Have you ever wondered how deviled eggs got their name? You’re not alone. “Deviled” is a pretty harsh way to describe a perfectly delightful appetizer. Here’s how the classic dish got its satanic moniker.
Deviled eggs are hard-cooked eggs that have been peeled, cut in half, and then filled with a paste made from yolks and other ingredients.
The classic filling for deviled eggs is made from egg yolks mashed with mayonnaise and spicy or zesty seasonings such as mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper. The eggs are sometimes seasoned with spices like paprika or cayenne pepper.
Typically, deviled eggs are served as appetizers. They often appear at holiday parties, picnics, or other social gatherings.
Deviled eggs go back to ancient Rome, where eggs were boiled, seasoned with spicy sauces, and served at the beginning of meals. Stuffed eggs began appearing in U.S. cookbooks by the mid-1800s.
To devil something means to “combine a food with various spicy or hot seasonings like red pepper, mustard, or hot sauce, thereby creating a ‘deviled’ dish,” according to the Food Lover’s Companion book. Since “devil” has negative meanings, though, some groups of people prefer to call the dish “stuffed eggs,” “salad eggs,” or “dressed eggs.”
You can’t have deviled eggs without hard-cooked eggs. Deviled eggs can be made even easier by hard-cooking them ahead of time. The key to great deviled eggs is cooking the eggs perfectly by not overcooking and ending up with that green tinge around the yolk.
My favorite way to make hard-cooked eggs is in an electric pressure cooker. It is so easy! Here are the steps to make them perfect every time.
Place a steamer rack or metal trivet in the bottom of the pressure cooker.
Pour 1 cup water into the pressure cooker. Then, carefully set the eggs on the rack. If you have egg racks, place the eggs with the pointy tip facing down to ensure a centered yolk every time!
Secure the lid on the pot. Close the pressure-release valve. Cook at low pressure for your desired cooking time. Generally, it takes 7 to 10 minutes for hard-cooked eggs. Check your manual for instructions.
While the eggs cook, prepare a bowl filled with water and ice.
When the timer goes off, manually release the pressure, carefully avoiding the steam from the cooker. When all the pressure has been released, open the lid and transfer the eggs to the ice bath. The ice water stops any additional cooking. After 15 minutes of sitting in the ice bath, peel the eggs. Now, it is time to prepare the rest of the recipe.
Slice 12 eggs in half lengthwise, scoop out the yolk into a medium bowl, and smash them with a fork. Place the egg whites on a serving tray.
To the egg yolks, add 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 2 Tablespoons white vinegar, 1 Tablespoon yellow or Dijon mustard, 1 Tablespoon white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; stir together until creamy. Use a small scoop, spoon, or piping bag to fill the egg whites with the yolk mixture. Sprinkle a tad of paprika for that extra dash of devilness, and serve. Cayenne powder can add a spicy kick or smoked paprika for a deep, smoky flavor.
The deviled egg recipe I’m sharing today is a sweet and tangy classic recipe. You can make them sweeter, savorier, spicier, or just more jazzed up. Consider additional ingredients like chives, bacon, shallot, onion, sweet pickle relish, chopped pickle or pickle juice, capers, cajun spices, sriracha sauce, minced jalapeno, horseradish, goat cheese, and more. Of course, various herbs such as dill, tarragon, and basil would also pair beautifully with those ingredients. So, keep your deviled eggs classic or get creative – it’s up to you!
To store deviled eggs in your refrigerator, arrange them in a single layer in an airtight container or an egg carrier. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, deviled eggs will be kept in the fridge for up to four days.
Keep your hard-cooked eggs unpeeled for best use if you are doing prep in advance. Peeled eggs should be used on the same day.
You can rest assured that there’s nothing truly sinister about deviled eggs! Deviled eggs win as healthy snacks or appetizers. They’re easy to make with only a handful of ingredients, and most people love them.
Written by Vicki Hayman, MS, University of Wyoming Extension Community Vitality & Health Educator
Sources:
- Allrecipes, www.allrecipes.com
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, ask.usda.gov
- Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org
- The New Food Lover’s Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst