How To Save Time With This No-Peel Egg Salad Hack

Few dishes capture simple comfort quite like egg salad. It's a globally beloved dish that shines at picnics and outdoor gatherings, especially when sandwiched between two fluffy, triangular slices of white bread. Making egg salad is also super simple. All you need for a standard recipe is: Eggs, mustard, mayonnaise, green onions, and salt and pepper to taste –- although it's important to remember that egg salad is endlessly customizable. Typically, the eggs are hard boiled, but this comes with a caveat — you've got to go through all the effort of peeling them. But what if we told you there was a way to avoid all this fuss? That's right, Food Republic consulted Audrey Santos, executive sous chef at Maricel's Kitchen, who revealed a no-peel egg salad hack is baking your eggs rather than boiling.

According to Santos, the reason she swears by baking over boiling is because, "instead of standing over the stove peeling eggs one by one, you bake, cool, and dice. No shells, no fuss, and every batch comes out consistent." The method is simple: Preheat your oven to around 375 degrees Fahrenheit, pour in the cracked eggs into a muffin tin, baking dish, or rimmed sheet pan. Once baked, they're ready to be mashed and be mixed with the other ingredients — no peeling required. Not only does this save you time and mess, "it's especially helpful if you're prepping for parties or events where egg salad sandwiches or canapés need to be ready in bulk," Santos told us.

If you've ever cooked eggs before, you know that they can come out in a variety of different ways depending on the cooking methods. You've got soft-boiled eggs with a jammy center, fluffy scrambled eggs that melt-in-your-mouth (which also go great in an egg salad,) and hard-boiled eggs with firm whites and yolks. According to sous chef Audrey Santos, compared to the traditional hard boiled eggs, "baked eggs have a softer, almost custardy texture [...] which makes the salad creamier once you fold in mayo or mustard." This subtle difference in texture will make the egg salad feel more cohesive and indulgent, with the eggs seamlessly blending into the dressing rather than standing out as separate chunks.

As for how they measure up in flavor, Santos revealed: "Flavor-wise they're a bit similar, but baked eggs can taste a little richer, which complements tangy or crunchy mix-ins beautifully." This makes them the ideal pairing for popular add-ins such as mayo, mustard, celery, or spring onion. However, "hard boiled, though it's time consuming [...] has a creamier and bolder flavor if what you're looking to highlight is the yolk. It gives a little bit of texture to play around with, as well," Santos added. So which cooking method you choose really depends on what you want out of your egg salad. If you want to save time and get a creamy, luxurious base that melds with the dressing, baked eggs are the way to go. But if you prefer a heartier bite with more distinct pieces of yolk and white, stick with hard-boiled eggs.