel easier. I loaded my steamer with 30 eggs. I tested one at the 15 minute mark and discovered the center, although plenty done for my tastes, could probably use a bit more cooking for most people. So, I left them on for a total of 20 minutes, plunging them into ice water when done. I took 8 eggs, cracked/rolled them on the counter and then back into the ice water for 5+ minutes more before trying to peel them. I'm new to all of this, but I have to say they peeled very well - no problems at all. The eggs were purchased from CostCo last Thursday and cooked Saturday afternoon.

I also colored the white part of the eggs! I remember seeing this here a couple years back. They came out Great! My youngest DD could not stop eating them. :-)

Thanks for all the help!