Egg salad
Egg salad is a dish of chopped or mashed hard-boiled eggs mixed with dressing and seasonings, often served on bread or lettuce.
Mayonnaise: A thick emulsion of oil, egg yolk, and an acidic liquid such as vinegar or lemon juice. It commonly binds chopped eggs and adds richness.
Egg salad sandwich: A sandwich filled with egg salad, typically served between slices of bread. Bread is one of the most common ways egg salad is served.
Chicken salad: A cold dish of cooked chicken mixed with dressing and other ingredients. It shares egg salad’s creamy, chopped format but uses chicken as its main ingredient.
Egg cooking: The use of heat to set the proteins in an egg white and yolk. Cooking time controls whether the eggs used in the salad are fully firm or have softer yolks.
Salad: A dish of mixed ingredients, often served cold and commonly dressed with a sauce or vinaigrette. Egg salad is a dressed, usually chilled dish within the broad salad tradition.
Dijon mustard: A smooth mustard made with brown or black mustard seeds, white wine, or wine vinegar. Its sharpness balances the richness of eggs and mayonnaise.
Tea sandwich: A small, crustless sandwich served with tea or at receptions. Egg salad can be used as a compact filling for tea sandwiches.
Tuna salad: A dish of tuna mixed with dressing and seasonings, often served as a sandwich filling. It occupies a similar sandwich role while replacing eggs with fish.
Egg coagulation: The heat-driven unfolding and bonding of egg proteins into a solid network. Protein coagulation turns liquid egg contents into the firm pieces used in the dish.
Mayonnaise-based salad: A prepared salad bound with mayonnaise or a similar creamy dressing. Egg salad belongs to this family of chilled, dressing-bound salads.