Quick and easy egg salad recipe that you will love!
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Egg salad is a healthy dish made of chopped hard boiled eggs, mayonnaise, celery and seasonings. It is quick and simple to make and a great option for families on the run. It is also a great recipe to teach your kids how to make and begin their love of cooking.
Being a father of three, I love making things in bulk and freezing our leftovers for quick future meals. However, some dishes freeze better than others. In this article, we will dive into how to best store your egg salad leftovers and will conclude with my favorite egg salad recipe!
Table of Contents
Egg salad leftovers do best in the refrigerator. As long as it is stored correctly, you can still expect the same texture and flavor from your egg salad as when it was fresh.
Make sure to store your egg salad in an air tight container and do not let it sit out for more than an hour before putting it in the fridge as bacteria can quickly start growing on the eggs and mayo.
As long as it is stored in an air tight container and wasn’t left on the counter for more than an hour, you can expect your egg salad to last between three to five days in the fridge.
The simple answer to this question is yes, though I wouldn’t. This is because the two primary ingredients, egg and mayonnaise, do not freeze well. The eggs typically get rubbery and lose their flavor and the mayonnaise breaks down and gets watery. In short, your egg salad will lose the flavors and textures that you love and look for in an egg salad.
That being said, if you froze an egg salad and ate it within a month or so and stored it properly, it wouldn’t make you sick. It may work if you are looking for a quick meal to save you a trip to the grocery store. I would add some extra salt and pepper and maybe some hot sauce as well to make up for the change in flavor and texture.
If you do choose to freeze egg salad, make sure you put it in an air tight container or freezer bag immediately after serving. It freezes best if you freeze it right away and not after being in the fridge for a couple days. One thing to absolutely make sure of is not to let it sit out at room temperature for more than an hour.
Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and it should be ready to go the next morning. I would add a little fresh mayonnaise right before eating to liven it up a bit.
Always make sure your egg salad hasn’t gone bad before eating.
Because eggs and mayonnaise don’t freeze well, they go bad in the freezer quicker than other foods. If stored properly, you can expect your egg salad to be good for around a month in the freezer. However, the earlier you eat it, the better it will taste.
As mentioned before, always check to make sure it hasn’t gone bad prior to eating.
The most telling sign that your egg salad is no longer good is when it starts to smell. When eggs and mayo start to go bad they have a very distinct and rancid smell.
I would also look at the texture and color. If the color has changed or it looks watery and unappetizing, I would throw it away. When in doubt, throw it out.
Now that we’ve discussed how to properly store any leftover egg salad you may have, I want to share my favorite egg salad recipe.
Ingredients
Eight hard boiled eggs
1/2 cup of your favorite mayonnaise
1 teaspoon of yellow mustard
1 rib of celery diced into small pieces
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (though you can use paprika if you prefer less heat)
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Cut the hard boiled eggs into rough pieces around the size of a marble and put aside.
Combine the remaining ingredients into a mixing bowl.
Carefully stir eggs into the mixed ingredients, making sure to mix thoroughly but not crush eggs into smaller pieces.
Serve on toast or crackers.
Best Egg Salad Recipe
Quick and easy egg salad recipe that you will love!
The nice thing about egg salad is that you can make it your own. The above recipe is simple with a little heat. However, several people like to add onions, dill, or other ingredients while leaving out the mustard and cayenne. Feel free to experiment with it and make it your own. Happy cooking!
Check out the below articles for more great food storage answers:
Does Vanilla Extract Go Bad? Your Guide to Storing Vanilla Extract
How to Freeze Green Beans – Your Guide to Storing Fresh Green Beans
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You might be tempted to freeze your egg salad instead of refrigerating, but we don't recommend it. The texture will change and the mayonnaise can separate and become watery. Eggs also tend to become rubbery after freezing.
According to the USDA, egg salad that's been stored properly in the fridge will be good for three to five days. To maximize that timeframe, use an airtight container and place the egg salad in the coldest part of the fridge promptly. Make sure your fridge is set to 40 F or lower.
Freezing raw eggs causes the water content inside to expand, which will likely break the shells. Instead, crack the eggs into a bowl, whisk them, and pour into an ice cube tray or muffin tin. Whisking incorporates the fatty yolks into the whites, which helps to sustain their texture in the freezer.
When raw eggs freeze, the liquid inside expands, which can cause the shells to crack. As a result, the contents of the egg can spoil and are at risk of bacterial contamination (3, 4 ). Additionally, freezing raw, shelled eggs can negatively affect the texture, as the egg yolks become thick and gel-like.
Keep it cold: Store the container in the coldest part of your refrigerator (usually the back) to maintain a consistent, safe temperature. Avoid room temperature: Never leave egg salad out at room temperature for more than two hours, as warm temperatures can encourage foodborne illnesses.
It is essential to avoid toxins such as tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol while preparing your body for egg freezing. Recent studies have linked marijuana usage to lower fertility in both men and women.
Never leave cooked eggs or egg dishes out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours or for more than 1 hour when temperatures are above 90° F. Bacteria that can cause illness grow quickly at warm temperatures (between 40° F and 140° F).
Perfect boiled eggs—hard- or soft-cooked. So, save your freshest eggs for frying (one more reason: the yolks of more alkaline eggs are more prone to breaking as soon as they hit the pan) and put your older eggs towards egg salad, deviled eggs, and the like.
Freezing eggs before the age of 30 will probably provide the highest number of healthy eggs, with a slightly smaller number if between the ages of 30 and 35 and a much smaller number over age 35. There is currently a 55-year maximum storage limit for eggs in the UK, which provides more options for the future.
What's the best way to prepare for the process? “Healthy living, eating well, minimizing processed foods, and a diet rich in antioxidants helps improve egg quality,” Dr. Huang says. “Maintaining a healthy weight—so if you're overweight, losing a little weight—or if you're underweight, gaining weight.
If you're using an ice cube tray, it's likely translating to a half egg per cube, for recipe planning purposes. If you're using a plastic bag, place the sealed bag on a sheet tray or another surface so it lays flat in the freezer (you can remove the tray once it has frozen).
Risks are similar to those associated with ovarian stimulation for IVF, which include small risks of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (enlargement of the ovaries and fluid accumulation in the pelvis and abdomen), infection, and bleeding related to the egg retrieval procedure.
Pour into a zip lock bag, squeeze out excess air and freeze flat, or freeze in individual portions before moving into zip lock bag. Don't freeze eggs in the shell, as they're prone to cracking.
The egg white and yolk will expand when frozen so if left intact this could damage or break the shell. Only freeze eggs which are fresh and in date; all British Lion Eggs are labelled with a best-before date stamp on each individual egg shell.
While no safety risks are posed by freezing chicken salad, you might not love the result. “Freezing salad already dressed with mayo will give you a final product that is separated and affects texture and mouthfeel, and taste,” says Hunt.
Ham and cheese, egg mayo, salmon and cream cheese and tuna mayo all froze and defrosted with excellent results. That's not to say you can't freeze other fillings such as jams, chocolate spread and peanut butter (be sure to check if your child's school allows it).
Every ingredient that goes into egg salad has water in it. Salt and sugar in the dressing draw the water out of the ingredients as they sit, and they make your egg salad watery regardless of whether it's in the fridge or in a sandwich.
Hard-cooked eggs won't taste great frozen. The whites become tough and rubbery, and they release excess water when they're thawed. The cooked yolks freeze exceptionally well, though, so we recommend eating the boiled whites fresh and freezing the yolks by themselves in an air-tight bag.
Introduction: My name is Jonah Leffler, I am a determined, faithful, outstanding, inexpensive, cheerful, determined, smiling person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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