Deviled Eggs
Before We Begin What is so great about sous vide eggs? Try to explain it to me. A few things. One, you can achieve textures with sous vide eggs that you could never get with traditionally cooked ones. Think decadently creamy yolks and tender whites with just a little bit of pull. Two, you can dial in times and temps to get the exact yolks and whites you want. Check out our Egg Calculator to learn how to do it. Finally, with sous vide, you can make a bunch of eggs at once—which comes in handy when you are making eggs for the whole brood. Provided you have fresh, high-quality eggs, results will be consistently delicious, every time. Okay, but what about hard-boiled eggs specifically? The main improvement is textural—the creamy yolks have none of that chalkiness that often plagues boiled eggs. But another bonus is that you never get that grey, sulfurous ring in the white—meaning the flavor remains sweet and fresh. What's with the funny peeling technique? It is our favorite quick technique for dealing with stubborn shells. But methods abound. For further reading on the subject, check out this excellent article from the Food Lab. Guys. Sunday brunch is in one hour and I don't have any piping bags. Grab a ziplock-style bag and stuff your filling up in there. Then slice off one corner and pipe filling into the hard-boiled egg whites with that. Thomas Keller wouldn't be super psyched, but your guests are gonna love them. What if Thomas Keller is your guest? Hmm, that is a pickle. I don't like hard-boiled eggs. Fair enough. Use the Egg Calculator to dial in your perfect doneness for both the whites and the yolks! Also, there is a lot of egg science stuff there. Read all about it. Smoked paprika? Smoky flavors are not my thing. Then use regular paprika! What if I want to garnish my deviled eggs with caviar? We'll bring the Pol Roger.
Ingredients
| 12 | eggs, large |
| 1 recipe | Fast and Easy Pickled Onion, optional, to garnish |
| as needed | ice water, for ice bath |
| 130 g | Crème fraîche, or sour cream |
| 16 g | Dijon mustard |
| 2 g | salt, kosher |
| 0.5 g | black pepper |
| as needed | smoked paprika, optional, to garnish |
| as needed | herbs, fresh |
| — | Equipment: sous vide setup, food processor (optional), disposable piping bag (optional), fine-mesh sieve (optional) |
Instructions
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Heat Joule to 194 °F / 90 °C For best results, pick a small pot and never, ever add eggs until the water has heated all the way.
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Cook yer eggs When your water is heated, slowly lower eggs into the pot. Set a timer for 20 minutes. NOTE: Want to garnish with pickled onions? Yeah, you do. You can make them while your eggs are cooking.
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Make pickled onions (optional, for garnish) It's an allium-scented breeze with this technique. Fast and Easy Pickled Onion — Cooking time: 10 min to 1 hr, entirely your call. See the recipe.
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Set up ice bath; chill eggs Once eggs have cooked, set up an ice bath and immediately—and gently—transfer eggs from the pot to the ice bath. Allow to chill 30 minutes.
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Peel eggs Working with one egg at a time, gently remove from the ice bath and crack the shell against your work surface. Give the egg a few rolls back and forth to loosen things up. Drop the egg carefully in the water again, and let it sit for a few seconds. Pick it up, and—again, gently—remove the shell. Transfer to a clean plate or bowl. Continue until all your eggs are peeled.
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Separate yolks and whites First, a choice: You can give these eggs the traditional look by slicing them down the middle the long way, or you can slice them through the center to create vertical egg cups. Both are great; do your thing. Carefully slice through each egg to create two equal halves (24 pieces total). As you work, transfer the yolks to a clean bowl.
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Make the filling Combine the cooked yolks with the rest of the goodies in the pitcher of a food processor, and whirl them together, stopping to check the texture as necessary. When the mixture is good and creamy, scoop it into a piping bag and transfer to the fridge. NOTE: No food processor? No problem. You can whisk everything together instead. We just like the texture we get from the ol' FP.
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Pipe 'em if you got 'em Arrange your egg whites on a serving platter. Carefully pipe filling into each one. Cover eggs and chill in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
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Garnish, and serve Just before serving, use a fine-mesh strainer or your fingers to dust on the paprika. Garnish with a pickled onion or two. (You may want to wipe the pickling liquid from the onion first to make sure it doesn't sog up the situation.) Also, a couple sprigs of fresh herbs are always a nice bonus. Watch as your guests gobble them up quick. And don't take any guff from Keller. It's your party, isn't it?