Egg Salad - just because

This is in honor of Dee, the Coffee Bean Goddess, who used to cheer us up with her fantastically written accounts of every day things. She passed away just over 9 years ago, and I still miss her.

I bought a 6 quart Instant Pot a couple of years ago. It sat in my cabinet for a while, then I proceeded to ruin a few meals with it. I gave it to my son, who said he'd take a stab at it, but after almost a year, he hadn't even taken it out of the box. In the time since I gave it to him, I discovered that you could make yogurt in it, so I asked for it back so I could experiment. I think he was glad to get it out of his pantry.

Yogurt making worked, but since my pot didn't have the magical yogurt setting, it was a LOT of work and mess, so I only made it a couple of times. But, I discovered a couple of tricks after browsing around the webz, so I tried it for a couple of dinners. They turned out edible, and after a while, I actually started to like using it. Rice comes out perfectly, and people swear that eggs come out perfectly, too. In fact, I've read several blogs which tell me it's worth buying the pressure cooker *just* for doing eggs in. I was skeptical.

I LOVE boiled eggs and all the things you can make with them, but I HATE boiling them. Well, boiling them is the easy part, I hate trying to peel them. Yes, I've tried your granny's 'perfect eggs' trick. Yes, yours too. And yours. Nothing works, I can't do it, they never peel right, and I end up taking hours to peel them only to get these mutant-looking Frankenstein's monster eggs, or I end up rage quitting and throwing them all away. So ppbbbttthhht to boiled eggs.

Back in December or January, the warehouse store I'm a member of had 8 quart IPs on sale for a very good price. The 6 quart was just a little too small for roasts or large dinners. It had a yogurt setting on it, too. I quietly lusted after it, and started to walk away. My husband happened to be with me, and said, "If you want it, BUY it." So I did. This meant I had two Instant Pots. I like gadgets, but I really don't need two pressure cookers. I just don't cook that much. My sister volunteered to take it off my hands, so I took it to her the next time we visited.

Last time I visited, she happened to mention that she'd done eggs in the Instant Pot, and they came out perfectly, and peeled like a dream. I said, "Yeah, I've heard they do." But not with much conviction. However, standard sibling rivalry hit me, and I figured, "If she can do it, *I* can do it." I bought a dozen extra eggs, and vowed to cook them in the Instant Pot. They sat in the fridge for two weeks before I finally got up the courage to try them tonight.

I put the silver trivet with handles in the pot, added a cup of water, and put the silicone trivet (that just happens to also hold eggs) on top of that.

Then I neatly placed an egg in each of the little holes. I pushed the "Egg" button, and set the pot for "normal". Unfortunately, I didn't hear the beeper (damned old age), and they sat in the pot for almost 15 minutes on "Keep Warm". Once I remembered to get them out, I plopped them into an ice bath and let them cool. Then I peeled them. Out of 9 eggs, 8 of them peeled so easily I couldn't believe it. I cracked them around the middle, and the shell pulled right off. One of them stuck, and I ended up pulling half the white off. It was ugly, and a little over cooked, but edible. I was honestly amazed.

I mean, LOOK AT THEM. They are perfect!

Now, what to do with 8 boiled eggs? Well, egg salad, obviously. I searched the web for recipes, mostly for the mayo/mustard ratio, then made up my own recipe. First, squish the eggs. I reached for the potato masher, then remembered my Mom used to make egg salad, and she just used a fork. So, I used a fork. It was a little more effort than the masher would have been, but all I had to wash was a fork, so it was worth it.

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I happen to prefer my egg salad less chunky, probably because my Mom made it this way, so it worked out well.

Then I added mayo, sweet & spicy mustard, pickle relish, lemon juice, and Worstershire sauce - just a sprinkle.

It's good! Vinegary without being sharp, creamy, and with just little crunch from the pickles.

It was a little runny, though. The sandwiches were a bit soggy.

My son also partook, and agreed that perhaps next time, I drain the pickle relish, and use a bit less mayo and a bit less lemon juice. This won't go to waste, though. I'm going to add a well-drained can of tuna to it, and have tuna salad!