Hard boiled eggs in salad

[heidih]

i'm seeing hard boiled eggs in posted salads like it is a constant. Curious if it is regional? I've only ever lived in Los Angeles so maybe we are different?

[BeatriceB]

Hello heidih! Your dog is gorgeous -- I had a black lab who would look like that after a really good run in the park. 

Anyway, I pretty much require a boiled egg in composed salads, I think because it's in some of my favorite classics and merges so well with the dressing. I love Cobb Salad, which is from your part of the country, Salade Nicoise, Chef's Salad and so on. I make my own riffs on these but I find the egg indispensable!

[lindag]

Not here.  I use HB eggs in my shrimp or crab Louies or spinach salads.

[liuzhou]

10 hours ago, heidih said:

i'm seeing hard boiled eggs in posted salads like it is a constant. Curious if it is regional? I've only ever lived in Los Angeles so maybe we are different?

 

I  use hard boiled eggs in very few salads. Probably only in Salade Niçoise, in fact.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Hard boiled eggs are indispensable in Seven Layer Salad, which I made the other day. The basic salad is lettuce, tomato, green peas, onion, crisp bacon, chopped hard boiled egg, shredded cheddar and mayo. Normally it is made in a glass salad bowl or trifle dish in pretty, colorful layers. It will keep a few hours well chilled on the way to a potluck dinner and is always a hit. 

 

Living alone now, I just make up a single serving as I don't care for it leftover.

 

I also think hard boiled eggs are essential in a proper chef's salad. Or whenever you want them in a salad. They are a cheap, easy, nutritious protein ingredient that tastes great, so why not?

[MetsFan5]

Not in my salads or most salads I make/ order (Caesar, antipasto). Probably because I loathe hard boiled eggs. 

[Toliver]

It's a relatively cheap way to add protein. My mom has always added it to her potato salad and then she'd lay slices of the boiled egg on top because it looks "purty" (don't forget to sprinkle paprika over all of it, too).

[shawnee_h]

I put them in potato salad when I make it but I also add celery because that's how my Dad always made it. Born and raised in the Bay Area.

[rotuts]

I always add them to potato salad

 

when i remember.

 

for a ' green ' salad I add a 1 minute egg  

 

beaten up into the dressing.

 

but i minute is far from HB

 

and with the use of an iPot  the HB eggs are now on the ' rare ' side of HB :   a just jelled yolk

 

iPot is the only way I can consistently get this sort of egg.

[HungryChris]

Like @rotuts, I will always add them to potato salad ( I never forget to). I will add them to a chef salad just because I like to have a nice variety of things in there, and Deb and I both like them, but if, of course, I were making lunch for someone like @MetsFan5, who is not fond of them, they would remain in the fridge. It's all a matter of choice.

HC

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Myself, I would never want to see a hard boiled egg in my salad, sulfurous green ring or no.

 

Thank you.

 

We may be shading into politics.

 

[HungryChris]

19 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Myself, I would never want to see a hard boiled egg in my salad, sulfurous green ring or no.

 

A few years ago, I saw Jacques Pepin talk about making the perfect HB egg, without the sulfurous green ring, and it has worked flawlessly for me ever since:

Tap the round end of a raw egg with a sharp paring knife until you hear (not see) the shell give a bit, then place it in enough cold water to cover on high heat. Once the water starts to boil, turn down the heat and set the timer for 9 minutes for a small egg, 11 minutes for a large egg, and once that time has elapsed, put the egg in ice water to stop the cooking process. Works like a champ!!!

Of course, if you are a HB egg hater, just move on (and good riddance).

HC

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I know how to hard boil an egg without the green ring, that is not the problem.  I'm not a hater, offer me a good deviled egg any time.

 

[HungryChris]

3 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I know how to hard boil an egg without the green ring, that is not the problem.  I'm not a hater, offer me a good deviled egg any time.

 

Now that is another issue altogether, and I could not agree more!

HC

[HungryChris]

25 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I know how to hard boil an egg without the green ring, that is not the problem.  I'm not a hater, offer me a good deviled egg any time.

 

As a matter of fact, I have been putting together the Christmas luncheon for the truck shop where Deb works for the last few years, and last year I added a platter of deviled eggs. It did not escape my attention that it was that platter that emptied first, and one I will double up on this next time. I am pretty sure that a decent deviled egg is a crowd pleaser that can be counted on to fill just about any void.

HC

Edited October 15, 2017 by HungryChris (log)

[Anna N]

7 hours ago, HungryChris said:

I am pretty sure that a decent deviled egg is a crowd pleaser that can be counted on to fill just about any void.

 I have noticed the same thing although I have never understood the logic behind it. 

[Katie Meadow]

My guess as to why deviled eggs move quickly is that they are kind of a bore to cook and peel, so if someone presents them already fixed up, well, that's an opportunity. It's like having someone else open your oysters for you. And filling the eggs is tedious if you want them to look appealing. So nice when someone pipes the filling in an artistic flourish.

 

Also mayonnaise hides a multitude of sins, such as overcooked yolks. Plus people really like getting a mouthful of mayo--it's about the most popular condiment in America, not to mention that eggs are a pretty cheap date. They look extra nice in one of those retro dedicated serving platters with the cute depressions. And then there's this: once in a while someone actually makes them really well. Not too often, though. I can get behind them if the mix contains a bit of creme fraiche with a dollop of black caviar on top.

 

If you want to knock yourself out, they look dazzling with a deep pink ring around the white edge after they've take a bath in beet juice.

Edited October 16, 2017 by Katie Meadow (log)

[Anna N]

 Having run into them mostly at potlucks I have a different theory:   Of all the things on offer they are the least objectionable. 

[HungryChris]

4 hours ago, Anna N said:

 Having run into them mostly at potlucks I have a different theory:   Of all the things on offer they are the least objectionable. 

I think you are overlooking the obvious: They are a finger  food that need no plates or utensils, are easily eaten in just a few bites, so there is little commitment, and most importantly, can be really good.

HC

 

Edited October 16, 2017 by HungryChris (log)

[rotuts]

"  eaten in just a few bites "

 

????

 

better with one gulp

[ChocoMom]

For as long as I can remember, sliced HB eggs have decorated the top of pretty much every potato salad made in this family. Spiraled over the top of the salad, sprinkled with paprika. Looks lovely. Hubby LOVES HB eggs crumbled all over his green salad.  To him, the greens don't matter- lettuces, spinach-whatever.  He loves the HB eggs.  And it is such a cheap, easy way to incorporate protein into salads.   (To me, they are a tasty avenue to consume large amounts of salt, which I sometimes enjoy.)

 

I also appreciate the convenience factor.  They can be made in advance, stored in the fridge (or pickled), and grabbed for a quick, filling snack. I label one egg carton with a large HARD BOILED sign, and leave that in the snack tray of the fridge.  My 12 yo  goes right for them, after school.  Either salt and gobble, or makes egg salad.

[kayb]

Not a huge fan of the hard-boiled egg because the white seems to have no taste. I have toyed with the idea of deviling eggs in a two-step process that involves pickling the whites overnight first, before taking them out, drying them, and filling them. Going to try that one day.

 

Deviled eggs with smoked salmon and caviar. Or just deviled eggs with caviar. I'm good.

 

[dans]

I am of the belief that eggs can make anything, and make it better.