Can egg salad be frozen? The answer is both yes and no, and here in this article, we will find out why this should be so.
In addition, you can check here a nice simple egg salad recipe that you can make with just a handful of ingredients.
When it comes to comfort food, it doesn't get much better than an egg salad sandwich.
Of course, nearly every household here in America has got its own twist on this wonderful salad. They all have the secret ingredients they believe make their egg salad that little bit different and something special.
But have you ever tried a Japanese egg salad sandwich?
Egg salad is not actually Japanese in origin. Instead, it is a western food idea imported by the Japanese and altered to suit their particular pallets.
It explains why you'll find a Japanese Konbini egg sandwich quite unlike anything you've tried before. It doesn't have any celery, onion, pickles, or relish.
All it is is hard-boiled eggs with some mayo and a little salt-and-pepper.
But take it from me, this type of tasty egg salad recipe won't be left hanging around for long because it's so delicious.
It will get snapped up straight away unless, of course, you decide to make a big portion, in which case you may want to think about freezing any leftovers.
Eggs, cholesterol, and heart health
Eggs don't have the healthiest of reputations since their yolks are quite high in cholesterol. Having said that, most nutritionists agree that their other health benefits more than makeup for this factor, even for those who are conscious of heart health.
Research reported by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that moderate egg intake (1 egg per day) doesn't increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) or death among people with or without CVD or diabetes.
When taken alongside the high protein levels, lutein, choline, and B vitamins that eggs contain.
These findings mean that they are an excellent choice for adult seniors hoping to minimize the risk of breast cancer and macular degeneration while not adversely affecting heart health.
Nutritional benefits of the fat egg yolks
Not all fat is bad for you. A report printed on the Science Daily website entitled "A spoonful of oil" indicates that fats and oils are beneficial in unlocking the full nutritional benefits of other foods.
It's because of fat-soluble compounds called carotenoids, which facilitate the blood absorbing seven different micronutrients.
Can you freeze egg salad?
It is possible to freeze egg salad. However, it is not something I would recommend. The problem is that once eggs have been frozen and defrosted, their texture changes.
They turn tough and rubbery and are nowhere near as nice as when freshly cooked.
It's not just the eggs, though. The Mayo doesn't fare well when frozen, either. Once you thaw it, it splits and becomes watery.
So, yes, you can freeze egg salad, but once defrosted, not only will the texture be all wrong, it won't look very nice either. My advice is not to freeze it.
How long does egg salad remain edible?
The main ingredients of an egg salad are eggs and mayonnaise. Neither of these two products fares very well when kept out at room temperature.
There is something called the food danger zone. According to the FDA, this is the temperature range within which food is highly susceptible to rapid bacterial growth. The range is between 40°F and 140°F.
In this temperature spread, bacteria like Campylobacter, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Enteritidis, and Staphylococcus aureus all thrive. They can double in as short a time as twenty minutes.
Official advice recommends that you do not keep foods, including egg salad, outside the fridge for longer than two hours.
When you refrigerate egg salad, you should transfer it into an airtight container and place it towards the back of the fridge where the temperature is more constant.
When stored in this way, it will last for anywhere between one and five days.
To be on the safe side, when you come to use your egg salad for, say, making sandwiches, check it to make sure it doesn't smell off or that it has become watery.
If it has, throw it out. Eating rotten egg salad can make you ill.
Read: Can you Freeze Pimento Cheese?
The correct way to store egg salad
Making sure that you store your egg salad correctly is the best way of prolonging its freshness.
As mentioned above, it should be stored in an airtight container and located towards the back of your fridge, where it can be kept for anywhere up to a maximum of 5 days.
The USDA recommends transferring egg salad immediately after being made into a sealed airtight container and then placing it in your fridge, keeping it within the temperature range of 36°F to 40°F.
If you neglect to put it into a sealed container, it will go off within a day or two even though you store it in your fridge.
The key is to ensure you don't leave it out at room temperature for longer than two hours.
The other thing to be aware of is that you should not put egg salad into a container with any other foods.
If, for example, you were to refrigerate an egg salad sandwich, I recommend you wrap the whole sandwich in aluminum foil and then put it into an airtight container before refrigerating it.
Bacteria can easily transfer to the components of egg salad, so it's best to avoid eating it straight from the container in which it has been stored.
You also need to ensure that any utensils you might use are also hygienically clean.
Follow these steps to ensure you store your egg salad properly:
- Once made, transfer the salad into a clean airtight container, and seal.
- Position the container to the rear of the fridge, where you should keep it until you're ready to serve.
- Before serving, check the salad is not emitting a horrible smell, that the color hasn't changed, and it hasn't become watery. If you spot any of these signs, discard them.
Reasons that freezing egg salad is not a good idea.
Will eating defrosted frozen egg salad make you ill?
As long as you eat frozen egg salad within one month of freezing, it should not make you ill. The best way of defrosting it is overnight in your fridge.
Please be warned, however, that the texture and consistency will seriously deteriorate. You might be able to rescue it a little by adding a little fresh mayonnaise.
What are the reasons that egg salad goes off?
Egg salad can consist of various ingredients, any or all of which can be the culprit, making it go off.
As far as this article is concerned, we going to stick with the classic simple egg salad ingredients, which are:
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Mayonnaise
- Mustard
- Salt-and-pepper seasoning
To begin with, we already know that eggs, and egg-based mayonnaise, are the ingredients most prone to developing bacteria that result in spoilage.
We've already discussed that at between temperatures of 40°F and hundred and 40°F, bacteria, which can result in food poisoning, can establish themselves and begin doubling within 20 minutes.
These bacteria can include Listeria monocytogenes. If you're not going to consume the egg salad you prepared immediately, it should be refrigerated.
As mentioned above, when refrigerated following the proper procedures, egg salad can remain safe to consume anywhere between one and five days after preparation.
Useful tips:
One way of helping to keep your egg salad fresh is to add a little lemon juice or vinegar. You should be able to eat refrigerated egg salad up to 5 days after preparation.
However, if you prefer to err on the side of safety, you should eat it within three days. You will be able to savor all of the flavors and benefit from the nutritional elements without the worry of it has gone off or not?
Signs your egg salad has turned bad
Most people know how to cook an egg, whether soft or hard-boiled, over easy or hard, or scrambled. They are quick and easy to cook and are a great way of consuming protein.
The only real downside with eggs is that they don't have a great shelf life. And the one thing you don't want to do is eat eggs that have gone bad - they will make you ill.
If you never smelled them before, rotten eggs pong terribly. A lot of people don't like the smell of peeled hard-boiled eggs anyway, but believe me, once they go off, you'll know it.
Sign 1
When egg salad begins to go off, the bacteria that cause it will make the salad develop a sour sulfur-like smell. In addition, the salad will discolor, and mold will begin to form. This is all fairly obvious stuff.
The thing you might not know is that even though your salad might not give off a horrible smell or show any visible signs of going off, it could still be unsafe to consume.
Some types of foodborne bacteria, especially those that grow on refrigerated foods after a while, hide very well.
To avoid becoming ill, if your egg salad has been in the fridge for five days, it's best to assume that it's riddled with bacteria and needs throwing away.
Don't bother to inspect it - just bin it.
Sign 2
Suppose you have already eaten egg salad that has gone off, and you didn't notice.
In that case, you could begin to suffer from abdominal cramps, diarrhea, fatigue, fever, nausea, and vomiting anywhere from 30 minutes to 48 hours after consuming it.
Typically, food poisoning symptoms usually last somewhere between 4 and 8 hours. If you do experience any of these systems and last longer, you ought to seek immediate medical help.
What makes egg salad turn watery overnight?
One of the problems people often find when making egg salad and storing it overnight is that it becomes too liquid. This can be caused by being a little too liberal with the mayonnaise or mustard when you mix your salad.
One way of fixing this is to use some celery or cooked potato. Just dice it up and added to the salad mixture. What it does is thicken the salad up.
It also adds another flavor combination. It's an easy and clever fix that works well.
Another way to prevent egg salad from becoming watery
Another little trick is to chop up some more hard-boiled egg and add it to the salad.
Also, if you put the egg salad into the fridge, you'll find that the coldness of the atmosphere will thicken up the Mayo.
The main reason your egg salad is too liquidy
Ending up with a runny egg salad is a problem that most of us have encountered at one time or another. There's probably a straightforward explanation.
You're not using the right mayonnaise.
Although egg salad contains protein, it's not exactly low-fat, given all those eggs and mayonnaise. Because of this, people often turn to use low-fat mayo and therein can lie the problem.
If you look at a jar of regular Mayo, you'll see that one of the main ingredients normally listed is oil. However, low-fat or fat-free Mayo swaps out some oil for water.
When left overnight in your fridge, these low-fat or no-fat mayos will break down much faster than ordinary Mayo and will turn watery.
If you are desperate to serve up a lower fat egg salad, the best thing to do is to prepare it just before serving, using low-fat mayo.
If you don't refrigerate it, it won't turn to water, but of course, you do need to eat it almost immediately.