The best deviled eggs start with the best hard-cooked eggs. Conventional wisdom insists that older eggs peel more easily than fresh eggs but we wanted to be able to start with eggs of any age and still end up with flawlessly smooth peeled results.
Instead of a cold-water start, we used our recipe for Easy-Peel Hard-Cooked Eggs, which calls for placing cold eggs directly into hot steam. This denatures the outermost egg white proteins, causing them to shrink away from the shell membrane and making it easy to slip off the eggshells after cooking.
Fresh herbs, cider vinegar, Dijon, Worcestershire sauce, and cayenne elevated the flavor of the filling, and we also created two variations: one with aromatic curry powder and another with crisp bacon and fresh chives. This recipe can be doubled. If you prefer, use a pastry bag fitted with a large plain or star tip to fill the egg halves.
Classic Deviled Eggs
Makes 12 egg halves. Start to finish: 35 minutes
6 large eggs
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley, plus 12 small whole parsley leaves for garnishing
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Pinch cayenne pepper
Bring 1 inch water to rolling boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Place eggs in steamer basket. Transfer basket to saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook eggs for 13 minutes.