How To Achieve Perfectly Centered Yolks In Your Deviled Eggs

There's nothing more classic than a platter of deviled eggs at your cocktail party. While jello salads have long since fallen out of fashion, this retro favorite has had the staying power to pull it into the present day with the same popularity it's always had. It's an iconic image: the platter of perfectly arranged eggs with creamy, pillowy filling perfectly centered and juxtaposed against the sold egg white. Top them with a grazing of paprika and watch mouths water.

Of course, the ideal deviled egg has a yolk that is perfectly centered, framed by the egg's white and ready for photos. In reality, that picture-perfect uniform result is hard to achieve. The good news is there is an easy, surefire way to make sure that those yolks are centered every time, and the only tools you need are a couple of rubber bands to secure your egg carton and rest it on its side.

Storing egg cartons traditionally in the fridge means that the yolk settles toward the bottom. Since eggs vary in size even in the same carton, yolks aren't even or centered. The ideal deviled egg has a perfect bite-to-filling ratio, so storing the eggs upright isn't the way to go. Centered yolks are as easy as taking the carton of eggs and binding it closed with rubber bands the day before you plan to cook them. Set the sideways carton in the fridge until you're ready to make the eggs, allowing time for the yolks to shift from the bottom of the egg to the center.

Centered yolks look good, but that's not their only benefit. Without setting them on their side, you run the risk of the yolk orienting itself in such a way that there's very little white around it, and that means it's harder to remove the yolk without breaking the egg. Broken eggs are always a bummer, especially when they were on their way to being deliciously deviled.

Centered yolks make for eggs that look gorgeous on the plate, but that's not the only way you can ensure you're putting the best eggs out. After putting in the time to make sure those yolks are right in the middle, you're going to want a filling that's ready for center stage. When prepping your eggs, boil a few extra so that you can take the yolks and add them to your egg mixture. Not only does this mean more delicious flavor, but it also gives you an extra egg if something goes wrong along the way.

When it comes to filling those perfectly shaped eggs, you want full centers that hold up and don't become runny. The key to that is making sure butter is part of your filling. Butter adds creaminess so you don't have to go overboard on the mayonnaise, and it helps keep the filling peaked and pillowy. With expertly shaped eggs topped with vibrant, sunny yolk, you'll have a gram-worthy plate for your next party.