Egg salad has got to be one of the easiest fillings to create for sandwiches. The most basic egg salad recipes don’t even have many ingredients. A couple of hard-boiled eggs, salt, pepper, and mayonnaise will do. Perhaps the only problem I experience when it comes to making egg salad is making too much!
If you too happen to make too much egg salad, I’m sure you're wondering how you can properly store leftovers. You might have even asked, "Can you freeze egg salad?". Well, if you want to know how to store egg salad correctly, read on.
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What Does Egg Salad Contain?
Egg salad can contain several ingredients such as mustard, onions, macaroni, chicken, and other sandwich fillings you might wish to include. The primary components that never get excluded in most egg salad recipes are hard-boiled eggs, salt, pepper, and mayonnaise.
Wondering how many calories are in an egg salad and its variations? Find out here and see the egg salad’s nutritional value as well!
If you've never made egg salad before, here is a simple recipe that can give you an overview of what it's like:
- 8 eggs
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
- 1/4 cup chopped green onion
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
Procedure
Step 1: Cook your eggs in boiling water for about 10 minutes to make it completely hard-boiled.
Step 2: Let the eggs cool down by putting it in cold water. Once your eggs are cool, peel the shells off and place the eggs in a bowl.
Step 3: Mash the eggs to your desired consistency using a fork or a knife.
Step 4: Add the rest of the ingredients in the bowl and mix them all thoroughly.
Step 5 (Optional): If you prefer cold egg salad, place your egg salad in the fridge for half an hour.
Take note that this is only one simple egg salad recipe. You can make a variation of egg salad by adding other ingredients that you like. I like to add little bits of bacon or chicken to my salad mix, and also some herbs like thyme and rosemary. You can even add bits of shredded cheese to it if you like!
Here’s a good video on how to make the perfect egg salad. Watch here.
How Long Does Egg Salad Last?
As you may have noticed, egg salad contains delicate ingredients such as eggs and mayonnaise. If you don’t know much about these ingredients, you should be aware that eggs and mayonnaise don't do well when stored at room temperature. Bacteria thrives in temperatures between 40 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, making egg salad vulnerable to spoilage within just a little after 2 hours.
If you want to make your egg salads last longer, the best thing to do is store it in an airtight container and place it in your refrigerator. Once set in the fridge, the egg salad will last for a day or even five days.
However, even though you have properly stored your egg salad in the fridge, you should always practice inspecting it before you go ahead and put it on your sandwich. You should check for unpleasant odors or watery textures to avoid eating bad egg salad. You should also refrain from using used utensils every time you serve it to avoid contaminating the egg salad with bacteria.
Freezing Egg Salad
What if you need to make your egg salad last for a week or so? Can you rely on your freezer to help you do that? Well, not really.
Sure, you can freeze egg salad, but don’t expect it to come out with the same creamy consistency once thawed. Eggs and mayonnaise, two of the major ingredients of the salad, do not freeze well.
Subjecting the two to freezing temperatures can significantly affect their consistency. If you try and freeze the egg salad, you will inevitably end up with a watery and rubbery mess that no one would find pleasant to eat.
Make it a habit not to freeze food with high moisture content. Foods that are moist, to begin with, such as cream-based foods, fruits, or custards can't retain their nice consistency after thawing.
A Quick Recap
Egg salad is a great dish that uses simple and readily available ingredients like eggs, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. They make for a great sandwich perfect for a lunch out or a picnic at the park. Their only downside is that they don’t last very long. The maximum time you can store your egg salad is five days, and that’s when you store it in an airtight container.
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